Ticagrelor and aspirin for the prevention of cardiovascular events after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Background: Ticagrelor was shown to reduce mortality in patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), but its effect on graft patency is unknown.

Methods: We performed a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, comparing ticagrelor 90 mg twice daily versus placebo for 3 months added to aspirin 81 mg/day, following isolated CABG. Aspirin was started within 12 h, and study medication within 72 h after CABG.

Prophylactic intravenous magnesium sulphate in addition to oral {beta}-blockade does not prevent atrial arrhythmias after coronary artery or valvular heart surgery: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Atrial arrhythmias (AA) are an important cause of morbidity after cardiac surgery. Efforts at prevention of postoperative AA have been suboptimal. Perioperative beta-blocker administration is the standard of care at many centers.

Antecedent hypertension and the effect of captopril on the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes after acute myocardial infarction with left ventricular systolic dysfunction: Insights from the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement Trial.

Background: Hypertension is a well-established risk factor for myocardial infarction (MI), but its prognostic importance in survivors of an acute MI is less clear.

Methods: We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the risk of any major cardiovascular event (cardiovascular death, heart failure, recurrent MI, or stroke)-combined or individual components-and all-cause death and evaluate the efficacy of captopril in 906 patients with hypertension and 1325 patients without hypertension in the Survival and Ventricular Enlargement (SAVE) clinical trial. All patients had survived an acute MI with resultant left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction, but without overt heart failure, and were randomized within 3 to 16 days after the index MI to receive either captopril or placebo.

Effect of long-term therapy with ramipril in high-risk women.

Objectives: We evaluated the effects of long-term therapy with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril on major cardiovascular (CV) outcomes in high-risk women.

Background: The effect of long-term ACE inhibitor therapy in high-risk women without heart failure and with preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function has not been previously reported.

Methods: The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) trial is a large, randomized clinical trial that evaluated ramipril and vitamin E in high-risk patients.