Best supportive care and therapeutic plasma exchange with or without eculizumab in Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli O104:H4 induced haemolytic-uraemic syndrome: an analysis of the German STEC-HUS registry.

Background: May 22nd marks the beginning of a Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O104:H4 outbreak in Northern Germany. By its end on 27 July, it had claimed 53 deaths among 2987 STEC and 855 confirmed haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) cases.

Methods: To describe short-term effectiveness of best supportive care (BSC), therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and TPE with eculizumab (TPE-Ecu) in 631 patients with suspected HUS treated in 84 hospitals in Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands using the web-based registry of the DGfN (online since 27 May).

Prognostic value of troponin T, troponin I, and CK-MBmass in patients with chronic renal failure.

Background: In patients with chronic renal failure undergoing long-term hemodialysis, ischemic heart disease accounts for up to 50% of mortality. Cardiac troponins T (TnT) and I (TnI) are frequently elevated in this patient group, but data on the prognostic relevance of these markers, especially TnI, are controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic power of a new, sensitive TnI assay in comparison with TnT and other cardiac markers.