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While millions of Americans suffer from severe cardiac dysfunction, only about 3,000 heart transplants are possible each year. In the meantime, doctors are trying to identify new combinations of medicines and interventions that will increase survival rates among this high-risk population. Research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 56th Annual Scientific Session offers new insight into the most effective therapies for patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, cardiogenic shock and perioperative hypertension. ACC.07 is the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, bringing together specialists from around the world to further breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine.

F-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Imaging-Guided Management of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction: A Randomized Controlled Trial (PARR-2) (Presentation Number: 412-7)

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a widely used research tool to map normal brain and heart function. Recently, it has proven beneficial in assisting physicians in selecting therapies by visualizing a patient's heart metabolism. The PET and Recovery Following Revascularization (PARR-2) study looked at patients with poor left ventricular (LV) function and used PET imaging to guide therapy choices, seeking to determine if using the imaging technique would result in a better outcome than standard therapy.

Study investigators from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, University of Washington and eight other sites enrolled 430 patients who were referred for revascularization, cardiac transplantation or heart failure, or were likely to benefit from fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG, a commonly used injection agent that is visualized on tomography) PET-guided therapy. A total of 218 patients received PET-guided therapy and 212 patients received the standard therapy. Researchers tracked the composite rates of ca
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Contact: Leslie Humbel
lhumbel@spectrumscience.com
504-613-2418
American College of Cardiology
26-Mar-2007