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Biomedical subjects

M Pfisterer

Publications and source records attributed to M Pfisterer.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Long-term follow-up of patients with silent ischemia during exercise radionuclide angiography.

A retrospective 5 year follow-up study was performed in 140 patients with unequivocal ischemia during exercise radionuclide angiography (greater than or equal to 10% decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction or greater than or equal to 5% decrease in ejection fraction together with a distinct regional wall motion abnormality). In 84 patients (60%), ischemia during radionuclide angiography was silent (silent ischemia group), whereas 56 patients experienced angina during the test (symptomatic group). Work load and antianginal medication were similar in both groups. Critical cardiac events (unstable angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac death) occurred in 27% of patients in the silent ischemia group and 16% of those in the symptomatic group (p = NS); however, myocardial infarction or death was more frequent in patients with silent ischemia (22% versus 9%; p less than 0.05). If there was additional exercise-induced ST segment depression, the rate of critical events was further increased (p less than 0.05). The difference in critical cardiac events seemed to be influenced by the higher incidence of revascularization procedures in symptomatic patients, whereas medical therapy had no similar effect. Thus, these findings suggest that patients with documented severe ischemia should undergo left heart catheterization and revascularization irrespective of symptoms to improve their prognosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effect of antiarrhythmic therapy on mortality in survivors of myocardial infarction with asymptomatic complex ventricular arrhythmias: Basel Antiarrhythmic Study of Infarct Survival (BASIS)

In view of the high risk of sudden cardiac death and the prognostic importance of complex ventricular ectopic activity, the effects of prophylactic antiarrhythmic treatment were investigated prospectively in patients with persisting asymptomatic complex arrhythmias after myocardial infarction. End points were total mortality and arrhythmic events (sudden death, sustained ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation). Of 1,220 consecutively screened survivors of myocardial infarction, 312 had Lown class 3 or 4b arrhythmia on 24 h electrocardiographic recordings before hospital discharge and consented to the study. They were randomized to individualized antiarrhythmic treatment (Group 1, n = 100), treatment with low dose amiodarone, 200 mg/day (Group 2, n = 98) or no antiarrhythmic therapy (Group 3 [control group], n = 114). During the 1 year follow-up period, 10 patients in Group 1 died, as did 5 in Group 2 and 15 in Group 3. On the basis of an intention to treat analysis, the probability of survival of patients given amiodarone was significantly greater than that of control patients (p less than 0.05). In addition, arrhythmic events were significantly reduced by amiodarone (p less than 0.01). These effects were less marked and not significant for individually treated patients (Group 1). These findings suggest that low dose amiodarone decreases mortality in the 1st year after myocardial infarction in patients at high risk of sudden death.

Amiodarone↗
PubMed1990

Simultaneous vaccination for hepatitis A and B.

Seronegative volunteers (15) were vaccinated at three 1-month intervals with a combined hepatitis A and B vaccine. The vaccine contained a killed hepatitis A vaccine made from hepatitis A virus (HAV) propagated in diploid human fibroblast cell cultures and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) produced in yeast. After only one injection, all volunteers developed neutralizing antibodies for HAV with antibody titers comparable to those found after gamma globulin administration. Compared with the antibody titers in sera of volunteers vaccinated with HAV vaccine alone, the antibody titers against HAV were significantly higher in the sera of the volunteers simultaneously vaccinated against hepatitis B virus (HBV) after three vaccinations. Of 15 volunteers, 14 seroconverted against HBV after three injections. In 11 volunteers tested 48 weeks after vaccination, antibody titers against HAV and HBV remained high.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Cardiac evaluation of candidates for kidney transplantation: value of exercise radionuclide angiocardiography.

In view of the high incidence and mortality of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with kidney transplantation, a systematic cardiac evaluation was prospectively performed in 103 uraemic patients eligible for transplantation. After clinical examination, 28 patients with symptoms of CAD or diabetes mellitus were referred directly for coronary angiography, whereas the remaining 75 patients had rest and exercise radionuclide angiocardiography for evaluation of possible asymptomatic CAD. Among them, left ventricular ejection fraction was below 40% at rest or fell during exercise by at least 5 EF% in 12 patients; coronary angiography in nine showed CAD in four and hypertensive heart disease in five. In the remaining 63 (of 75) patients without severe resting left ventricular dysfunction or exercise ischaemia, the follow-up of 28 +/- 7 months revealed no clinical manifestation of CAD. Overall incidence of CAD in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients during a follow-up of 27 months after cardiac evaluation was 20 and 25% in nondiabetic and diabetic candidates for kidney transplantation, respectively (P = n.s.). Thus, clinical examination combined with exercise radionuclide angiocardiography in patients without signs or symptoms of heart disease had a high predictive accuracy for presence or absence of late manifestations of CAD. Exercise radionuclide angiocardiography is therefore a useful method for screening kidney transplantation candidates for asymptomatic CAD.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Diagnostic value of CK-MB for the determination of perioperative infarct in coronary artery bypass operation].

To assess the diagnostic value of CK-MB determinations after CABG surgery to detect or exclude perioperative myocardial infarction, 228 consecutive patients were studied with serial ECGs, as well as pre- and postoperative left heart catheterization and thallium-201-scintigraphy. CK-MB values above or below 100 U/l had a sensitivity and specificity of 73% each. There was a linear correlation between CK-MB values and total ischemic time. Thus, an increasing amount of myocardium is lost with each additional minute of ischemia despite today's methods of myocardial protection. Due to its low diagnostic accuracy CK-MB seems not to be very helpful for the diagnosis of perioperative myocardial infarction.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[The long-term management of heart transplant patients].

The long-term care of patients following heart transplantation is characterized by the problems associated with long-term immunosuppression. In addition, a specific form of coronary atherosclerosis develops within years in many patients requiring coronary angiography on a yearly basis. The examination of patients after heart transplantation does not reveal characteristic findings, as long as the transplanted heart functions properly and a normally functioning graft allows a functionally almost normal life. The dependence on a specialized center, which may be more or less depending on the clinical course, and the ever present knowledge of the potentially lethal consequences of a graft failure present a severe psychic stress to the patient. This stress is handled more or less well and requires special attention by the treating physicians and, ideally, an intact social environment. The care of patients in a center close to their place of living is less time consuming for the patient and relieves the burden of the transplanting center.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1990

[Nalbuphine and piritramid in the postoperative phase in young children. 1. General condition].

The influence of piritramide and nalbuphine versus placebo on the postoperative comfort of 54 children of ASA-group I and II in the age between 1 and 4 years was tested in a randomized double blind trial using the comfort/discomfort scale according to Büttner et al. METHODS. Operations, premedication and anesthesia were standardized. The patients were premedicated with midazolam 0.5 mg/kg rectally and a subsequent i.m. injection of ketamine 2.0 mg/kg with atropine 0.01 mg/kg. Anesthesia was induced and maintained by inhalation of oxygen/nitrous oxide and halothane (FiO2 = 0.3). All children were intubated and ventilation was controlled during the operation. After the operation, while in steady-state anesthesia with 0.5 vol% halothane and during spontaneous respiration the children received either piritramide (n = 17) or nalbuphine (n = 20) at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, or placebo (n = 17) i.v. Respiratory and circulatory parameters were recorded for 15 min before the end of anesthesia. At 5 min after halothane had been discontinued the first measurement of the children's behavior was started, with 4 subsequent measurements at fixed time intervals of 15 min. The measuring system included the following 6 scaled items: wake-up reaction, methodical defense against stimuli, crying, facial expression, posture of the torso, posture of the legs. In addition, the waking state was scored at the same time intervals as awake, arousable, or not arousable. During the 1-h observation period all children who seemed to feel uncomfortable received midazolam i.v. at a maximal dose of 2 mg. Up to 24 h the required supplemental analgesics were noted, as were episodes of psychomotor agitation and vomiting. Written consent was obtained from the ethical committee and the children's parents. The results were tested in a 2-factorial analysis of variance (treatment factor: drugs; within-subject factor; repeated measurements). RESULTS. The 3 groups were considered to be comparable in terms of age, body weight, kind and duration of operation and circulatory values. The use of supplementary analgesics showed a significant effect in the treatment factor and in the within-subject factor: during the 1-h observation period the placebo group received midazolam significantly more often (64.7%) than the piritramide group (5.9%) or the nalbuphine group (35%). During the following 7 h 29.4% of the children of the placebo group required supplementary analgesics (piritramide: 23.5%; nalbuphine: 20%). Subsequently up to the 24th postoperative hour there was no need for any analgesic in the placebo group, whereas 11.8% of the piritramide group and 15% of the nalbuphine group required analgesics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1990

Radionuclide studies in the evaluation of ischemic heart disease.

In recent years, radionuclide studies have gained an important place in the evaluation of ischemic heart disease, be it as diagnostic procedures, as predictors of prognosis or for evaluation of therapy. For diagnostic purposes, myocardial perfusion studies using thallium-201 or newer technetium-99m bound perfusion agents have been used as well as radionuclide angiocardiography both at rest and during exercise/stress. Used in a Bayesian approach, these methods yield the highest diagnostic accuracy in patients with a 30% to 70% pre-test likelihood of disease, i.e. in the clinically difficult patients with atypical chest pain and/or non-specific ECG changes. In addition, scintigraphic studies have proved valuable in the setting of silent ischemia and acute myocardial infarction. These methods provide not only a yes/no answer to our diagnostic questions but allow one to assess severity, extent and localization of coronary artery disease. Portable devices are now being constructed which allow continuous ambulatory monitoring of left ventricular function by scintigraphic techniques.

Coronary Disease↗
PubMed1990

[Pharmacokinetic studies of a new 20% fat emulsion containing 70% medium-chain triglycerides].

The aim of the study was to acquire basic knowledge on pharmacokinetic, metabolism and tolerance of a new 20% fatty emulsion with a 70% proportion of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) and a 30% proportion of long-chain triglycerides (LCT) in the postoperative phase after a trauma of medium severity. - 12 female patients who had an elective rectal amputation and who needed parenteral nutrition postoperatively, were studied. The nutritional regime consisted of 4.8 g/kg/day of glucose and 1 g/kg/day of amino acids. On the second postoperative day the patients were given 0.06 g/kg body weight/h and on the third day 0.12 g/kg body weight/h of new 20% fatty emulsion during a time period of eight hours. Blood samples for the evaluation of triglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, beta-hydroxybutyrate (beta-OHB), acetoacetate, cholesterol, glucose, pyruvate and lactate were taken before and after the fat application. Ketone were measured semiquantitatively. Side effects and complications were not observed. Simultaneously to the administrated triglycerides an increase in serum triglycerides was observed. After four hours fat emulsion was infused under steady state conditions. Under the graphically measured half-life of 17 minutes for the MCT/LCT emulsion, rapid and complete elimination could be seen after the infusion had been stopped. Simultaneously with the high clearance of the infused triglycerides, free fatty acids increased significantly in the plasma without reaching a plateau; 30 minutes after the fat application the laboratory results returned to the initial levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗
PubMed1989

[Pulmonary embolism--preventive measures with special reference to the cava filter].

Preventive measures for pulmonary embolism are prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis and prevention of recurrence. This secondary prevention is mainly based on heparin therapy, but in the event of contraindications, complications or failure of this treatment, as well as in certain special situations, implantation of a vena caval filter is indicated. Indications and methods for inferior vena cava interruption are presented on the basis of a literature review and compared with personal experience of 24 patients. This demonstrates that the newer types of caval filters are easily implanted, disturb blood flow of the inferior vena cava only to a very small degree and are effective in preventing recurrence. Hence earlier reservations about the use of these devices are no longer justified.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[How long should antithrombotic therapy be continued following aortocoronary bypass surgery?].

In a prospective randomized trial the effect of prolonged antithrombotic treatment with anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs (50 mg aspirin + 400 mg dipyridamole daily) on late bypass-graft occlusion was studied. After 3 months active treatment was replaced by placebo in half of the patients. Between the angiographic checkups 2 weeks and 12 months postoperatively, 28/330 (8%) new graft occlusions had occurred on continued therapy, versus 44/319 (14%) on placebo (p = 0.03). This difference was most pronounced in individual grafts (6% vs 12%, p = 0.01), so that fewer patients with 12 months' active therapy had at least one occluded graft (22% versus 32%, p = 0.08). These findings suggest that antithrombotic treatment should not be halted 3 months after CABG surgery but should be continued for at least one year and possibly longer.

4-Hydroxycoumarins↗
PubMed1989

[Emergency coronary dilatation in acute myocardial infarct with contraindications to thrombolytic therapy: salvage of the myocardium by early intervention].

In 1986/87, emergency-PTCA in acute myocardial infarction was performed in 13 patients in whom thrombolysis was contraindicated. All infarct-related arteries could be opened with PTCA. Patency rate after one week was 94%. Reopening of the vessel resulted in immediate cessation of ischemic chest pain and in stable cardiac rhythm and hemodynamics. Prior cardiopulmonary resuscitation and/or cardiogenic shock did not influence short- or longterm outcome. In nine of eleven patients an improvement of left ventricular function was found after four to six months as compared to one to four weeks after PTCA. The functional result proved to be better if PTCA was performed early; PTCA within 90 minutes was associated with normal left ventricular function. Thus, PTCA is feasible as an emergency procedure in patients with acute myocardial infarction and contraindications to thrombolysis. It can salvage myocardium and improve or prevent severe infarct complications when performed early after onset of pain. Rapid hospital admission through the primary care physician importantly influences the outcome for these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

International application of a new probability algorithm for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

A new discriminant function model for estimating probabilities of angiographic coronary disease was tested for reliability and clinical utility in 3 patient test groups. This model, derived from the clinical and noninvasive test results of 303 patients undergoing angiography at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, was applied to a group of 425 patients undergoing angiography at the Hungarian Institute of Cardiology in Budapest, Hungary (disease prevalence 38%); 200 patients undergoing angiography at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Long Beach, California (disease prevalence 75%); and 143 such patients from the University Hospitals in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland (disease prevalence 84%). The probabilities that resulted from the application of the Cleveland algorithm were compared with those derived by applying a Bayesian algorithm derived from published medical studies called CADENZA to the same 3 patient test groups. Both algorithms overpredicted the probability of disease at the Hungarian and American centers. Overprediction was more pronounced with the use of CADENZA (average overestimation 16 vs 10% and 11 vs 5%, p less than 0.001). In the Swiss group, the discriminant function underestimated (by 7%) and CADENZA slightly overestimated (by 2%) disease probability. Clinical utility, assessed as the percentage of patients correctly classified, was modestly superior for the new discriminant function as compared with CADENZA in the Hungarian group and similar in the American and Swiss groups. It was concluded that coronary disease probabilities derived from discriminant functions are reliable and clinically useful when applied to patients with chest pain syndromes and intermediate disease prevalence.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1989

Trial of low-dose aspirin plus dipyridamole versus anticoagulants for prevention of aortocoronary vein graft occlusion.

In a prospective randomised trial, 249 patients who had aortocoronary vein bypass surgery were assigned either to a platelet inhibitory drug regimen or to standard anticoagulant therapy. Treatment was replaced by placebo in half of the patients in each group after 3 months. The platelet inhibitory drug regimen--very low-dose aspirin combined with dipyridamole--was as effective as standard anticoagulant therapy to prevent early and late graft occlusion. Death, myocardial infarction, and severe bleeding occurred significantly more often in patients receiving anticoagulants, whereas mild drug-related gastrointestinal and cerebral side-effects were more common in patients taking platelet inhibitory drugs. Antithrombotic treatment should be continued for at least 1 year after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

4-Hydroxycoumarins↗
PubMed1989

Immunogenicity of a killed hepatitis A vaccine in seronegative volunteers.

32 volunteers who lacked antibody to hepatitis A virus (HAV) received, at intervals of one month, three injections of a killed vaccine made from HAV propagated in diploid human fibroblast cell cultures. In 16 the vaccine was coupled with aluminium hydroxide as adjuvant. The serconversion rates measured by radioimmunoassay, with and without adjuvant respectively, were 13% and 25% at four weeks, 81% and 89% at eight weeks, and 94% and 100% at twelve weeks. Four weeks after the third injection all volunteers had high neutralising antibody titres. Twelve weeks later the titres of anti-HAV and anti-HAV neutralising antibodies had not declined.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

[The treatment of an embolized central venous catheter].

The frequent use of central venous catheters for pressure monitoring or long-term administration of fluids can in rare cases lead to embolization of catheter fragments. In view of the potential complications, extractions, extraction is mandatory. The fragments may be removed by use of a loop snare, a helical basket or a myocardial biopsy catheter. The specific approach is described.

Catheterization, Central Venous↗
PubMed1989

[Protein oriented peripheral venous nutrition following surgical trauma].

In the postoperative state, hypercaloric parenteral nutrition is not indicated in every patient where enteral nutrition is not feasible. Low caloric protein oriented peripheral venous parenteral feeding might be an alternative nutritional regimen in moderate catabolic postoperative states. In a prospective study, 18 females received a completed nutritional solution during 4 days postoperatively following major colon surgery. The solution contained 80 g Sorbitol, 40 g Xylitol, 70 g amino acids and electrolytes (700 kcal/day). A slightly negative nitrogen balance with daily losses of about 4 g of N were observed. Routine biochemical data did not change compared to preoperative values. Plasma free amino acid homeostasis has been maintained so that conditions for optimal utilisation of the infused nutrients were given. No general side effects could be observed. This protein oriented nutritional solution may be recommended for hypocaloric peripheral venous nutrition in moderate catabolic states.

Amino Acids↗