EP Lab Digest - April 2008 - (Page 27)

APRIL 2008 EP RESEARCH 27 Can Psychosocial Characteristics Predict Fatal Outcomes in Patients? Interview with Jonathan S. Steinberg, MD, FACC Interview by Jodie Elrod between treatment arms, but it dawned on me as I delved into this that we really knew very little about the ramifications of collecting that kind of psychological and psychosocial information, and how it correlated with a patient’s ultimate outcome. Subsequently, we explored those analyses post hoc, after the trial had been completed. been overlooked by the medical community? Not exactly. Most importantly, we have seen in past research that a defibrillator patient’s psychological life is most dramatically affected when they receive a shock from their device. In fact, many years ago my group at the hospital did formal psychological profiling See STEINBERG page 28 Has the issue of psychological wellness of ICD patients possibly r. Jonathan Steinberg et al recently published research on how psychosocial characteristics impact long-term survival outcomes after cardiac arrest and ventricular tachycardia (VT). His article, entitled “Psychosocial Status Predicts Mortality in Patients with Lifethreatening Ventricular Arrhythmias,” appeared in the HeartRhythm Journal, the official journal of the Heart Rhythm Society. In this interview, Dr. Steinberg elaborates on his findings. Dr. Steinberg is Chief of the Division of Cardiology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Professor of Medicine at Columbia University in New York. D When and why did you decide to study the psychosocial data from this group of patients? It actually came up shortly after the trial was completed. I was on the Quality-of-Life (QoL) committee, which was responsible for planning and analyzing studies revolving around QoL instruments that were collected throughout the Antiarrhythmics Versus Implantable Defibrillators (AVID) trial. Our original intent of using QoL instruments was to assess the quality of life in the participants of the trial; in particular, compare QoL issues between the two randomized arms (i.e., medical therapy and device therapy). When the results were analyzed, we did not see substantial differences http://www.cryocath.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EP Lab Digest - April 2008

EP Lab Digest - April 2008 Pediatric Electrophysiology Medical Relief Work on the Yucatan Peninsula: A Labor of Love EP 101: Considerations for the Elderly EP Patient Contents Letter from the Editor Spotlight Interview: University of Maryland A Summary of the ACC/AHA/Physician Consortium 2008 Clinical Performance Measures for Adults with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation or Flutter Can Psychosocial Characteristics Predict Fatal Outcomes in Patients? Interview with Jonathan S. Steinberg, MD, FACC 10-Minute Interview: Diane D. Sheffield, RN, BSN AED Access for All: An Organization for SCA Survivors New Column: 5 Quick Clues to AV Nodal Reentry Tachycardia CMS 2008 OPPS Final Rule Review New Online AED and CPR Training Opportunities: Q & A with Keith Weaver Highlights from the 5th Annual International Arrhythmia Winter School Email Discussion Group Events Calendar Second Annual Salary Survey Industry News and Products Classifieds Advertisers Index

EP Lab Digest - April 2008

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