Pretreatment With Unfractionated Heparin in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction—A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Background: Patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are often pretreated with unfractionated heparin (UFH) before a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). UFH pretreatment is intended to lessen the thrombotic burden, but there have been conflicting study findings on its safety and efficacy. We assessed the risks and benefits of UFH pretreatment with a retrospective analysis of registry data from the STEMI network of a German metropolitan region.

New categorization of chest pain: noncardiac is in, atypical is out!

Chest pain poses a diagnostic challenge in the emergency department and requires a thorough clinical assessment. The traditional distinction between "atypical" and "typical" chest pain carries the risk of not addressing nonischemic clinical pictures. The newly conceived subdivision into cardiac, possibly cardiac, and (probably) noncardiac causes of the presenting symptom complex addresses a much more interdisciplinary approach to a symptom-oriented diagnostic algorithm.

A nationwide analysis of reperfusion therapies for pulmonary embolism in older patients with frailty.

Background: Reperfusion therapy is challenging in the elderly. Catheter-directed therapies are an alternative for higher-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) patients if systemic thrombolysis (ST) is contraindicated or has failed. Their safety has not been evaluated in specific vulnerable populations.

Healthcare resource utilization and costs of cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Germany - results of a claims database study.

Objectives: We assessed healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs of cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in Germany.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched case-control study based on German claims data from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2017 using the "Institute for Applied Health Research Berlin" (InGef) Research Database. Cases who had a myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and angina pectoris identified by ICD-10-GM codes between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2016 were matched to event-free controls by an exact matching approach without replacement at a ratio of 1:2.

Pulmonary embolism response team (PERT) implementation and its clinical value across countries: a scoping review and meta-analysis.

Background: Over the last years, multidisciplinary pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs) have emerged to encounter the increasing variety and complexity in the management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). We aimed to systematically investigate the composition and added clinical value of PERTs.

Methods: We searched PubMed, CENTRAL and Web of Science until January 2022 for articles designed to describe the structure and function of PERTs.

Epidemiology, monitoring, and treatment strategy in cardiogenic shock. A multinational cross-sectional survey of ESC-acute cardiovascular care association research section.

Aims: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition burdened by mortality in up to 50% of cases. Few recommendations exist with intermediate-low level of evidence on CS management and no data on adherence across centres exist. We performed a survey to frame CS management at multinational level.

Clinical analysis on diagnostic accuracy of Bosch Vivalytic SARS-CoV-2 point-of-care test and evaluation of cycle threshold at admission for COVID-19 risk assessment.

Background: Point-of-care (POC) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have the ability to improve testing efficiency in the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, real-world data on POC tests is scarce.

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) POC test in a clinical setting and examine the prognostic value of cycle threshold (CT) on admission on the length of hospital stay (LOS) in COVID-19 patients.