[A young woman with fulminant pulmonary embolism].

We describe the case of a 24-year-old woman who was admitted to the emergency department with dyspnea and sinus tachycardia. The suspected diagnosis of pulmonary embolism was confirmed by computed tomography (CT) scan. The patient lost consciousness soon afterwards and was found to be pulseless.

N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide in the management of patients in the medical emergency department (PROMPT): correlation with disease severity, utilization of hospital resources, and prognosis in a large, prospective, randomized multicentre trial.

Aims: N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a potent marker of heart failure and other cardiac diseases. The value of NT-proBNP testing in the medical emergency department (ED) was assessed in patients >65 years old.

Methods And Results: This large, prospective, randomized, controlled, multicentre trial was conducted in six medical EDs.

Short- and long-term outcome after carotid artery stenting with neuroprotection: single-center experience within a prospective registry.

Background: Carotid artery stenting is an alternative method to surgical endarterectomy for treatment of carotid artery stenosis.

Methods And Results: Three hundred and seventy-one consecutive patients (71+/-9 years) undergoing 405 carotid artery interventions at a single cardiologic center were studied prospectively within a therapy registry. In general, the interventional procedure was performed using neuroprotective devices to prevent distal embolization.

Selenium in Intensive Care (SIC): results of a prospective randomized, placebo-controlled, multiple-center study in patients with severe systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, and septic shock.

Objective: Sepsis is associated with an increase in reactive oxygen species and low endogenous antioxidative capacity. We postulated that high-dose supplementation of sodium-selenite would improve the outcome of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock.

Design: Prospective randomized, placebo-controlled, multiple-center trial.

Assessment of cardiac allograft vasculopathy late after heart transplantation: when is coronary angiography necessary?

Background: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) represents a major prognostic factor in long-term survivors of heart transplantation (HTx). Reliable diagnosis of CAV late after HTx is important but remains the domain of invasive techniques such as coronary angiography.

Methods: To test alternative approaches, 54 consecutive HTx recipients (mean time since HTx: 52 months) were studied with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), angiography, dobutamine stress echocardiography and immunofluorescence staining against anti-thrombin III (AT-III) in endomyocardial biopsies.