Incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with either heart failure or acute myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction: a cohort study.

Background: We examined the incidence of new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. Patients either had a recent myocardial infarction (with or without clinical heart failure) or symptomatic heart failure (without a recent MI). Patients were with and without treatment with the class III antiarrhythmic drug dofetilide over 36 months.

Anaemia and long term mortality in heart failure patients: a retrospective study.

Background: Anaemia has been demonstrated as a risk factor in patients with heart failure over periods of a few years, but long term data are not available. We examined the long-term risk of anaemia in heart failure patients during 15 years of follow-up.

Methods: We evaluated survival data for 1518 patients with heart failure randomized into the Danish Investigations of Arrhythmia and Mortality on Dofetilide (DIAMOND) trial.

Long-term prognostic importance of resting heart rate in patients with left ventricular dysfunction in connection with either heart failure or myocardial infarction: the DIAMOND study.

Background: Elevated resting heart rate is associated with increased mortality in a variety of cardiac diseases, but comparisons between different clinical settings are lacking. We investigated the long-term prognostic importance of resting heart rate in patients hospitalized with left ventricular dysfunction in connection with either heart failure (HF) or myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: In the Danish Investigations and Arrhythmia ON Dofetilide (DIAMOND) study; patients with left ventricular dysfunction were randomized to Dofetilide (class III antiarrhythmic drug) or placebo.

Prognostic importance of change in QRS duration over time associated with left ventricular dysfunction in patients with congestive heart failure: the DIAMOND study.

Background: The prognostic importance reported for QRS duration in patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular dysfunction varies. No prior study has investigated the prognostic importance of change in QRS duration over time.

Methods And Results: The Danish Investigations and Arrhythmia ON Dofetilide (DIAMOND) study randomized 1518 patients with HF to dofetilide (class III antiarrhythmic drug) or placebo.

Risk factors and predictors of Torsade de pointes ventricular tachycardia in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction receiving Dofetilide.

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors of Torsade de pointes (TdP) ventricular tachycardia in patients medicated with a class III antiarrhythmic drug (dofetilide) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction with heart failure (HF) or recent myocardial infarction (MI). The 2 Danish Investigations of Arrhythmia and Mortality on Dofetilide (DIAMOND) studies enrolled patients with HF (DIAMOND-HF) or MI (DIAMOND-MI) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The present analysis includes only patients treated solely with dofetilide.

Differential prognostic importance of QRS duration in heart failure and acute myocardial infarction associated with left ventricular dysfunction.

Background/aims: Studies of the prognostic importance of QRS duration in patients with heart failure (HF) have shown conflicting results and few studies have estimated the importance after myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: The Danish Investigations and Arrhythmia ON Dofetilide (DIAMOND) study randomised 3028 patients to dofetilide (class III antiarrhythmic) or placebo. The study consisted of two almost identical trials conducted simultaneously.

Atrial fibrillation, ischaemic heart disease, and the risk of death in patients with heart failure.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a risk factor for death in patients with a myocardial infarction, but highly variable results are reported in patients with heart failure. We studied the prognostic impact of AF in heart failure patients with and without ischaemic heart disease.

Methods And Results: During a period of 2 years, 3587 patients admitted to hospital because of heart failure were included in this study.

A history of arterial hypertension does not affect mortality in patients hospitalised with congestive heart failure.

Objectives: To evaluate the importance of a history of hypertension on long-term mortality in a large cohort of patients hospitalised with congestive heart failure (CHF).

Design: Retrospective analysis of 5491 consecutive patients, of whom 24% had a history of hypertension. 60% of the patients had non-systolic CHF, and 57% had ischaemic heart disease.

The reliability of echocardiographic left ventricular wall motion index to identify high-risk patients for multicenter studies.

Objective: To study whether the use of echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) wall motion index (WMI) is a dependable parameter for identifying patients with LV dysfunction to be enrolled in multicenter trials.

Methods: Videotaped echocardiographic examinations from 200 randomly selected patients that were screened for inclusion into the DIAMOND-CHF and DIAMOND-MI trials were reevaluated by an external expert echocardiographer. WMI was calculated using the 16-segment LV model.

Different prognostic impact of systolic function in patients with heart failure and/or acute myocardial infarction.

Aims: To study the prognostic importance of left ventricular systolic function in patients with heart failure (HF) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with respect to the presence of prior heart failure and known ischemic heart disease.

Methods: In 13,084 consecutive patients diagnosed with either AMI or HF, a medical history and an echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular systolic function by wall motion index (WMI) were obtained. Patients were divided into four groups: AMI with or without a history of HF, and primary HF (no recent AMI) with or without a history of ischemic heart disease (IHD).

Effect of obesity and being overweight on long-term mortality in congestive heart failure: influence of left ventricular systolic function.

Aims: Previous studies have suggested that a high body mass index (BMI) is associated with an improved outcome in congestive heart failure (CHF). However, the studies addressing this problem have not included enough patients with non-systolic heart failure to evaluate how left ventricular systolic function interacts with obesity on prognosis in CHF. The aim of this study was to evaluate how BMI influences mortality in patients hospitalized with CHF, and to address in particular whether the effect of BMI is influenced by left ventricular (LV) systolic function.

Effect of age on short and long-term mortality in patients admitted to hospital with congestive heart failure.

Aims: To describe the association between age and risk factors in patients hospitalised with congestive heart failure (CHF) and to determine the effect of age on mortality.

Methods And Results: Consecutive patients admitted to 34 hospitals with CHF during a period of 2 years were registered. Mean age was 71.

Influence of diabetes and diabetes-gender interaction on the risk of death in patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of diabetes on long-term mortality in a large cohort of patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF).

Background: Diabetes is common in HF patients, but information on the prognostic effect of diabetes is sparse.

Methods: The study is an analysis of survival data comprising 5,491 patients consecutively hospitalized with new or worsening HF and screened for entry into the Danish Investigations of Arrhythmia and Mortality on Dofetilide (DIAMOND).

Female sex is associated with a better long-term survival in patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure.

Aims: Results of previous studies on the influence of gender on prognosis in heart failure have been conflicting and most studies have been conducted in selected populations. The aim of this study was determine whether mortality risk in women and men hospitalized with congestive heart failure is different.

Methods And Results: Survival analysis of 5491 consecutive patients admitted with congestive heart failure to 34 Danish hospitals between 1993-1996.

Insulin resistance and maximal oxygen uptake.

Background: Type 2 diabetes, coronary atherosclerosis, and physical fitness all correlate with insulin resistance, but the relative importance of each component is unknown.

Hypothesis: This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between insulin resistance, maximal oxygen uptake, and the presence of either diabetes or ischemic heart disease.

Methods: The study population comprised 33 patients with and without diabetes and ischemic heart disease.

Long-term survival in patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure: relation to preserved and reduced left ventricular systolic function.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of left ventricular systolic function on the survival in a large consecutive cohort of patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure and to determine how left ventricular systolic function interacts with co-morbid conditions in terms of prognosis.

Methods And Results: Analysis of survival data from 5491 patients admitted for new or worsening heart failure to 34 departments of cardiology or internal medicine in Denmark from 1993-1996 was carried out. A standardized echocardiogram was available for 95% of the patients, and left ventricular systolic function was estimated using wall motion index score.

Serum-ionised magnesium in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Relation to cardiac arrhythmias, left ventricular function and mortality.

Measurement of serum-ionised magnesium has recently become available, and we report the first study of the relation of this parameter to arrhythmias, left ventricular function and mortality in patients with an acute myocardial infarction. Serum-ionised magnesium was determined in 217 consecutive patients admitted to hospital with an enzyme confirmed AMI. 70 healthy subjects acted as a control group.

Long-term prognosis of diabetic patients with myocardial infarction: relation to antidiabetic treatment regimen. The TRACE Study Group.

Aims: The present study was performed to evaluate pre-admission history, presentation, initial treatment and long-term mortality in patients with myocardial infarction and diabetes.

Methods And Results: Between 1990 and 1992, 6676 patients with acute myocardial infarction were screened for entry into the Trandolapril Cardiac Evaluation (TRACE) study. In this cohort 719 (11%) of the patients had a history of diabetes.

[Treatment of diabetic patients with ischaemic heart disease].

Patients with diabetes constitute a large group among patients with ischaemic heart disease, and their risk of repeated cardiovascular events is large. Due to this, there is increasing focus on intervention against the increased risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality in patients with diabetes. Subgroup analyses of patients with diabetes from studies on patients with ischaemic heart disease show that intervention with thrombolysis, aspirin, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and statins have similar relative benefit among patients with diabetes, but because of the greater risk in these patients, the absolute benefit is increased.

[Chronic Chagas disease--an echo from youth].

American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease) is uncommon in Europe, but occurs frequently in South and Central America where it causes major problems. A case is presented of a 57 year old woman born in Venezuela who showed signs of chronic Chagas' disease after living 32 years in Denmark. The epidemiology, modes of transmission, clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of Chagas' disease are described.

Accelerating impact of diabetes mellitus on mortality in the years following an acute myocardial infarction. TRACE Study Group. Trandolapril Cardiac Evaluation.

Aims: The development of risk associated with diabetes mellitus during long-term follow-up after a myocardial infarction has not been studied in detail. We have studied time-related changes of risk of death during 10 years of follow-up in a cohort of patients not treated with thrombolytic therapy (the Glostrup cohort) and during 6 years in a cohort receiving such treatment in 40% of cases (the TRACE cohort).

Methods: A subgroup analysis of two cohorts: the Glostrup cohort, which consisted of consecutive cases of acute myocardial infarction who were admitted to one hospital between 1979 and 1983; the TRACE cohort which was comprised of patients with an acute myocardial infarction screened for entry into the Trandolapril Cardiac Evaluation study between May 1990 and June 1992.

Evaluation of an ionized magnesium-pH analyzer--NOVA 8.

An ion-selective analyzer (NOVA 8 [previously NOVA CRT], NOVA Biomedical Waltham, USA) for simultaneous measurement of the concentration of ionized magnesium (cMG2+) and pH is investigated for linearity and influence of calcium ions on the Mg2+ results in different Mg2+ aqueous solutions with/without added calcium. Within the cMg2+ range 0-3.0 mmol/L, which covers most clinical values, we found cMg2+ values close to the line of identity, with a sensitivity about 94%, but 0.

[Coronary atherosclerosis or diabetic cardiomyopathy? Pathoanatomic changes of blood vessels, nerves and myocardium in patients with diabetes mellitus].

In patients with diabetes mellitus, heart disease is more common that in the background populations and has a more serious prognosis. The reasons are only partially understood. Whether patients with diabetes mellitus have a more diffuse and pronounced coronary atherosclerosis has been the subject of many investigations with diverging results.

Glucose tolerance status and severity of coronary artery disease in men referred to coronary arteriography.

Increasing attention is being paid to disturbances in glucose metabolism as key explanatory factors for the development of coronary artery disease. We studied the prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance and non-insulin-dependent diabetes and the levels of plasma insulin after an oral glucose tolerance test in 99 men with heart disease but without a history of diabetes referred to coronary arteriography; we also compared the outcome with a matched control group (n = 116). The severity of atherosclerosis in coronary angiograms was evaluated according to glucose tolerance status.