Outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest after fibrinolysis with reteplase in comparison to the return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest score in a geographic region without emergency coronary intervention.

Coronary occlusion and pulmonary embolism are responsible for the majority of cases of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Despite previous favourable results of pre-hospital fibrinolysis in cases of OHCA, the benefit could not be confirmed in a large controlled study using the fibrinolytic tenecteplase. For reteplase (r-PA), there are hardly any data regarding pre-hospital fibrinolysis during ongoing resuscitation.

Prostaglandin E1 testing in heart failure-associated pulmonary hypertension enables transplantation: the PROPHET study.

Background: Elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) is relevant to prognosis of congestive heart failure and heart transplantation. Proof of reversibility by pharmacologic testing in potential transplantation candidates is important because it indicates a reduced probability of right ventricular failure or death in the early post-transplant period. This study aimed to clarify the possible extent of acute reversibility of elevated PVR in a large, consecutive cohort of heart transplant candidates.

Reduction of cyclosporine after introduction of mycophenolate mofetil improves chronic renal dysfunction in heart transplant recipients--the IMPROVED multi-centre study.

Aims: This comparative prospective multi-centre study evaluated efficacy and safety of cyclosporine A downtitration in heart transplant recipients with chronic renal dysfunction potentially attributable to cyclosporine (n=161).

Methods: In the intervention arm (n=109, recruited from 9 centres), mycophenolate mofetil was introduced de novo or substituting azathioprine, followed by cyclosporine reduction (target trough levels 2-4 microg/ml and 50 ng/ml, respectively). In controls (n=52, recruited from 1 centre), immunosuppression remained unchanged.