Author/Editor		Okrajšek, Renata
Title		Učinki zdravljenja z atorvastatinom pri bolnikih z napredovalnim srčnim popuščanjem
Type		monografija
Place		Ljubljana
Publisher		Univerza v Ljubljani, Medicinska fakulteta
Publication year		2006
Volume		str. 56
Language		slo
Abstract		Background. Despite the progress in treatment, the mortality rate of patients with heart failure remains high. Most of these patients die suddenly because of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias are closely related to increased activity of sympathetic tone and disturbances in ventricular repolarization. Decreased heart rate variability with heart failure patients is related to decreased parasympathetic tone activity and consequently related also to increased mortality. With postinfarction patients with advanced left ventricular dysfunction the increased QT interval variability is related to higher risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Treatment with statins in patients with ischemic heart disease reduces the frequency of ventricular tachyarrhythmias and has also other positive effects, which are not related to cholesterol reduction only. With patients with ischemic and nonischemic etiology of heart failure the treatment with statins is an independent positive factor in higher level of survival of these patients. The mechanisms that could explain the possible antiarrhythmic effects of statins are not known. The suppositions of our research were that the treatment with atorvastatin causes the increase of heart rate variability and the reduction of QT interval variability, it shortens the corrected length of QT interval (QTc) and reduces plasmatic concentration of BNP. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
Descriptors		HEART FAILURE, CONGESTIVE HYDROXYMETHYLGLUTARYL COA REDUCTASES EXERCISE TEST ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY NATRIURETIC HORMONE HEART RATE CHOLESTEROL