Catheter ablation of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia: ten-year trends in utilization, in-hospital complications, and in-hospital mortality in the United States.

Background: There is a paucity of data regarding the complications and in-hospital mortality after catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the temporal trends in utilization, in-hospital mortality, and complications of catheter ablation of postinfarction VT in the United States.

Methods: We used the 2002-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database to identify all patients ≥18 years of age with a primary diagnosis of VT (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 427.

Electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with severe versus mild or moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease followed in an academic outpatient pulmonary clinic.

Background: The prevalence of some electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in severe versus mild or moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been reported.

Methods: ECGs were interpreted blindly in 63 patients with severe COPD (group 1) versus 83 patients with mild or moderate COPD (group 2).

Results: Right atrial enlargement (RAE) occurred in 44% of group 1 and 15% of group 2 patients (P < 0.

Metabolic modulation: a new therapeutic target in treatment of heart failure.

Treatment of heart failure involves management of risk factors and control of symptoms. Traditional management of heart failure involves the use of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, beta-blockers, diuretics, aldosterone antagonists, and digitalis. Metabolic modulators are a newer class of drugs that benefit these patients by modulating cardiac metabolism without altering hemodynamics.

Prevalence of appropriate management of diabetes mellitus in an academic general medicine clinic.

Because diabetes mellitus was not being adequately treated according to guidelines in an academic general medicine clinic, 2 of the authors (W.S.A.