(Circulation. 2004;110:363.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.
Issue Highlights |
FISH INTAKE AND RISK OF INCIDENT ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, by Mozaffarian et al.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common rhythm disturbance that affects approximately 5% of the adult population. Although several contemporary studies have examined two major management strategies when AF occurs—rhythm control versus rate control—clinicians and patients are also interested in strategies that may prevent AF. In this report from the Cardiovascular Health Study, 4185 subjects 
65 had their dietary habits assessed in 1989–1990 and were then monitored for the development of AF (detected on ECG or noted on hospital discharge summaries). Those subjects who ate tuna or broiled/baked fish had a significantly lower risk of the development of AF, and there appeared to be a dose response with greater rates of consumption associated with lower risk of AF. Fried fish or fish burgers were not protective. The electrophysiological mechanism of the beneficial effect of consumption of certain types of fish bears further investigation. See p 368.
TREATMENT OF LEFT ANTERIOR DESCENDING CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE WITH SIROLIMUS-ELUTING STENTS, by Sawhney et al.
The decision to pursue a percutaneous or surgical revascularization strategy often hinges on the presence of left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery disease; coronary artery bypass surgery with a mammary artery conduit to the proximal LAD is often selected as the treatment option of choice because of a reduction in the need for repeat revascularization procedures from restenosis. In this subgroup analysis of the Sirolimus-Eluting Balloon-Expandable Stents in the Treatment of Patients with de novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions (SIRIUS) trial, outcomes in patients with LAD lesions, who were randomized to a sirolimus-eluting or bare-metal stent, were examined. Compared with patients treated with a bare-metal stent, patients who received a sirolimus-eluting stent demonstrated a significant reduction in binary in-stent restenosis at 8-month follow-up angiography that was associated with a significant decrease in major adverse cardiac events at 1 year. These findings suggest that in the drug-eluting stent era, percutaneous revascularization of LAD disease remains a viable option. See p 374.
SERUM TOTAL AND LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND AWARENESS, TREATMENT, AND CONTROL OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA IN CHINA, by He et al.
In developing countries, cardiovascular disease is emerging as a major source of death and disability, but there is a paucity of information about the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease risk factors in this setting. He and colleagues examine a nationally representative sample of Chinese adults and describe the distribution of cholesterol. The prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was relatively high, and the proportion of adults with cholesterol levels 200 mg/dL who were aware, treated, and controlled was low (all <10%). Strategies to prevent and treat hypercholesterolemia in developing countries will be essential to decreasing the global burden of cardiovascular disease. See p 405.
Visit www.circ-ahajournals.org:
Clinician Update
Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: How Do We Differentiate the Cause of Dyspnea? See p e27.
Image in Cardiovascular Medicine
Sleep (Vagal)-Induced Atrial Fibrillation. See p e32.
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||