Prevalence of atrial fibrillation in patients with high CHADS2- and CHA2DS2VASc-scores: anticoagulate or monitor high-risk patients?

Background: In patients with known atrial fibrillation (AF) different scores are utilized to estimate the risk of thromboembolic events and guide oral anticoagulation. Diagnosis of AF strongly depends on the duration of electrocardiogram monitoring. The aim of this study was to use established scores to predict the prevalence of AF.

Cellular immunity and active human cytomegalovirus infection in patients with septic shock.

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important opportunistic pathogen after transplantations. In the present study, monitoring of CMV in patients with septic shock was used to discover whether T helper cell type 1 (Th1) cell and natural killer (NK) cell functions interact with CMV reactivation in patients not undergoing immunosuppressive therapy.

Methods: Thirty-eight patients with septic shock were monitored, and the 23 CMV-seropositive patients were included in this prospective study.

Active cytomegalovirus infection in patients with septic shock.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a pathogen of emerging importance for patients with septic shock. In this prospective study, 25 immunocompetent CMV-seropositive patients with septic shock and an intensive care unit stay of > or =7 days were monitored by using quantitative pp65-antigenemia assay, shell vial culture, and virus isolation. Within 2 weeks, active CMV infection with low-level pp65-antigenemia (median 3 positive/5x10(5) leukocytes) developed in 8 (32%) patients.