Heart Failure in Minority Populations - Impediments to Optimal Treatment in Australian Aborigines.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) among Aboriginal/Indigenous Australians is endemic. There are also grave concerns for outcomes once acquired. This point is compounded by a lack of prospective and objective studies to plan care.

Predictors of mortality in connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a cohort study.

Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a major cause of mortality in connective tissue disease (CTD). We sought to quantify survival and determine factors predictive of mortality in a cohort of patients with CTD-associated PAH (CTD-PAH) in the current era of advanced PAH therapy.

Methods: Patients with right heart catheter proven CTD-PAH were recruited from six specialised PAH treatment centres across Australia and followed prospectively.

Hypotension is associated with diuretic resistance in severe chronic heart failure, independent of renal function.

Background: Diuretic resistance and systemic hypotension are common in chronic heart failure (CHF), however, the two have not been associated.

Aims: Since blood pressure (BP) might be an important determinant of sodium excretion, we searched for an association between BP and diuretic dosage in severe CHF.

Methods: Our heart failure database was retrospectively reviewed for patients with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Streptokinase morbidity--more common than previously recognised.

Streptokinase is the thrombolytic agent most commonly used for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. We report eight patients who developed late uncommon adverse reactions to streptokinase probably due to immune complex disease. The clinical manifestations included vasculitic rashes, abnormal renal and liver function tests and a syndrome resembling adult respiratory distress syndrome.

Automated non-invasive measurement of cardiac output by the carbon dioxide rebreathing method: comparisons with dye dilution and thermodilution.

The accuracy and reproducibility of indirect measurement of cardiac output at rest by the carbon dioxide rebreathing (indirect Fick) method with an automated respiratory analysis system (Gould 9000IV) were compared with simultaneous measurements made in duplicate by dye dilution and thermodilution in 25 patients having cardiac catheterisation studies. Measurements of cardiac output by the carbon dioxide rebreathing method were not significantly different from those obtained with dye dilution (mean difference -0.3 l/min, SD 0.