Platelet activation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. The long... more Platelet activation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. The long-term benefit of dual anti-platelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin is well established for patients with acute coronary syndrome and for secondary prophylaxis of coronary artery disease. This review discusses latest developments in the field of the thienopyridines. Particularly, we focus on the evidence-based use of prasugrel or prasugrel versus clopidogrel in clinical practice.
The incidence of pseudoaneurysms after percutaneus arterial procedures is a quite common complica... more The incidence of pseudoaneurysms after percutaneus arterial procedures is a quite common complication. Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection is an effective and elegant therapy with a low procedural risk, when the physician is trained in the technique. This paper provides a tutorial for physicians including tips and pitfalls.
A 51-year-old woman was referred for kidney transplant evaluation. An HIV infection had been diag... more A 51-year-old woman was referred for kidney transplant evaluation. An HIV infection had been diagnosed ten years ago, viral load being negative at present. Renal type AA-amyloidosis was demonstrated by kidney biopsies. The patient had no symptoms. Clinical examination revealed no significant abnormalities with exception of a systolic murmur. A 12-channel electrocardiogram demonstrated peripheral low voltage. Echocardiography showed severe diastolic dysfunction, ventricular hypertrophy and biatrial dilatation. In addition, the aortic valve displayed a calcified mass. Treatment with an ACE-inhibitor for diastolic heart failure was continued, and the patient was included into the renal transplantation program. Amyloidosis is characterized by an abnormal folding of certain proteins and their extracellular deposition in several organs. This leads to corresponding dysfunction and can result in organ failure. Cardiac involvement is usually associated with immunoglobulin-light-chain (AL) - ...
Background: Cardiac arrest in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high morbi... more Background: Cardiac arrest in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Thrombolysis is expected to improve the outcome in these patients. However studies evaluating rescue-thrombolysis in patients with PE are missing, mainly due to the difficulties of clinical diagnosis of PE. We aimed to determine the success influencing factors of thrombolysis during resuscitation in patients with PE.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2014
There is currently no effective prophylactic regimen available to prevent contrastinduced AKI (CI... more There is currently no effective prophylactic regimen available to prevent contrastinduced AKI (CI-AKI), a frequent and life-threatening complication after cardiac catheterization. Therefore, novel treatment strategies are required to decrease CI-AKI incidence and to improve clinical outcomes in these patients. Remote ischemic preconditioning (rIPC), defined as transient brief episodes of ischemia at a remote site before a subsequent prolonged ischemia/reperfusion injury of the target organ, is an adaptational response that protects against ischemic and reperfusion insult. Indeed, several studies demonstrated the tissue-protective effects of rIPC in various target organs, including the kidneys. In this regard, rIPC may offer a novel noninvasive and virtually cost-free treatment strategy for decreasing CI-AKI incidence. This review evaluates the current experimental and clinical evidence for rIPC as a potential renoprotective strategy, and discusses the underlying mechanisms and key areas for future research.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for patients &am... more Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for patients >65 years of age and continues to be a major public health burden among the ageing population. Unlike therapy for chronic CHF, there has been only modest progress in medical treatment for acutely decompensated CHF over the past several decades. Moreover, current treatment-consisting generally of diuretic, inotropic, and vasodilatory agents-is associated with many limitations in clinical practice. Natriuretic peptides provide a promising mechanism of action in the pathophysiologic background for CHF treatment based on their vasodilatory and diuretic properties and effective inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which is activated early in the course of CHF. Nesiritide (Natrecor® or Noratak®) is a recombinant natriuretic peptide that has the same 32 amino-acid sequence as human B-type natriuretic peptide. Nesiritide has been shown to improve dyspnea and hemodynamic parameters in patients with decompensated heart failure. Ularitide is a synthetic form of urodilatin, a natriuretic peptide hormone secreted by the kidney. Recent clinical studies suggest that ularitide may play a role in managing decompensated heart failure. This review provides an update on natriuretic peptides and their therapeutic potential in advanced CHF.
Background Flecainide is used as a pill-in-the-pocket treatment for pharmacological cardioversion... more Background Flecainide is used as a pill-in-the-pocket treatment for pharmacological cardioversion in patients without structural heart disease and atrial fibrillation (AF). In patients with structural heart disease and elevated cardiovascular risk, flecainide is believed to be harmful. Therefore, data about safety and effectiveness of singledose flecainide for cardioversion in patients at elevated cardiovascular risk are lacking. Objectives One-hundred and six consecutive patients with recent onset AF and known structural heart disease and/or elevated PROCAM-score did receive oral flecainide 300 mg for cardioversion. Methods The effectiveness, safety and influencing factors of flecainide for cardioversion in high-risk patients were prospectively assessed. Results In 43 of 106 patients (40.6%), sinus rhythm could be restored within 192.4 ± 10.7 min by flecainide. The PROCAM-score was 41.5 ± 0.56 in patients with successful cardioversion compared to 45.7 ± 0.74 in patients without successful cardioversion (P \ 0.001). ACE-inhibitor co-medication was associated with a significantly lower rate of conversion by flecainide (HR 2.3, 95% CI, 1.12-4.26, P \ 0.01). In 58 of 63 patients in whom cardioversion by flecainide was not effective, electrical cardioversion was performed which was successful in 47 patients. Life-threatening arrhythmias did not occur in any patient. The most common side effect was sinus-bradycardia and transient sinus arrest (2-4 s) immediately after conversion. Conclusions When monitored properly, flecainide is safe and useful for cardioversion in patients at elevated cardiovascular risk.
Background: The validity of Doppler echocardiographic (DE) measurement of systolic pulmonary arte... more Background: The validity of Doppler echocardiographic (DE) measurement of systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) has been questioned. Recent studies suggest that mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) might reflect more accurately the invasive pressures.
Platelet activation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. The long... more Platelet activation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. The long-term benefit of dual anti-platelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin is well established for patients with acute coronary syndrome and for secondary prophylaxis of coronary artery disease. This review discusses latest developments in the field of the thienopyridines. Particularly, we focus on the evidence-based use of prasugrel or prasugrel versus clopidogrel in clinical practice.
The incidence of pseudoaneurysms after percutaneus arterial procedures is a quite common complica... more The incidence of pseudoaneurysms after percutaneus arterial procedures is a quite common complication. Ultrasound-guided thrombin injection is an effective and elegant therapy with a low procedural risk, when the physician is trained in the technique. This paper provides a tutorial for physicians including tips and pitfalls.
A 51-year-old woman was referred for kidney transplant evaluation. An HIV infection had been diag... more A 51-year-old woman was referred for kidney transplant evaluation. An HIV infection had been diagnosed ten years ago, viral load being negative at present. Renal type AA-amyloidosis was demonstrated by kidney biopsies. The patient had no symptoms. Clinical examination revealed no significant abnormalities with exception of a systolic murmur. A 12-channel electrocardiogram demonstrated peripheral low voltage. Echocardiography showed severe diastolic dysfunction, ventricular hypertrophy and biatrial dilatation. In addition, the aortic valve displayed a calcified mass. Treatment with an ACE-inhibitor for diastolic heart failure was continued, and the patient was included into the renal transplantation program. Amyloidosis is characterized by an abnormal folding of certain proteins and their extracellular deposition in several organs. This leads to corresponding dysfunction and can result in organ failure. Cardiac involvement is usually associated with immunoglobulin-light-chain (AL) - ...
Background: Cardiac arrest in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high morbi... more Background: Cardiac arrest in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Thrombolysis is expected to improve the outcome in these patients. However studies evaluating rescue-thrombolysis in patients with PE are missing, mainly due to the difficulties of clinical diagnosis of PE. We aimed to determine the success influencing factors of thrombolysis during resuscitation in patients with PE.
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 2014
There is currently no effective prophylactic regimen available to prevent contrastinduced AKI (CI... more There is currently no effective prophylactic regimen available to prevent contrastinduced AKI (CI-AKI), a frequent and life-threatening complication after cardiac catheterization. Therefore, novel treatment strategies are required to decrease CI-AKI incidence and to improve clinical outcomes in these patients. Remote ischemic preconditioning (rIPC), defined as transient brief episodes of ischemia at a remote site before a subsequent prolonged ischemia/reperfusion injury of the target organ, is an adaptational response that protects against ischemic and reperfusion insult. Indeed, several studies demonstrated the tissue-protective effects of rIPC in various target organs, including the kidneys. In this regard, rIPC may offer a novel noninvasive and virtually cost-free treatment strategy for decreasing CI-AKI incidence. This review evaluates the current experimental and clinical evidence for rIPC as a potential renoprotective strategy, and discusses the underlying mechanisms and key areas for future research.
Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for patients &am... more Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the most frequent cause of hospitalization for patients >65 years of age and continues to be a major public health burden among the ageing population. Unlike therapy for chronic CHF, there has been only modest progress in medical treatment for acutely decompensated CHF over the past several decades. Moreover, current treatment-consisting generally of diuretic, inotropic, and vasodilatory agents-is associated with many limitations in clinical practice. Natriuretic peptides provide a promising mechanism of action in the pathophysiologic background for CHF treatment based on their vasodilatory and diuretic properties and effective inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which is activated early in the course of CHF. Nesiritide (Natrecor® or Noratak®) is a recombinant natriuretic peptide that has the same 32 amino-acid sequence as human B-type natriuretic peptide. Nesiritide has been shown to improve dyspnea and hemodynamic parameters in patients with decompensated heart failure. Ularitide is a synthetic form of urodilatin, a natriuretic peptide hormone secreted by the kidney. Recent clinical studies suggest that ularitide may play a role in managing decompensated heart failure. This review provides an update on natriuretic peptides and their therapeutic potential in advanced CHF.
Background Flecainide is used as a pill-in-the-pocket treatment for pharmacological cardioversion... more Background Flecainide is used as a pill-in-the-pocket treatment for pharmacological cardioversion in patients without structural heart disease and atrial fibrillation (AF). In patients with structural heart disease and elevated cardiovascular risk, flecainide is believed to be harmful. Therefore, data about safety and effectiveness of singledose flecainide for cardioversion in patients at elevated cardiovascular risk are lacking. Objectives One-hundred and six consecutive patients with recent onset AF and known structural heart disease and/or elevated PROCAM-score did receive oral flecainide 300 mg for cardioversion. Methods The effectiveness, safety and influencing factors of flecainide for cardioversion in high-risk patients were prospectively assessed. Results In 43 of 106 patients (40.6%), sinus rhythm could be restored within 192.4 ± 10.7 min by flecainide. The PROCAM-score was 41.5 ± 0.56 in patients with successful cardioversion compared to 45.7 ± 0.74 in patients without successful cardioversion (P \ 0.001). ACE-inhibitor co-medication was associated with a significantly lower rate of conversion by flecainide (HR 2.3, 95% CI, 1.12-4.26, P \ 0.01). In 58 of 63 patients in whom cardioversion by flecainide was not effective, electrical cardioversion was performed which was successful in 47 patients. Life-threatening arrhythmias did not occur in any patient. The most common side effect was sinus-bradycardia and transient sinus arrest (2-4 s) immediately after conversion. Conclusions When monitored properly, flecainide is safe and useful for cardioversion in patients at elevated cardiovascular risk.
Background: The validity of Doppler echocardiographic (DE) measurement of systolic pulmonary arte... more Background: The validity of Doppler echocardiographic (DE) measurement of systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) has been questioned. Recent studies suggest that mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) might reflect more accurately the invasive pressures.
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