Linked Life Data

3903506

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/3903506

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
23
pubmed:dateCreated
1985-12-19
pubmed:abstractText
Initial base-line electrocardiograms are used to assess the efficacy of treatment for ventricular arrhythmias. This approach assumes that in the absence of treatment the frequency of arrhythmia would remain constant. To test the validity of this assumption, we studied 26 clinically stable patients with symptomatic but not life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias, during two periods of placebo treatment separated by a mean of 17 months. As compared with the initial placebo period, there were significant reductions in ventricular premature depolarizations (50 per cent), pairs (65 per cent), and ventricular tachycardia (83 per cent) during the second period of placebo administration (P less than or equal to 0.05 for all comparisons). Over one third of the patients gave the appearance of receiving successful therapy during the second placebo period, even when the reported spontaneous variability of ventricular arrhythmia was taken into consideration. If unrecognized, these long-term spontaneous changes in the frequency of arrhythmia could result in continuation of unnecessary and potentially toxic therapy and lead to incorrect conclusions regarding the efficacy of antiarrhythmic drugs in clinical trials. We therefore recommend that the frequency of arrhythmia be reassessed annually in the absence of treatment in patients similar to those in our study. These recommendations should not be applied to patients with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Dec
pubmed:issn
0028-4793
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
5
pubmed:volume
313
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1444-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1985
pubmed:articleTitle
The changing base line of complex ventricular arrhythmias. A new consideration in assessing long-term antiarrhythmic drug therapy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't