SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH AMONG BLACK AND WHITE WOMEN RESIDING IN STROKE BELT AND BUCKLE REGIONS OF THE SOUTH

ISHIB: 4/9/14 Objective: To assess the associations of social determinants on cardiovascular health among White and Black residing in Stroke Belt (urban) and Stroke Buckle (rural) regions of the South. Design: A cross-sectional observational analy- sis based on a random digit-dial telephone survey of a representative sample of White and Black adults residing in urban and […]

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a population-based follow-up study

April 8, 2014 Abstract Objective To investigate the association of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the risk of atrial fibrillation in a prospective community-based follow-up study of elderly individuals with uniform case assessment and data on potential confounders. Design Data came from the population-based follow-up study, the Rotterdam Study. Participants The study comprised 8423 participants without atrial fibrillation […]

Assessment of long-term quality of life after cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for typical atrial flutter

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes: April 7, 2014 Background Cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation is the treatment of choice in preventing recurrences of typical atrial flutter (AFl). However, little is known about long-term quality of life (QoL) after CTI ablation. Methods and results From 01/2003 to 05/2005, 94 patients who consecutively underwent typical AFl ablation were […]

CIRCULATIONAHA: January 27, 2014 Abstract Background—The optimal long-term antithrombotic treatment of patients with coexisting atrial fibrillation and stable coronary artery disease is unresolved, and commonly, a single antiplatelet agent is added to oral anticoagulation. We investigated the effectiveness and safety of adding antiplatelet therapy to vitamin K antagonist (VKA) in atrial fibrillation patents with stable coronary […]

Epidemiology and Prevention

CIRCULATIONAHA: January 24, 2014 Background—Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia; however, little is known about patients in a primary care setting from high-, middle-, and low-income countries. Methods and Results—This prospective registry enrolled patients presenting to an emergency department with AF at 164 sites in 46 countries representing all inhabited continents. Patient characteristics […]

Rethinking Warfarin for Atrial Fibrillation

The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics • September 30, 2013 Full-page newspaper advertisements and a series of television commercials have urged patients with atrial fibrillation to “rethink warfarin” in favor of Eliquis (apixaban – Bristol-Myers Squibb). Apixaban is the latest of 3 new oral anticoagulants now competing with warfarin (Coumadin, and others) for the oral anticoagulant […]

Safety and efficacy of uric acid in patients with acute stroke (URICO-ICTUS): a randomised, double-blind phase 2b/3 trial

The Lancet Neurology: April 2, 2014 Introduction Uric acid is an antioxidant with neuroprotective effects in experimental models of stroke. We assessed whether uric acid therapy would improve functional outcomes at 90 days in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. Methods URICO-ICTUS was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b/3 trial that recruited patients with acute ischaemic stroke […]

Did a quality improvement collaborative make stroke care better? A cluster randomized trial

Implementation Science: April 1, 2014 Background Stroke can result in death and long-term disability. Fast and high-quality care can reduce the impact of stroke, but UK national audit data has demonstrated variability in compliance with recommended processes of care. Though quality improvement collaboratives (QICs) are widely used, whether a QIC could improve reliability of stroke care […]

Outcome markers for clinical trials in cerebral amyloid angiopathy

The Lancet Neurology: February 27, 2014 Efforts are underway for early-phase trials of candidate treatments for cerebral amyloid angiopathy, an untreatable cause of haemorrhagic stroke and vascular cognitive impairment. A major barrier to these trials is the absence of consensus on measurement of treatment effectiveness. A range of potential outcome markers for cerebral amyloid angiopathy can […]

Compliance With Acute Stroke Care Quality Measures in Hospitals With and Without Primary Stroke Center Certification: The North Carolina Stroke Care Collaborative

J Am Heart Assoc.: April 10, 2014 Background Organized stroke care is associated with improved outcomes. Data are limited on differences in changes in the quality of acute stroke care at The Joint Commission–certified Primary Stroke Centers (PSCs) versus non‐PSCs over time. Methods and Results We compared compliance with the Joint Commission’s 10 acute stroke care performance measures […]