Comparison of diastolic septal perforator flow velocities in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy versus hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy.

In this study, we measured diastolic septal perforator flow velocities by Doppler transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Using color-guided pulsed Doppler TTE, septal perforator flow velocity recordings were attempted in 69 patients and successfully recorded in 47 (68%). First, we compared 14 patients with HCM to 12 controls and to 11 patients with hypertension with left ventricular hypertrophy.

Comparing the health status of VA and non-VA ambulatory patients: the veterans' health and medical outcomes studies.

The purpose of this study was to compare health status and disease profiles of ambulatory patients in specific Veterans Administration (VA) and civilian healthcare settings. A random sample of 2425 male veterans seeking care at 4 Boston-area VA outpatient clinics, who took part in the Veterans Health Study (VHS) in 1993-1995, were compared to 1318 male patients seeking civilian outpatient care in 3 major metropolitan areas covered in the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) in 1986. The MOS sampled patients who had 1 of 5 conditions--hypertension, noninsulin-dependent diabetes, recent myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or depression.

Cardiac power is the strongest hemodynamic correlate of mortality in cardiogenic shock: a report from the SHOCK trial registry.

Objectives: We sought to analyze clinical, angiographic, and outcome correlates of hemodynamic parameters in cardiogenic shock.

Background: The significance of right heart catheterization in critically ill patients is controversial, despite the prognostic importance of the derived measurements. Cardiac power is a novel hemodynamic parameter.

Patient-reported measures of health: The Veterans Health Study.

The goal of the Veterans Health Study (VHS) was to extend the work of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) into the VA, by developing methodology for monitoring patient-based outcomes of care for use in ambulatory outpatient care. The principal objective of the VHS was developing valid and reliable measures to assess general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and identifying the presence of selected health conditions, their severity, and their impact on HRQoL. In this article, we provide an overview of the historical context, framework, objectives, and applications of the VHS for the purpose of assessing the health outcomes of veteran patients.

Cardiogenic shock: a summary of the randomized SHOCK trial.

Cardiogenic shock is the most common cause of death for patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction. The Should We Emergently Revascularize Occluded Coronaries for Cardiogenic Shock (SHOCK) trial randomly assigned 302 patients with predominant left ventricular failure following an acute myocardial infarction to a strategy of emergency revascularization or initial medical stabilization. Emergency revascularization by either coronary artery bypass grafting or angioplasty was required within 6 hours of randomization.