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Biomedical subjects

Johann Auer

Publications and source records attributed to Johann Auer.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Atypical form of left ventricular ballooning after a violent attack.

The syndrome of "apical ballooning" is characterized by an acute onset of transient akinesia of the apical portion of the left ventricle accompanied by electrocardiographic changes and minimal myocardial enzymatic release mimicking acute myocardial infarction without significant stenosis on the coronary angiogram. Emotional or physical stress might trigger this reversible form of cardiomyopathy. We describe a case of a 70-year old woman presenting with an atypical form of ventricular ballooning after a violent attack.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Intracoronary air embolism in open heart surgery--an uncommon source of myocardial ischaemia.

We report a case of air embolism detected by transesophageal echocardiography in a patient undergoing open heart surgery for acute mitral regurgitation. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed an increased brightness of the apical wall and a severely compromised left ventricular myocardium with severe diffuse hypokinesis after removal of the aortic cross clamps and spontaneous resolution in the control echocardiography.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2006

Left ventricular apical ballooning--a novel cardiac disease mimicking acute coronary syndrome: a case report in a Caucasian patient.

The syndrome of "apical ballooning" consists of an acute onset of transient extensive akinesia of the apical portion of the left ventricle, without significant stenosis on the coronary angiogram, accompanied by chest symptoms, ECG changes, and a limited release of cardiac markers disproportionate to the extent of akinesia. So far, the vast majority of cases with this syndrome have been reported from Japanese patients and only a few cases of Caucasian patients have been described. Emotional or physical stress or other preceding triggering factors might play a key role in this cardiomyopathy, but the precise etiology remains unknown. We describe a case of "apical ballooning" in a white patient, who presented at our institution with this novel heart syndrome. Despite severe initial presentation, conservative medical management leads to good long term outcome in most patients.

Aged, 80 and over↗
PubMed2006

Ability of neuron-specific enolase to predict survival to hospital discharge after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: Accurate prediction of survival to hospital discharge in patients who achieve return of spontaneous circulation after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has significant ethical and socioeconomic implications. We investigated the prognostic performance of serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a biochemical marker of ischemic brain injury, after successful CPR. METHODS: In-hospital or out-of-hospital patients with nontraumatic normothermic cardiac arrest who achieved return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following at least 5 minutes of CPR were eligible. Neuron-specific enolase levels were assessed immediately, 6 hours, 12 hours and 2 days after ROSC. Subjects were followed to death or hospital discharge. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (7 men, 10 women) were enrolled during a 1-year period. Median (range) NSE levels in survivors and non-survivors respectively were as follows: immediately after ROSC: 14.0 microg/L (9.1-51.4 microg/L) versus 25.9 microg/L (10.2-57.5 microg/L); 6 hours after ROSC: 15.2 microg/L (9.7-30.8 microg/L) versus 25.6 microg/L (12.7-38.2 microg/L); 12 hours after ROSC: 14.0 microg/L (8.6-32.4 microg/L) versus 28.5 microg/L (11.0-50.7 microg/L); and 48 hours after ROSC: 13.1 microg/L (7.8-29.5 microg/L) versus 52.0 microg/L (29.1-254.0 microg/L). Non-survivors had significantly higher NSE levels 48 hours after ROSC than surivors (p = 0.04) and showed a trend toward higher values during the entire time course following ROSC. An NSE concentration of >30 microg/L 48 hours after ROSC predicted death with a high specificity (100%: 95% confidence interval [CI] 85%-100%), and a level of 29 microg/L or less at 48 hours predicted survival with a high specificity (100%: 95% CI 83%-100%). CONCLUSIONS: Serum NSE levels may have clinical utility for the prediction of survival to hospital discharge in patients after ROSC following CPR over 5 minutes in duration. This study is small, and our results are limited by wide confidence intervals. Further research on ability of NSE to facilitate prediction and clinical decision-making after cardiac arrest is warranted.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Postoperative white blood cell count predicts atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in as many as 50% of cardiac surgery patients and represents the most common postoperative rhythm complication. The cause of AF after cardiac surgery is incompletely understood, and its prevention remains suboptimal. Currently the role of inflammation and oxidative stress on electrical remodeling is under investigation, and recent studies have demonstrated that C-reactive protein levels are elevated in AF. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between the postoperative white blood cell (WBC) count as a marker of inflammation and the development of postoperative AF after cardiac surgery. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery in the absence of significant left ventricular dysfunction (n = 253; average age, 65 +/- 11 years) were recruited to the present prospective study. Atrial fibrillation developed during the postoperative period in 99 patients (39.1%) of the total study population. The WBC count was prospectively assessed in all patients to determine the predictive value of baseline and postoperative WBC count on development of postoperative AF. Baseline WBC count was 6.8 +/- 1.9 x 10(9)/L and 6.8 +/- 2.2 x 10(9)/L (p = 0.95), respectively, in patients with and without postoperative AF; and postoperative peak WBC count was 16.3 +/- 6.5 x 10(9)/L and 15 +/- 4.2 x 10(9)/L (p = 0.048), respectively, in patients without postoperative AF. However, neither baseline nor peak monocyte count differed significantly among patients with and without postoperative AF: 0.43 +/- 0.15 x 10(9)/L and 0.46 +/- 0.46 x 10(9)/L (p = 0.5), and 0.91 +/- 0.3 x 10(9)/L and 0.93 +/- 0.4 x 10(9)/L (p = 0.8), respectively. In addition to a more pronounced increase in peak WBC count (above v below median; odds ratio [OR], 1.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.7; p < 0.05), increasing age (above v below median; OR, 2.6; CI, 1.2-3.9; p < 0.01), surgery for valvular heart disease versus coronary artery bypass grafting (OR, 2.8; CI, 1.1-3.5; p < 0.01), development of postoperative complications, such as stroke, infections, or unstable hemodynamics (OR, 1.9; CI, 1.0-7.5; p < 0.05), and perioperative nonuse of beta-adrenergic blockers (OR, 1.7; CI, 1.1-4.9; p < 0.05) were identified as independent predictors of postoperative AF by multivariate logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac surgery is associated with an elevated postoperative WBC count that represents a common marker of inflammation. A more pronounced increase in postoperative WBC count independently predicts development of postoperative AF. These data provide additional evidence to support the association between the inflammatory response and postoperative AF.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Increased arterial wave reflections predict severe cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions.

AIMS: Increased arterial wave reflections are associated with the presence and extent of coronary atherosclerosis and with cardiovascular mortality in selected populations. We prospectively evaluated their prognostic value in the short- and long-term following percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). METHODS AND RESULTS: We non-invasively quantified wave reflections [expressed as augmentation index corrected for heart rate of 75 b.p.m. (AIx@75)] using applanation tonometry of the radial artery and a validated transfer function to obtain the corresponding aortic values in 262 patients undergoing PCI. During 2-year follow-up, 61 patients reached the primary endpoint [death, myocardial infarction (MI), and restenosis]. Increasing tertiles of Alx@75 were related to the rate of patients reaching the primary endpoint [15.2, 20 and 35.3%, respectively (P = 0.001)], as well as the secondary endpoints total mortality, myocardial infarction and death plus myocardial infarction (RR for the third vs. the first tertile 4.33, 3.25 and 3.46, respectively, P < 0.05). In a multivariable Cox-regression model, AIx@75 added prognostic value above and beyond clinical risk factors, angiographic variables, and medications (RR 1.8, 95%CI 1.18-2.76 per increasing AIx@75-tertile, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Increased arterial wave reflections are independently associated with an increased risk for severe short- and long-term cardiovascular events in patients undergoing PCI.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

The diagnostic and prognostic value of brain natriuretic peptide and aminoterminal (nt)-pro brain natriuretic peptide.

The discovery of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and n-terminal pro BNP (nt-proBNP) as markers for the diagnosis, severity and prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure has been called a true breakthrough for patients and physicians faced with this disorder. Moreover, the literature on their prognostic value in other clinical conditions like acute coronary syndromes, right-sided heart failure and even in the general population is rapidly growing. This review aims to sort out the current evidence on the clinical utility of the natriuretic peptides with a focus on their diagnostic and prognostic values. With respect to their diagnostic properties, the test is best used to rule out heart failure in patients with acute dyspnoe, because low levels of these neurohormones in this clinical context make the presence of heart failure very unlikely. In patients with elevated values of BNP or nt-proBNP, further cardiological assessment is necessary, as their plasma levels are affected not only by left ventricular function.

Biomarkers↗
PubMed2005

Transient left ventricular apical ballooning mimicking acute coronary syndrome in four patients from central Europe.

The syndrome of "apical ballooning" consists of an acute onset of transient extensive akinesia of the apical portion of the left ventricle, without significant stenosis on the coronary angiogram. The syndrome is accompanied by chest symptoms, electocardiographic changes, and limited release of cardiac markers disproportionate to the extent of akinesia. So far, the vast majority of cases with this syndrome have been reported among Japanese population and only a few cases among Caucasian population. We describe "apical ballooning" in four Caucasian patients, three women and one man, who presented at a tertiary referral center over a period of eight months. Their age ranged between 64 and 84 years. Three of them presented with chest symptoms. All four patients had electrocardiographic changes and increased concentration of troponin T. One patient developed hemodynamic instability, but none died or showed recurrence of symptoms during the follow-up of 1-8 months. In all patients, a preceding triggering factor was identified, such as emotional or physical stress. In all patients left ventriculography showed extensive akinesia of the apex of the left ventricle ("apical ballooning") in the absence of a significant coronary artery stenosis. Left ventricular systolic function recovered completely within three days to three weeks. Emotional or physical stress or other preceding triggering factors might play a key role in this cardiomyopathy, but the precise etiology remains unknown. Despite severe initial presentation, conservative medical management leads to good long term outcome.

Acute Disease↗