Sixty patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were studied prospectively in order to investigate the effect of a cardioselective beta-blocker on the incidence of postoperative supraventricular arrhythmias. Patients with good left ventricular function were randomly divided into two groups: 30 patients treated with atenolol and 30 patients acting as controls. Atrial fibrillation was seen in 11 patients and frequent premature atrial extrasystoles were noted in one. Eleven (37%) patients in the control group experienced arrhythmias whilst atenolol significantly reduced this incidence to 3% (one patient), P = 0.001. There was no significant relationship between the development of supraventricular arrhythmias and the following variables: age, sex, severity of preoperative symptoms, previous myocardial infarction, extent of coronary artery disease, technique of myocardial preservation used, ischaemic time, number and site of saphenous vein grafts, endarterectomies performed and perioperative serum potassium levels. It is concluded that the use of atenolol (started 72 h before operation) is effective in reducing the incidence of supraventricular arrhythmias following elective coronary artery bypass operations in patients with good left ventricular function.

The aim of this study was to compare various dosimetric parameters of dynamic mlc intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for sino-nasal cancers, which are rare and complex tumors to treat with radiotherapy. IMRT using five fields, coplanar in the sagittal plane and VMAT employing two coplanar arc plans were created for five patients. The plans were assessed by comparing Conformity Index and Sigma Index (dose homogeneity) in the Planning Target Volume (PTV) and through comparison of dose-volume characteristics to the following organs at risk (OARs): Spinal cord, brainstem, eye, ipsilateral and contralateral optic nerve and the volume of brain receiving 10% of the prescribed dose (V10%). The total monitor units required to deliver the plan were also compared. Conformity Index was found to be superior in VMAT plans for three patients and in IMRT plans for two patients. Dose homogeneity within the PTV was better with VMAT plans for all five cases. The mean difference in Sigma Index was 0.68%. There was no significant difference in dose between IMRT and VMAT plans for any of the OARs assessed in these patients. The monitor units were significantly reduced in the VMAT plan in comparison to the IMRT plan for four out of five patients, with mean reduction of 66%. It was found in this study that for the treatment of sino-nasal cancer, VMAT produced minimal, and statistically insignificant improvement in dose homogeneity within the PTV when compared with IMRT. VMAT plans were delivered using significantly fewer monitor units. We conclude in this study that VMAT does not offer significant improvement of treatment for sino-nasal cancer over the existing IMRT techniques, but the findings may change with a larger sample of patients in this rare condition.

To identify published cost-effectiveness analyses and health technology assessment (HTA) submissions for treatments in chronic heart failure (CHF) to inform future cost-effectiveness modeling in CHF. MethOds: A systematic review was performed. Literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, EconLit, and the Cochrane Library, with supplementary hand searching of conferences and HTA websites. Eligible studies had to report on cost-effectiveness outcomes in adults with CHF and/or heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, angiotensin receptor blockers, or ivabradine. Results: Sixty-six publications met the inclusion criteria, representing 63 distinct analyses. Of these, 53 reported their MethOds: 20 were statistical analyses of individual patient data, while 33 used decision-analytic modeling. Structures were most commonly described as being Markov (n= 27) but the methods were heterogeneous. The health states most frequently employed were 'alive' or 'dead', with outcomes such as hospitalization or New York Heart Association (NYHA) class distribution most commonly considered as a partition of the 'alive' state. Other health states considered were often based on NYHA class, hospitalizations, and major CV events. Different approaches to modeling the effects of interventions on mortality were used; treatment effects were applied to cardiovascular (CV) mortality and all-cause mortality in nine and 20 studies (among the 33 decision-analytic models), respectively. Across included studies, the time horizon ranged from within-trial to lifetime. Outcomes were frequently sensitive to baseline risks of mortality and hospitalization, relative efficacy of interventions, and unit costs of interventions. cOnclusiOns: The studies identified were heterogeneous with respect to their approaches; this may be due to the preference of payers in different jurisdictions. However, the identified literature suggests mortality and hospitalization are the key determinants of the cost-effectiveness of treatment for CHF.

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