Quality assurance in interventional cardiology. British Cardiovascular Intervention Society.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Perrins.
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The aim of this research, which remains in progress, has been the examination of long-term psychological consequences for survivors of intensive care. Seventy-two patients were followed up for 1 year, after discharge from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at St James's University Hospital in Leeds. Major objectives of the study included assessment of patients' sense of well-being at specified intervals post-discharge, and identification of ICU-related variables which might influence psychological recovery. Psychometric assessments used were the General Health Questionnaire 28-item version, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, and the Impact of Event scale. This paper describes findings from the research so far. An exploratory analysis of the data suggests that distinctions can be drawn among surviving patients with regard to psychological recovery, by way of variables such as type of illness, mode of admission and amount of recall. The work expands previous research into post-ICU psychology and quality of life, and should allow increased understanding of this patient group.
Implantation of stents in selected patients improves outcome after coronary angioplasty. Newer antiplatelet regimes limit access site complications associated with stenting by the percutaneous femoral approach, but a substantial proportion of patients will require anticoagulant therapy for concomitant disease or will have peripheral vascular disease that prevents access from the leg. We investigated procedural success rates and outcome in consecutive patients undergoing elective stent implantation in our institution. In 73 patients who were receiving anticoagulation therapy and were stented by a direct approach to the left brachial artery, 98.6% of stents were successfully deployed, with a major vascular access site complication rate of 1.4%. Equipment consumption, procedural success rate, and fluoroscopy time were similar in patients stented by the direct brachial or percutaneous femoral approach. Where the percutaneous femoral approach is precluded or patients are anticoagulated, stent procedures can be successfully performed by the direct brachial approach with a low rate of access site complications, even when large-caliber guiding catheters are required.
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Implantable defibrillators either monitor heart rate or use a probability density function to detect ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia. As a result, they are unable to discriminate sinus tachycardia and atrial arrhythmias from malignant ventricular rhythms. We have assessed high fidelity fiber-optic pressure recordings in the right atrium during cardiac arrhythmias in 23 patients (mean age 44 years, 11 females) undergoing electrophysiological study. The unfiltered pressure signal was amplified and recorded on paper. During sinus rhythm, a constant amplitude deflection occurred during atrial systole (a wave). A characteristic waveform pattern was observed during each of the studied tachyarrhythmias, which included atrial flutter and fibrillation, atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia with and without ventriculoatrial conduction. The waveform pattern allowed clear visual discrimination of the underlying arrhythmia. Mean atrial pressure was increased during all arrhythmias and did not allow discrimination of the nature of the tachycardia. High fidelity pressure recordings produced characteristic appearances for pattern recognition of each arrhythmia studied. They allowed determination of the temporal relation between electrical and mechanical cardiac events and may have potential in the detection and recognition of cardiac arrhythmias.
Respiratory gas exchange on exercise was evaluated as a non-invasive method of assessing patients with heart failure. Twenty four men (age 28-72) with symptomatic chronic stable heart failure (New York Heart Association class II-III) and ten controls aged 36-70 were studied. During treadmill exercise oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production were measured continuously by analysis of mixed expired gas with a computerised mass spectrometer. The anaerobic threshold was defined as the oxygen consumption at which carbon dioxide production increased disproportionately in relation to oxygen consumption. Oxygen consumption was stable at rest and increased on exercise, reaching a steady state within three minutes of any change in workload. The measurements of maximum oxygen consumption at the end of exercise and of anaerobic threshold were reproducible (retest reliability coefficients 90% and 91% respectively). There were significant differences in maximum oxygen consumption between functional classes. Similarly, there were significant differences in anaerobic threshold between classes, though there was considerable overlap. Measurement of oxygen consumption and anaerobic threshold provides an objective noninvasive assessment of patients with heart failure.
Over a five-year period, hemodynamic exercise capacity studies and a randomized controlled trial have been performed in a total of 50 patients. DVI vs. VVI pacing showed an increase in stroke work index (P less than 0.005) and a fall in left ventricular filling pressure (P less than 0.05) in 17 patients. VDD/DDD pacing vs. VVI showed an exercise capacity benefit in 44 patients (P less than 0.01) including 8 patients with sinus node disease and a lower peak heart rate (P less than 0.02). Maintenance of benefit was also shown of VDD/DDD pacing in the longer term (13 months) vs. acute (P - NS). The controlled trial VDD/DDD vs. VVI showed benefit in shortness of breath (P less than 0.01) and general well being (P less than 0.01). It is concluded that atrial synchronous ventricular pacing (VDD/DDD) is the mode of choice in suitable patients.
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With the availability of reliable transvenous atrial leads and advances in electronic and battery technology, pacing for the restoration of the atrioventricular sequence has become practicable. This paper presents (1) a historical review of physiological cardiac pacing, and (2) a functional description of pacemakers currently available or in clinical validation. The indications and limitations of use for each is discussed on the basis of clinical experience in 176 patients. Predictions are made for future application of sophisticated pacemaker systems after the remaining clinical and technological barriers are overcome.