Prognostic significance of ventricular premature depolarizations measured 1 year after myocardial infarction in patients with early postinfarction asymptomatic ventricular arrhythmia.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the relation between death and the frequency of premature ventricular depolarizations measured approximately 1 year after myocardial infarction.

Background: The reported association between premature ventricular depolarizations and death in the weeks after myocardial infarction is in part the basis for the use of antiarrhythmic drugs. Such an association has not been reported on for observations obtained at a much greater interval after myocardial infarction.

The healthy responder phenomenon in non-randomized clinical trials. CAST Investigators.

An example from the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) illustrates what we term the 'healthy responder' phenomenon. The hypothesis is that patients who respond to a given treatment are healthier than patients who do not respond. In observational studies this results in an apparent but not real benefit for the treatment.

Mortality and morbidity in patients receiving encainide, flecainide, or placebo. The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial.

Background And Methods: In the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial, designed to test the hypothesis that suppression of ventricular ectopy after a myocardial infarction reduces the incidence of sudden death, patients in whom ventricular ectopy could be suppressed with encainide, flecainide, or moricizine were randomly assigned to receive either active drug or placebo. The use of encainide and flecainide was discontinued because of excess mortality. We examined the mortality and morbidity after randomization to encainide or flecainide or their respective placebo.