ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) are at risk of early death. This may be reduced by timely assessment and treatment. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if Nurse-led Early Triage (NET) in the coronary care unit (CCU) can improve time to assessment and management of NSTE-ACS patients. METHODS: Data on 79 consecutive chest pain patients admitted pre-NET to the acute admissions unit (AAU) and on 103 patients admitted in the first six months of the NET service in CCU, was re-examined and compared to subsequent data obtained on 92 patients admitted via NET five years later, in order to re-evaluate the service. RESULTS: NET resulted in significant improvements in: the number of patients with chest pain who had their 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) performed within 10 min of admission (94% vs 32%, p<0.001); the number of high-risk NSTE-ACS patients prescribed clopidogrel (72% vs 42%, p<0.01); and the number being managed in CCU (82% vs 34%, p<0.01). Comparison of the NET service at five years with the pre-NET service demonstrated measurable benefits were sustained (p<0.01) for the same comparative end points. There were no significant differences in these end-points of time to ECG, clopidogrel prescription nor management in CCU for high-risk patients between the NET groups at six months and five years, demonstrating that current triage is as effective as when first introduced. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the positive impact of nurse-led early triage for NSTE-ACS patients and that initial benefits have been sustained.
Subject(s)
Acute Coronary Syndrome/nursing , Cardiovascular Nursing/organization & administration , Coronary Care Units/organization & administration , Triage/organization & administration , Acute Coronary Syndrome/drug therapy , Acute Coronary Syndrome/mortality , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Cardiovascular Nursing/methods , Chest Pain/drug therapy , Chest Pain/mortality , Chest Pain/nursing , Critical Pathways/organization & administration , Electrocardiography , Evidence-Based Practice/methods , Evidence-Based Practice/organization & administration , Female , Hospital Mortality , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy , Myocardial Infarction/mortality , Myocardial Infarction/nursing , Nursing Assessment/methods , Nursing Assessment/organization & administration , Risk Factors , Thrombolytic Therapy/nursing , Triage/methodsABSTRACT
In hypertension, the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with increased risk of both cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. To date, the electrocardiogram (ECG) remains the cornerstone of LVH diagnosis in clinical practice because it is universally available, technically easy to perform and highly specific. In the most recent European Society of Hypertension/European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the treatment of arterial hypertension, the Sokolow-Lyon voltage criterion was recommended as part of all routine assessment of subjects with hypertension. However, the use of the ECG in the diagnosis of LVH is somewhat limited by its poor sensitivity. In this review article, we discuss the individual strength and weaknesses of the commonly used ECG criteria in diagnosing LVH. In addition, we present the latest data on the prognostic significance of ECG LVH and the survival differences conferred in different genders. In view of the recent Losartan Intervention for Endpoint Reduction in Hypertension trial, the prognostic benefit of LVH regression will also be addressed. Finally, with the wider availability of echocardiography, the role of combining both modalities to improve risk stratification in hypertension is reviewed.
Subject(s)
Electrocardiography , Hypertension/physiopathology , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/diagnostic imaging , Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular/physiopathology , Male , Prognosis , Regression Analysis , Sensitivity and Specificity , Ultrasonography , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/diagnosis , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/diagnostic imaging , Ventricular Dysfunction, Left/physiopathologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Inter-ethnic differences exist in both pharmocodynamics and pharmocokinetics. CYP3A is the most abundant cytochrome P450 enzyme in human liver and is responsible for the metabolism of a large number of drugs and xenobiotics. AIM OF STUDY: The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there are differences in the metabolism and drug responsiveness to triazolam, a substrate of CYP3A, in American blacks and whites. METHODS: Eight American blacks and eight age - and body weight- matched whites receved orally a triazolam 0.375 mg tablet in a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized study. Plasma concentrations and effects of triazolam were measured at multiple time points over 24 hours. The pharmacodynamics of triazolam were examined by measurement of postural sway, digital symbol substitution testing (DSST), and a visual analog scale (VAS) of drowiness. Sensitivity, or the drug effect at a given concentration, was determined. RESULTS: Following oral administration of triazolam, the AUC was significantly lower in blacks (625 +- 160 ng/ml/min) (P<0.05). The systemic clearance of triazolam was three and a half fold higher in blacks (6.6 +- 2.0 vs 1.8 +- 0.2 ml/min/kg in whites, P<0.05) resulting in a shorter elimination t 1/2 (98 +- 24 vs 199 +- 29 min, P<0.05). Triazolam significantly increased postural sway and drowsiness and impaired DSST in both groups. However, there was no significant differences between the two groups in drug effects such that a similar effect of triazolam was observed in blacks with lower plasma concentration. When compared to whites, the sensitivity to triazolam was significantly higher in blacks (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates increased clearance and increased sensitivity to triazlam in American blacks. These findings may have major therapeutic implications in a racially diverse population. (AU)
