Controlled study on L-carnitine therapeutic efficacy in post-infarction.

A controlled study was carried out on 160 patients of both sexes (age between 39 and 86 years) discharged from the Cardiology Department of the Santa Chiara Hospital, Pisa, with a diagnosis of recent myocardial infarction. L-carnitine was randomly administered to 81 patients at an oral dose of g 4/die for 12 months, in addition to the pharmacological treatment generally used. For the whole period of 12 months, these patients showed, in comparison with the controls, an improvement in heart rate (p < 0.005), systolic arterial pressure (p < 0.005) and diastolic arterial pressure (NS); a decrease of anginal attacks (p < 0.005), of rhythm disorders (NS) and of clinical signs of impaired myocardial contractility (NS), and a clear improvement in the lipid pattern (p < 0.005). The above changes were accompanied by a lower mortality in the treated group (1.2%, p < 0.005), while in the control group there was a mortality of 12.5%. Furthermore, in the control group there was a definite prevalence of deaths caused by reinfarction and sudden death. On the basis of these results, it is concluded that L-carnitine represents an effective treatment in post-infarction ischaemic cardiopathy, since it can improve the clinical evolution of this pathological condition as well as the patient's quality of life and life expectancy.

[Usefulness of multicenter evaluation of the reliability of a program for automatic analysis in clinical electrocardiography]. / Utilità della valutazione policentrica dell'affidabilità di un programma per l'analisi automatica in elettrocardiografia clinica.

The HP-5 program for computer analysis of the ECG has been evaluated as far as sensibility and specificity in a multicenter study. A consistent number of tracings were sampled according to a statistical formula and all measurements and statements given by the computer were checked in a standardized manner. The collected data were classified and computerized. The HP-5 program has shown a very high specificity for tracings classified as normal (0.7% of false negatives) and for those classified abnormal (no false positive), while the level of agreement between manual and computer readings of the tracings classified atypical or borderline, was fair (75%). It is concluded that the new program represents a significant step forward in the practical use of computerized ECG.

[Comparative evaluations between on-line and off-line in automatic electrocardiographic diagnosis and readings of the cardiologist]. / Valutazione comparativa tra diagnosi elettrocardiografica automatica "on line" e "off line" e lettura del cardiologo.

The comparative evaluation of diagnosis, given on the same ECG by a cardiologist and by a computerized system HP 5600 C on line and off line, allowed us to specify for each diagnosis the agreement's degree between cardiologist and computerized reading and the disagreement's degree due to inadequate program and to "casual" errors of analysis.

[Multicenter study and clinical use of HP-5 program (author's transl)]. / Valutazione policentrica e impiego clinico di un programma per l'analisi automatica dell'ECG (HP-5].

The HP-5 program for computer analysis of the ECG has been evaluated as far as sensibility and specificity in a multicenter study. A consistent number of tracings (850) were sampled according to a statistical formula and all measurements and statements given by the computer were checked in a standardized manner. The collected data were classified and computerized. The HP-5 program has shown a very high specificity for tracings classified as normal (0.7% of false negatives) and for those classified abnormal (no false positive), while the level of agreement between manual and computer readings of the tracings classified atypical or borderline, was practical of computerized ECG.