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K Wegscheider

Publications and source records attributed to K Wegscheider.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Implementation of evidence-based therapy in patients with systolic heart failure from 1998-2000.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the incidence of systolic heart failure has increased. Besides a complete revascularization, guideline-based medication represents the most effective therapeutic approach. AIM: Analysis of adherence of guideline-recommended and actual medication during inpatient cardiac rehabilitation as well as under subsequent outpatient conditions. METHODS: From 01/1998 to 12/ 2000, 1346 consecutive patients (64 +/- 10 years, 73% male, LVEF 36.3 +/- 8%, 88% ischemic, 6.7% valvular cardiomyopathy, 5.3% other causes, 11.8% atrial fibrillation) were included in a singlecenter prospective register. Medication was recorded at discharge and after the follow-up period of 731 +/- 215 days. Trends in prescription rates were analyzed based on nonparametric correlations (Spearman's-Rho). Changes in medication from in- to outpatient settings were analyzed using exact McNemar test. RESULTS: At discharge 75.3% (67.9%/68.9%/ 86.6% in 1998/1999/2000, p <0.001) of the patients were treated as recommended. This rate dropped to 68.3% at followup (p <0.0001). Mortality within the follow-up period was low (12.6%). CONCLUSION: It could be shown that from 1998 to 2000 inpatient guideline conformity was implementable adequately. Outpatient conformity was significantly lower. Although a high proportion of correctly prescribed CHF medication could be demonstrated, a further effort to improve guideline adherence in the management of heart failure patients is desirable.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Emergency department delays in acute stroke - analysis of time between ED arrival and imaging.

We determined the factors leading to emergency department (ED) delays in patients with acute stroke. Data were collected prospectively in four Berlin inner-city hospitals by ED documentation, medical records, imaging files and patient interviews. An extended Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to the data. Analyses were performed in 558 patients with confirmed diagnosis of stroke. Median time from admission at ED to beginning of computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) was 108 min. In a subgroup of patients potentially eligible for thrombolysis with a pre-hospital delay <120 min and a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) >4 (n = 74), the median interval to imaging was 68 min. Multivariable analysis revealed that a more severe initial NIHSS, a pre-hospital delay <3 h, admission at two specific hospitals, admission at weekends, and private health insurance were significantly associated with reduced delays. In stroke patients, the time interval between ED admission and imaging depends both on factors that emerge from clinical needs and on factors independent of clinical necessities. Considering the urgency of therapeutic measures in acute stroke, there is necessity and room for both improvement of in-hospital management and of medical and non-medical factors influencing pre-hospital delays.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

[Extended hemodynamic monitoring using transpulmonary thermodilution Influence of various factors on the accuracy of the estimation of intrathoracic blood volume and extravascular lung water in critically ill patients].

BACKGROUND: The transpulmonary thermal-dye dilution (TDD) is the clinical gold standard for measurement of intrathoracic blood volume (ITBV) and extravascular lung water (EVLW). Recently, experimental and clinical studies found that ITBV and EVLW can be derived reliably by single transpulmonary thermodilution (TD), however, dependency from various factors of lung function has been discussed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 174 critically ill patients who had undergone hemodynamic monitoring by TDD. We calculated the differences of simultaneous TD and TDD determined by ITBV or EVLW measurements. Bias and standard deviations (SD) were calculated and extended Bland-Altman regression analyses were performed. Association of the differences and the potential confounders gender, age, PEEP, p(a)O(2)/F(I)O(2) ratio and the corresponding TDD measurement were analyzed by multiple linear regression and LOWESS regression. RESULTS: Overall results (bias+/-SD) were 1+/-58 ml/m(2) for ITBV and 0.0+/-1.4 ml/kg bw for EVLW, but TD overestimated TDD results in patients with higher ITBV and underestimated those for lower ITBV values. The deviations were small, and the dependence of ITBV could be explained completely by dependence on PEEP and age. However, low values of EVLW are overestimated by TD. CONCLUSION: Single transpulmonary thermodilution for estimation of ITBV or EVLW is reliable in patients with severe lung injury for normal and higher values.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

[Clinical trials. An overview].

Since the mid-1950s, the basis for evaluating medical therapies has shifted from transferred knowledge, subjective impression and personal experience towards clinical trials, first, in reaction to side effect tragedies, in drug licensing, then to a growing extent in other parts of medicine such as the assessment of medical devices or surgical procedures. Clinical trials are prospective studies of the efficacy and safety of therapies by repeated application. For this purpose, therapies are usually compared to controls, based on statistical reasoning. Initial comparability of study groups is best guaranteed by randomisation while equality of observation and of concomitant treatment is best guaranteed by blinding. Clinical trials do not result in clear-cut yes/no answers, but reduce the range of reasonable interpretations regarding efficacy and safety of a therapy. Thus, they allow decisions to be made on solid objective grounds. In this way, clinical trials have contributed substantially to medical progress over the last 50 years and are indispensable for today's medical research.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2005

Experience with INR self-management: patient selection and complication rates.

BACKGROUND: INR self-management can reduce the risk of complications for patients with indication of long-term oral anticoagulation therapy. However, little is known about early indicators of complication risk. METHODS: In a prospective study on 330 consecutive patients all participants were informed about oral anticoagulation by a structured teaching program. The two groups were divided as to whether they received usual medical care provided by a family physician (n=220) or self-management (n=110) on a portable coagulation monitor (CoaguChek System). After a mean follow up of 13.3+/-4.4 months, the participants of the study were interviewed by a structured questionnaire to obtain information about hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complications as well as survival. RESULTS: In comparison to patients under usual care, patients with INR selfmanagement were significantly younger (58 vs 64 years) and had fewer comorbidities (diabetes and hypertension) as well as a higher ejection fraction (53.6 vs 51.1%). Indication for anticoagulation, age and heart rhythm explained 58% of the differences between the management groups. There was no significant difference in the overall complication rates between the two groups (usual care vs selfmanagement): major bleeding 0.5 vs 0.9%, cerebral embolism (TIA or stroke) 1.9 vs 0.9%, hospital admission 2.3 vs 1.8%. A high BMI (OR=1.5; 95% CI 1.06-1.25; p=0.001) or a high therapeutic INR range (OR=2.42; 95% CI 1.16-5.1; p=0.019) is associated with a higher complication rate. CONCLUSIONS: Complication rates for patients with long-term oral anticoagulant therapy did not differ significantly between usual care and self-management. Rather, the patient's body weight and the requirement of high anticoagulation intensity drive the complication risk under both management systems.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Medical registries. Benefits and limitations].

Traditionally, registers are understood as tools of epidemiological research. Recently, medical registers have encountered new tasks in quality management and research on medical care. When registers are complete and representative for a target population, they complement the epidemiological and clinical studies that usually focus on specific endpoints using selected study populations. In this process, registers can benefit substantially from the established methodology of planned studies, for instance by application of survey sampling techniques. In order to fulfil the steadily rising expectations, registers have to meet increased methodological standards. Organization and data management should be orientated towards the standards that are meanwhile generally accepted for randomized controlled trials. The evaluation has to go beyond simple descriptive statistics towards complex statistical model building in order to cope with the unavoidable problem of internal validity of comparisons within registers. If registers fulfil these requirements, they are valuable sources of information (that cannot be replaced by other tools) on the spread of risk factors and diseases and on the distribution and usefulness of preventive measures and therapies; general proof of their efficacy should be provided by randomized clinical trials.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2003

A multicentre European registry of intraluminal coronary beta brachytherapy.

AIMS: To assess the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of intravascular brachytherapy (VBT) in routine clinical practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between April 1999 and September 2000, 1098 consecutive patients treated in 46 European centres by intraluminal irradiation using a Sr/Y(90)source train (BetaCath, Novoste, GA) were included in a registry, and follow-up data were obtained for 98.8% of them after 6.3+/-2.4 months. Eight hundred and forty (76.5%) patients were males, and mean age was 62.0+/-10.2 years. Two hundred and seventy-one (26.9%) had unstable angina, and 256 (23.5%) were diabetics. Nine hundred and thirteen lesions (77.7%) were the result of in-stent restenosis, 208 (17.7%) were de novo lesions and 48 (4.1%) non-stented restenotic lesions. Mean estimated reference diameter was 3.2+/-0.5mm and mean estimated lesion length was 19.0+/-11.8mm. The prescribed radiation dose was 18.8+/-3.2Gy. Multivessel irradiation was done in 6.2% of cases, and a new stent was implanted in 29.6% of cases. Most patients received 6 or 12 months of combined aspirin and thienopyridin treatment after the procedure. Technical success was obtained in 95.9% of treated lesions, and the in-hospital major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate was 1.8%. At follow-up, the MACE rate was 18.7% (1.9% deaths from any cause, 2.6% AMI, 13.3% TVR by PCI and 3.3% TVR by CABG). CONCLUSION: The major current application of VBT is the treatment of in-stent restenosis. The good results of VBT observed in recent randomized controlled trials can be reproduced in clinical practice.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

[An experimental evaluation of a hospital's internal clinical guideline system. Randomized, controlled crossover pilot study on the efficacy of Intranet-based guidelines for General Internal Medicine at the Park Clinic Weissenssee in Berlin]].

Randomised, controlled crossover pilot study on the efficacy of Intranet-based guidelines for General Internal Medicine at the Park-Klinik Weissensee in Berlin. As part of the evaluation programme for the intranet-based internal guideline system at the Park-Klinik Weissensee in Berlin, an experimental randomised, controlled trial was conducted in which 12 medical students in their final year were asked to solve 10 clinical vignettes each. A number of written and electronic sources of medical information was available. In addition, the students were allowed to use the internal guideline system for one half of the vignettes in a crossover fashion. There was a sample size-related non-significant trend in favour of the guideline system concerning the primary endpoint "time to right solution" (mean 2.8 min; 95% CI -1.6 to 7.3). A per-protocol-analysis revealed a great variability in the actual use of the guidelines available. There was an inverse "dose-response relationship" between the intensity of guideline usage and the endpoint.

Berlin↗
PubMed2001

High concentrations of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein in serum of patients with severe sepsis or septic shock inhibit the lipopolysaccharide response in human monocytes.

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), an acute-phase protein recognizing lipopolysaccharide (LPS), catalyzes in low concentrations its transfer to the cellular LPS receptor consisting of CD14 and Toll-like receptor-4. It has recently been shown that high concentrations of recombinant LBP can protect mice in a peritonitis model from the lethal effects of LPS. To determine whether in humans the acute-phase rise of LBP concentrations can inhibit LPS binding to monocytes and induction of proinflammatory cytokines, LBP concentrations were analyzed in 63 patients meeting the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine criteria of severe sepsis or septic shock and the ability of these sera to modulate LPS effects in vitro was assessed employing different assays. Transfer of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled LPS to human monocytes was assessed by a fluorescence-activated cell sorter-based method, and activation of monocytes was investigated by measuring LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion in the presence of the sera. Anti-LBP antibodies and recombinant human LBP were instrumental for depletion and reconstitution of acute-phase sera and subsequent assessment of their modulating effects on LPS activity. Sera of patients with severe sepsis/septic shock exhibited a diminished LPS transfer activity and LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion as compared with sera from healthy controls. LBP depletion of sepsis sera and addition of rhLBP resulting in concentrations found in severe sepsis confirmed that LBP was the major serum component responsible for the observed effects. In summary, the inhibition of LPS effects by high concentrations of LBP in acute-phase serum, as described here, may represent a novel defense mechanism of the host in severe sepsis and during bacterial infections.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗
PubMed2001

Extent of ST-segment deviation in a single electrocardiogram lead 90 min after thrombolysis as a predictor of medium-term mortality in acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: In evolving myocardial infarction, assessment of the sum of early resolution of ST-segment elevation (sumSTR) has become an established method to predict outcome. We have found previously that mortality is predicted more accurately by the existing ST-segment deviation in the single electrocardiograph (ECG) lead with maximum deviation (maxSTE) 90 min after start of thrombolysis. This report compares the power to predict medium-term mortality by these two approaches. METHODS: An ST-segment resolution substudy was done in conjunction with the Intravenous nPA for Treatment of Infarcting Myocardium Early (InTIME) II Study, which compared mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction randomly assigned lanoteplase or alteplase. In 2719 patients, a 12-lead ECG was assessed at baseline and 90 min after the start of thrombolytic therapy. FINDINGS: MaxSTE achieved a better combination of sensitivities and specificities for mortality prediction than sumSTR. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves for 180-day mortality prediction was 0.680 for maxSTE and 0.622 for sumSTR (difference 0.058; 95% CI 0.027-0.088). Risk groups categorised at low, medium, or high risk by maxSTE comprised 43%, 32%, and 24% of patients and those by complete, partial, or no sumSTR comprised 40%, 36%, and 24% of all patients. The 180-day mortality rates for the three maxSTE risk groups were 3.1%, 7.1%, and 16.2%, and those for the sumSTR groups were 4.8%, 8.1%, and 11.7%. The 12-month Kaplan-Meier estimates were 4.1%, 8.8%, and 18.6%, and 5.9%, 9.9%, and 13.7%, respectively. INTERPRETATION: MaxSTE predicts early and medium-term mortality more accurately than does sumSTR. The prognosis for an individual patient can be accurately estimated simply by the ST-segment deviation present in one ECG lead recorded 90 min after thrombolysis.

Electrocardiography↗
PubMed2001

Procalcitonin, a donor-specific predictor of early graft failure-related mortality after heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: To date, donor-specific markers to predict outcome after heart transplantation (HTx) are unknown. Increased procalcitonin (PCT) levels have been found in infectious inflammation with systemic reactions and/or poor organ perfusion but have not been studied in heart donors. We evaluated PCT as a predictor of early graft failure-related mortality after HTx. METHODS AND RESULTS: PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum concentrations were measured in samples collected immediately before pericardium opening from 81 consecutive brain-dead multiple-organ donors. Donors for high-urgency-status recipients (n=2) were excluded from analysis. The remaining donors were retrospectively divided into 2 groups: donors for recipients who died within 30 days after HTx, after an early graft failure (group II, n=8), and all other donors (group I, n=71). No differences in donor and recipient demographic characteristics were found between groups. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for graft failure-related mortality were 0.71 for PCT and 0.64 for CRP. A PCT value >2 ng/mL as a predictor of graft failure-related mortality had a specificity of 95.8% and sensitivity of 50.0%. The odds ratio for graft failure-related mortality for recipients of hearts from donors with PCT levels >2 ng/mL was 22.7 (unadjusted, 95% CI 3.7 to 137.8, P=0.0007) and 43.8 (after adjustment for prespecified potential confounders, 95% CI 1.4 to 1361.0, P=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: A PCT level >2 ng/mL in a cardiac donor at the time of explantation appears to predict early graft failure-related mortality.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed2001

Variability of splanchnic blood flow in patients with sepsis.

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies on therapeutic interventions in sepsis have assumed stability of the measure of splanchnic blood flow throughout the study. We assessed the variability of splanchnic blood flow during stable global hemodynamics in eight patients with sepsis requiring treatment with dobutamine and/or norepinephrine. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective clinical study in an intensive care unit of a university hospital. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Global and regional hemodynamics were measured at baseline, 2 h later, and 4 h later. Cardiac output was measured by transpulmonary thermodilution, intrathoracic blood volume as an indicator of cardiac preload, and total blood volume by the double indicator (thermo-dye) dilution technique. Total body oxygen consumption was assessed by indirect calorimetry using a metabolic cart. Splanchnic blood flow was measured by the continuous indocyanine green method, and gastric mucosal CO2 tension by gas tonometry. Neither absolute nor fractional splanchnic blood flow (as ratio of cardiac output) revealed significant global tendencies during the study period. However, variance component analysis showed that splanchnic blood flow determinations varied considerably within patients, for repeated measurements at 5-min intervals (standard error 31.1%) as well as for average values at 2-h intervals (25.6%). CONCLUSION: Stable global hemodynamics during a 4-h period in septic patients does not exclude marked changes in splanchnic blood measured by a hepatic venous catheter technique.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Extent of ST-segment deviation in the single ECG lead of maximum deviation present 90 or 180 minutes after start of thrombolytic therapy best predicts outcome in acute myocardial infarction.

UNLABELLED: In evolving myocardial infarction the extent of ST segment deviation reflects the existing ischemic myocardial injury and thus conveys very useful early prognostic information. In recent years, the sum of ST segment elevation resolution (sum STR) has been proven to be an excellent early prognostic indicator. However, the predictive power of sum STR has never been systematically compared with that of other methods of evaluation of ST segment deviation recovery. We, therefore, proposed to compare the prognostic power of ST segment changes evaluated by either sum STR or by ST segment resolution in only the one lead showing the maximal deviation (lead STR) or only by the existing ST segment deviation in the single ECG lead of maximum ST deviation present at a given time point after thrombolysis (lead STE). METHODS AND RESULTS: In conjunction with the Intravenous nPA for Treatment of Infarcting Myocardium Early (InTIME) II Study, which compared mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction randomized within 6 hours of symptom onset to receive either Lanoteplase or Alteplase, all 3593 German and Polish patients participated in an ST segment resolution substudy. A 12-lead ECG was recorded at baseline and at 90 and at 180 minutes after start of thrombolytic therapy. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves to compare the power to predict 30 day cardiac mortality for sum STR, lead STR, and lead STE were at 90 min 0.686, 0.714, and 0.761 (p < 0.002), and at 180 min 0.678, 0.703, and 0.755 (p < 0.001), respectively. In multivariate analysis lead STE was an independent predictor of outcome even when adjustment was made for sum STR, lead STR, and clinical variables. Cardiac mortality rates at 30 days for lead STE risk groups, classified as low, medium, or high (percent of patients in brackets), were at 90 min 1.0% (43%), 4.0% (32%), and 12.8% (25%), and at 180 min 1.5% (55%), 3.8% (31%), and 15.2% (14%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Simple measurement of the ST segment deviation existing in the one ECG lead with the greatest deviation on the ECG recorded 90 or 180 minutes after thrombolysis enables the identification of the major subsets of patients who are either at very low or exceptionally high risk of mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Cardiogenic embolism as the main cause of ischemic stroke in a city hospital: an interdisciplinary study.

BACKGROUND: It is essential to understand the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke to ensure rational acute therapy and secondary prevention. We wanted to know the distribution of pathogenesis in patients of a city hospital and the differences in risk factors, neurologic deficits, disability, and delay in clinical admittance. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During a period of one year, 222 patients (mean age 76.6 years; 59% women) with complete acute ischemic stroke were admitted and underwent complete clinical and diagnostic procedures: CCT/MRI; Doppler- and color-coded duplex and transcranial sonography; echocardiography; use of the NINCDS stroke scale and the Oxford disability scale; study of risk factors, and exploration of delay in admittance. RESULTS: The following percentages of etiologies were evident: 31% cardiogenic embolism (60% with atrial fibrillation), 13% microangiopathy, 9% macroangiopathy, 11% cerebellar or brain stem infarction, 18% more than one cause and 18% no cause found. The patients with cardiogenic embolism showed significantly the highest scores on the stroke scale and the disability scale and had the shortest delay in admittance (57% were admitted within 3 hours). CONCLUSIONS: In a city hospital, cardiogenic embolism is the main cause of ischemic stroke. These patients suffer significantly the most severe neurologic deficits, dependence, and requirement of daily nursing care. These patients have the shortest delay in clinical admittance and the best chance of benefitting from acute therapy and early secondary prevention.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Non-invasive detection of early infarct vessel patency by resolution of ST-segment elevation in patients with thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction; results of the angiographic substudy of the Hirudin for Improvement of Thrombolysis (HIT)-4 trial.

Aims The purpose of this study was to validate ST segment resolution as a non-invasive marker for patency of the infarct-related artery 90 min after the start of streptokinase therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Methods and Results In the HIT-4 angiographic substudy, 447 patients with acute myocardial infarction </=6 h received 1.5 million IU streptokinase. Angiograms of the infarct vessel were obtained after 90 min and 12-lead ECGs at baseline and after 90 min. The best cut-off points for a correct prediction of 90 min infarct vessel patency (TIMI 2/3 flow) and complete patency (TIMI 3) were 30% ST resolution and 40% ST resolution, respectively (specificity 68% and 69%, sensitivity 76% and 75%). Prediction of infarct vessel patency by ST resolution in steps of 10% displayed a gradual increase in patency rates. Patients with > or =70% ST resolution (n=70) had a 92% probability of TIMI 2/3 flow, while <30% ST resolution (n=172) was associated with the absence of TIMI 3 flow in 84% of patients. Conclusions Despite fairly good sensitivities and specificities the prediction of infarct vessel patency by ST resolution in the individual patient is limited. However, patients with > or =70% ST resolution are likely to have a patent infarct artery and <30% ST resolution predicts epicardial vessel occlusion or, since persistent ST elevation reflects the existing ischaemic myocardial injury, absence of myocardial perfusion.

Double-Blind Method↗
PubMed2000

Is the placement of a pulmonary artery catheter still justified solely for the measurement of cardiac output?

OBJECTIVE: The authors compared four clinical techniques of measuring cardiac output (CO) in critically ill patients: pulmonary artery thermodilution (CO[PA]), transpulmonary aortic thermodilution (CO[AORTA]), Fick principle-derived (CO[FICK]), and continuous pulmonary artery (CCO) measurements. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. SETTING: Surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve adult patients suffering from sepsis or septic shock. INTERVENTIONS: All patients were deeply sedated and mechanically ventilated in a pressure-controlled mode. Each patient received a 7.5F five-lumen pulmonary artery catheter for the continuous measurement of cardiac output and a 4F aortic catheter with an integrated thermistor. The thermistors of the two different catheters were connected to one computer system (COLD-Z021, Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany). Whole-body oxygen consumption was measured by indirect calorimetry using a metabolic cart (Deltatrac, Datex-Engstroem, Helsinki, Finland) over a 5-minute period, at the end of which arterial and mixed venous blood gases were taken and measured by co-oximetry. During each measuring period, three bolus CO measurements were performed. A total number of 51 CO measurements was analyzed. RESULTS: Linear regression analysis revealed the highest correlation between CO(AORTA) and CO(PA) (r = 0.98), whereas agreement between these two techniques and CCO was lower (r = 0.92 and r = 0.93). All three techniques correlated comparably with CO(FICK) (r = 0.85, r = 0.83, and r = 0.83). CONCLUSION: The correlations among the four CO techniques were high and similar, with CO(PA) and CO(AORTA) techniques showing the highest agreement. Because CO with similar accuracy can be obtained from transpulmonary aortic thermodilution in a less-invasive manner, it appears that the placement of a pulmonary artery catheter solely for the measurement of CO is no longer justified, unless continuous CO measurements are needed.

Adult↗