Lankenau Medical Center

About: Lankenau Medical Center is a healthcare organization based out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Atrial fibrillation & Medicine. The organization has 436 authors who have published 414 publications receiving 7095 citations. The organization is also known as: Lankenau Hospital.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessing the efficacy of S66913 in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

Abstract: Aims Antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) are associated with limited efficacy and adverse effects. Inhibition of the atrial current IKur, absent from the ventricle, is expected to be antiarrhythmic, without adverse cardiac effects, particularly ventricular pro-arrhythmic effects. Methods and results A randomized clinical trial in symptomatic paroxysmal AF patients being considered for ablation. The primary endpoint was AF burden (AFB) as measured by insertable continuous monitoring (ICM) devices. Screened patients had an ICM implanted and were included if AFB was between 1% and 70% after 4 weeks of recording. They were randomly allocated to 4-week treatment of a selective IKur inhibitor S66913 (5 mg, 25 mg, or 100 mg orally per day) or placebo. The study was to enroll 160 patients. The study was terminated prematurely, due to non-study related preclinical safety concerns, after 58 patients had been enrolled. The median AFB ranged from 4.3% to 10.3% at baseline in the four treatment groups. S66913 had no significant effect on AFB or on AFB plus atrial tachycardia (AT) burden, at any dosage; nor on any secondary endpoints including the number and duration of AT or AF episodes, and symptoms. The drug was well tolerated with no safety concern during the treatment or the extended clinical follow-up. Conclusions DIAGRAF-IKUR was the first study to show that using ICM to assess the effect of an AAD is feasible. The selective IKur inhibitor S66913 was safe but had no clinically meaningful effect at the time of early termination of the study.

Dabigatran vs. warfarin in relation to the presence of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with atrial fibrillation- the Randomized Evaluation of Long-term anticoagulation therapY (RE-LY) study.

Abstract: Aim We tested the hypothesis that left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) interferes with the antithrombotic effects of dabigatran and warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) Methods and results This is a post-hoc analysis of the Randomized Evaluation of Long-term anticoagulation therapY (RE-LY) Study We defined LVH by electrocardiography (ECG) and included patients with AF on the ECG tracing at entry Hazard ratios (HR) for each dabigatran dose vs warfarin were calculated in relation to LVH LVH was present in 2353 (227%) out of 10 372 patients In patients without LVH, the rates of primary outcome were 159%/year with warfarin, 160% with dabigatran 110 mg (HR vs warfarin 101, 95% confidence interval (CI) 075-136) and 108% with dabigatran 150 mg (HR vs warfarin 068, 95% CI 049-095) In patients with LVH, the rates of primary outcome were 321%/year with warfarin, 169% with dabigatran 110 mg (HR vs warfarin 052, 95% CI 032-084) and 155% with 150 mg (HR vs warfarin 048, 95% CI 029-078) The interaction between LVH status and dabigatran 110 mg vs warfarin was significant for the primary outcome (P = 0021) and stroke (P = 0016) LVH was associated with a higher event rate with warfarin, not with dabigatran In the warfarin group, the time in therapeutic range was significantly lower in the presence than in the absence of LVH Conclusions LVH was associated with a lower antithrombotic efficacy of warfarin, but not of dabigatran, in patients with AF Consequently, the relative benefit of the lower dose of dabigatran compared to warfarin was enhanced in patients with LVH The higher dose of dabigatran was superior to warfarin regardless of LVH status Clinical trial registration http:wwwclinicaltrialsgov Unique identifier: NCT00262600

Mitigation of disease- and treatment-related risks in patients with psoriatic arthritis

Abstract: Psoriatic arthritis is a part of the family of diseases referred to as spondyloarthropathies, a diverse group of chronic inflammatory disorders with common clinical, radiographic, and genetic features. Peripheral arthritis is the most common symptom of psoriatic arthritis and patients also frequently experience involvement of the entheses, spine, skin, and nails. Due to the diverse clinical spectrum of disease severity, tissues affected, and associated comorbidities, the treatment of psoriatic arthritis can be challenging and it is necessary to mitigate risks associated with both the disease and its treatment. These risks include disease-specific, treatment-related, and psychological risks. Disease-specific risks include those associated with disease progression that can limit functional status and be mitigated through early diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Risks also arise from comorbidities that are associated with psoriatic arthritis such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and gastrointestinal inflammation. Patient outcomes can be affected by the treatment strategy employed and the pharmacologic agents administered. Additionally, it is important for physicians to be aware of risks specific to each therapeutic option. The impact of psoriatic arthritis is not limited to the skin and joints and it is common for patients to experience quality-of-life impairment. Patients are also more likely to have depression, anxiety, and alcoholism. This article reviews the many risks associated with psoriatic arthritis and provides guidance on mitigating these risks.

Biomarker profiling for risk of future heart failure (HFpEF) development.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of BNP, hsTroponin-I, interleukin-6, sST2, and galectin-3 in predicting the future development of new onset heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in asymptomatic patients at-risk for HF. This is a retrospective analysis of the longitudinal STOP-HF study of thirty patients who developed HFpEF matched to a cohort that did not develop HFpEF (n = 60) over a similar time period. Biomarker candidates were quantified at two time points prior to initial HFpEF diagnosis. HsTroponin-I and BNP at baseline and follow-up were statistically significant predictors of future new onset HFpEF, as was galectin-3 at follow-up and concentration change over time. Interleukin-6 and sST2 were not predictive of future development of new onset HFpEF in this study. Unadjusted biomarker combinations of hsTroponin-I, BNP, and galectin-3 could significantly predict future HFpEF using both baseline (AUC 0.82 [0.73,0.92]) and follow-up data (AUC 0.86 [0.79,0.94]). A relative-risk matrix was developed to categorize the relative-risk of new onset of HFpEF based on biomarker threshold levels. We provided evidence for the utility of BNP, hsTroponin-I, and Galectin-3 in the prediction of future HFpEF in asymptomatic event-free populations with cardiovascular disease risk factors.