Total in-hospital costs per admission for peripheral revascularization procedures are highly variable and significantly increased by procedure-related complications, advanced age, female sex, management of critical ischemia, and presence of coronary artery disease.

Frequency characteristics of VF were consistently lower in case of an increased LV diameter. Whereas LV mass does not affect the frequency of the VF waveform, amplitudes seem higher with increasing mass. These findings add to the current knowledge of factors that modulate VF characteristics of the surface ECG and provide insight into factors which may be accounted for in future studies on VF-guided resuscitative interventions.

In an open-label self-controlled study of 1,350 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP), we previously demonstrated that 50 mg of isosorbide mononitrate (ISMN) slow release formulation once daily not only provided a better antianginal effect but also a better quality of life (QOL) than did the daily administration of multiple small doses of the compound. It is unknown whether certain patient characteristics contribute to this benefit. The objective of this article was to determine what independent factors contribute to this benefit. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed on the data from these 1,350 patients. Quality of life was assessed by the Marquis QOL-questionnaire for patients with angina and included the domains of immobility, pain, and psychological distress. For the purpose of this study, overall QOL was calculated as the pooled sums of the domain scores and expressed as mean scores on an ordinal scale of 10. Age did not influence the beneficial effect of nitrate therapy on QOL. Neither did gender, rhythmic disturbances, peripheral artery disease, or the concomitant use of calcium channel blockers or beta blockers. New York Heart Association (NYHA) angina classification was an independent variable: patients with a NYHA class I or II benefited less than did patients with NYHA III or IV (p = 0.02). Obese patients as well as hypertensive patients benefited less (p = 0.04 and 0.02), and smokers tended to benefit less also (p = 0.08). In contrast, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes mellitus improved the beneficial effect of nitrates on QOL (p = 0.03 and 0.05). The authors conclude that patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant diabetes mellitus or hypercholesterolemia, a category particularly prone to early endothelial dysfunction and thus dysfunctional endogenous nitric oxide (NO) production, may benefit more from NO-donor therapy than patients without such concomitant conditions.

In a retrospective study from the Dutch Mononitrate Quality of Life (DUMQOL) Study Group, the authors found that patients with angina with concomitant diabetes or hypercholesterolemia derived more benefit from changing over to a once-daily nitrate treatment regimen than did patients without angina. The aim of this study was to assess this issue prospectively. In an open-label study, patients with stable angina pectoris from facilities in Germany, Portugal, and me Czech Republic were treated for 3 months with multiple daily doses and subsequently for 3 more months with once-daily isosorbide mononitrate/dinitrate. After the first and second 3-month periods, they were assessed by a validated QOL battery including domains for mobility, side effects, life satisfaction, anginal pain, and psychological distress. In the 1045 patients who participated in the study, the mean summary domain scores varied from 5 to 16 points and score improvements from 1.6 to 4.3 points. In the patients without concomitant hypertension and smokers, domain scores improved less than they did in the patients without, with differences in domain score improvements up to 1.0 points (P<0.001), which is substantial considering the range of improvement was between 1.6 and 4.3 points. In the patients with diabetes mellitus or hypercholesterolemia, a reverse pattern was observed with differences in domain score improvements up to 0.4 points (P<0.05). Patients with angina with diabetes or hypercholesterolemia derived more benefit from an asymmetric regimen of isosorbide mononitrate/dinitrate than did patients without. Patients with angina with hypertension and smokers benefited less. Differences in endothelial function may be involved.

No abstract