| 1. |
- Boman, Kurt, et al.
(författare)
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Exercise and cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients in relation to structure and function of left ventricular hypertrophy : the LIFE study.
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation. - 1741-8267 .- 1741-8275. ; 16:2, s. 242-248
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Exercise lowers blood pressure and improves cardiovascular function, but little is known about whether exercise impacts cardiovascular morbidity and mortality independent of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and LV geometry. DESIGN: Observational analysis of prospectively obtained echocardiographic data within the context of a randomized trial of antihypertensive treatment. METHODS: A total of 937 hypertensive patients with ECG LVH were studied by echocardiography in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension study. Baseline exercise status was categorized as sedentary (never exercise), intermediate (30 min twice/week). During 4.8-year follow-up, 105 patients suffered the primary composite endpoint of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or cardiovascular death. MI occurred in 39, stroke in 60, and cardiovascular death in 33 patients. RESULTS: Sedentary individuals (n = 212) had, compared with those physically active (n = 511), higher heart rate (P<0.001), weight (P<0.001), body surface area (P = 0.02), body mass index (P<0.001), LV mass (LVM, P = 0.04), LVM indexed for height or body surface area (P = 0.004); thicker ventricular septum (P = 0.012) and posterior wall (P = 0.016); and larger left atrium (P = 0.006). Systolic variables did not differ. In Cox regression analysis, physically active compared with sedentary patients had lower risk of primary composite endpoint [odds ratio (OR): 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26-0.68, P < 0.001], cardiovascular death (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.22-0.1.10, NS), and stroke (OR: 0.26, 95% CI: 0.13-0.49, P < 0.001) without significant difference for MI (OR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.35-1.75, NS) independent of systolic blood pressure, LVM index, or treatment. CONCLUSION: In hypertensive patients with LVH, physically active patients had improved prognosis for cardiovascular endpoints, mortality, and stroke that was independent of LVM.
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| 2. |
- Boman, Kurt, et al.
(författare)
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Remote-controlled robotic arm for real-time echocardiography : the diagnostic future for patients in rural areas?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Telemedicine journal and e-health. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-5627 .- 1556-3669. ; 15:2, s. 142-147
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There exists a great clinical need for improving specialist consultation and utilization of echocardiography in areas remote from hospital-based care. This paper presents the development and first technical assessment of a concept of cardiovascular consultation utilizing long distance, real-time echocardiography as a diagnostic tool in rural areas. The development of CARdiological consultation at a DISTance (CARDISTA) was achieved in three stages, comprising tests of different broadband infrastructures, videoconference systems, microphones, cameras, monitors, and loudspeakers. The CARDISTA concept includes a cardiologist and a sonographer, a robotic arm (Medirob), a portable ultrasound machine, and presently available information technology using an advanced broadband backbone. The three stages provided, with some remaining doubts, echocardiographic examination at a distance comparable to hospital-based examinations. A continuous broadband capacity of 20 megabits per second (Mbps) seemed to be a vital component of CARDISTA for achieving the highest-quality imaging. With this broadband capacity, it was possible to achieve a transmission delay below 200 ms. The technical tests of the CARDISTA concept revealed promising results in enabling long distance real-time echocardiography for specialist consultation. CARDISTA is now ready for clinical testing and evaluation in rural areas for patients with heart diseases, especially heart failure.
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| 3. |
- Ekman, Inger, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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Gender makes a difference in the description of dyspnoea in patients with chronic heart failure.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1474-5151. ; 4:2, s. 117-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Dyspnoea is a common symptom of chronic heart failure (CHF). In the community setting, patients with CHF are most often women. Aim: To examine the impact of gender on the description of dyspnoea and to explore which clinical variables support a diagnosis of CHF. Methods: From four primary health care centres, 158 patients with CHF were included. Patients were examined with echocardiography and a cardiologist assessed the diagnosis of CHF. The patients filled in a questionnaire containing 11 descriptors of dyspnoea. Results: A diagnosis of CHF was confirmed in 87 (55%) patients (47 males and 40 females). One descriptor, I feel that I am suffocating, was significantly scored higher in CHF patients ( p=0.014) as compared to non-CHF patients. Three descriptors, My breath does not go in all the way ( p=0.006), I feel that I am suffocating ( p=0.040), and I cannot get enough air ( p=0.0327) were significantly scored higher among men with CHF, compared to no descriptor among women with CHF. Being male (OR=2.7; CI: 1.3–5.6, p=0.008), having diabetes (OR=5.6; CI: 1.7–18.2, p=0.004), IHD (OR=3.3; CI: 1.3–8.5, p=0.014), and a borderline significance for age (OR=1.04; CI: 0.99–1.08, p=0.058) predicted a confirmed diagnosis of CHF. Conclusion: Three descriptors of dyspnoea were associated with CHF among men, whereas no such association was found among women. Our results suggest that gender is an important factor and should—together with age, underlying heart disease, and diabetes—be taken into account when symptoms are evaluated in the diagnosis of CHF in primary care.
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| 4. |
- Hägglund, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Fatigue and health-related quality of life in elderly patients with and without heart failure in primary healthcare.
- 2007
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Ingår i: European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1474-5151 .- 1873-1953. ; 6:3, s. 208-215
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patients with heart failure (HF) in primary healthcare are in many respects not comparable to those in specialized care and the knowledge about different patient groups with and without HF is limited. Aims To compare fatigue and health-related quality of life (Hr-QoL) when adjusting for age, gender and social provision in patients with confirmed HF ( n=49) to a group of patients with symptoms indicating HF but without HF (NHF, n=59) and to an age-and sex-matched control-group ( n=40). Method A questionnaire including the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, the SF-36, and the Social Provisions Scale was used. Results The average age in all groups was 78 years. Patients in the HF and NHF groups reported worse physical QoL and more general and physical fatigue than the control group. HF patients had worse general health than the NHF group. Conclusion Elderly patients in primary healthcare with confirmed heart failure and patients with symptoms similar to heart failure perceived they had a significantly worse physical QoL and more general and physical fatigue than an age- and sex-matched control group. The similarities between the patient groups indicate the importance of the symptom experience for Hr-QoL.
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| 5. |
- Löfgren, Curt, et al.
(författare)
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Is cardiac consultation with remote-controlled real-time echocardiography a wise use of resources?
- 2009
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Ingår i: Telemedicine journal and e-health. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-5627 .- 1556-3669. ; 15:5, s. 431-438
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Northern Sweden is a sparsely populated area with six hospitals and about 50 healthcare centers. The elderly population is a large proportion of the total of population, and the incidence of cardiovascular disease is high. The objective of this research was to analyze the costs and benefits of cardiac consultation in healthcare centers involving long-distance, remote-controlled, real-time echocardiography. The distance diagnostics were developed and tested in two healthcare centers. Experiences of the feasibility of this approach were used as a basis for an economic analysis with regard to heart failure. The societal costs for two different systems were calculated, namely, traditional hospital diagnosis versus distance diagnosis using the new system. The potential prime gainers were the patients. Their traveling time, and thereby their time costs, were significantly reduced. The quality of care may also have been improved. From the health authorities' perspective, the costs of the two systems were approximately equal. Since county council costs are not greatly affected, the large reduction in patient travel time and the improved quality of care ought to be a sufficient incentive for large-scale tests.
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| 6. |
- Olofsson, Mona, 1952-, et al.
(författare)
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Are elderly patients with suspected HF misdiagnosed? : a primary health care center study
- 2007
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Ingår i: Cardiology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0008-6312 .- 1421-9751. ; 107:4, s. 226-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Few studies are published on heart failure patients in primary health care, in elderly in advanced age. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of the diagnosis of heart failure in all men and women with focus on age and gender. Methods: The patients were recruited from one selected primary health care in the city of Skellefteå, Sweden. The general practitioners included all patients who had symptoms and signs indicating heart failure. The patients were then referred for an echocardiographic examination and a final cardiology consultation. Results: The general practitioners identified 121 women and 49 men with suspected heart failure of whom 39% (51 women and 16 men) were above 80 years. Women were significantly older than men (mean age 78 and 75 years, respectively, p = 0.03). The main symptom was dyspnoea (80%). Confirmed heart failure was verified in 45% of the patients and was significantly more common in men than women (p = 0.02). Of all men and women above 80 years, 75% and 22%, respectively (p = 0.01) had a verified systolic heart failure, while there were no significant gender differences in patients younger than 80. In a multivariate regression analysis taking gender, age, smoking, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction and diabetes into account, myocardial infarction (OR = 4.3, CL = 1.8–10.6) hypertension (OR = 3.4, CI = 1.6–6.9) atrial fibrillation (OR = 2.8, CL = 1.0–7.9) remained significantly predictive of a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure. Conclusion: This study showed the difficulty of diagnosing heart failure accurately based only on clinical symptoms, especially in women above 80 years.
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