aKazuaki Mitsudo, MD, bTakehiro Yamashita, MD, cYasushi Asakura, MD, dToshiya Muramatsu, MD, eOsamu Doi, MD, fYoshisato Shibata, MD, gYoshihiro Morino, MD
Author Affiliations:
From the aDepartment of Cardiology, Kurashiki Central Hospital, Kurashiki, Japan, bDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center Hokkaido Ohno Hospital, Sapporo, Japan, cDepartment of Cardiology, Toyohashi Heart Center, Toyohashi, Japan, dDepartment of Cardiology, Saiseikai Yokohama-City Eastern Hospital, Yokohama, Japan, eDepartment of Cardiology, Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan, fDepartment of Cardiology, Miyazaki Medical Association Hospital, Miyazaki, Japan, gDepartment of Cardiology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan.
Disclosure: This study was funded by a research grant from St. Jude Medical Company.
Manuscript submitted April 15, 2008, provisional acceptance given May 12, 2008, manuscript accepted June 30, 2008.
Address for correspondence: Kazuaki Mitsudo, M.D., Department of Cardiology, Kurashiki Central Hospital, 1-1-1 Miwa, Kurashiki, Okayama, 710-8602, Japan. E-mail: km2131@kchnet.or.jp