Gender and career in cardiology-a cross-sectional study.

Background: The proportion of women as leading physicians in cardiology in university medicine has stagnated and the share of women in senior positions in cardiology is low compared with other medical specialist fields. Here, we analyze the typical barriers for women as doctors in cardiology and point to issues that make the discipline less attractive for both genders.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, a standardized online questionnaire was sent to 3873 members of the German Cardiac Society (DGK).

Real-world outcomes of endovascular treatment in a non-selected population with peripheral artery disease - prospective study with 2-year follow-up.

The study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in lower-extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients. A multi-centre, observational study was performed with 32 German and Austrian centres contributing data to the PTA registry. Data of 1,781 patients with lower-leg and pelvic PAD who were suitable for endovascular PTA treatment were contributed from participating centres.

German multicenter real-world registry of stenting for superficial femoral artery disease: clinical results and predictive factors for revascularization.

Purpose: To investigate nitinol stent treatment of superficial femoral artery (SFA) lesions and the impact of different risk factors on the need for clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) in a large, real-world population of claudicants.

Methods: Patients presenting with symptomatic SFA stenosis >70% were consecutively enrolled in the 13-center MARIS prospective registry (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01067885).

PEACE I all-comers registry: patency evaluation after implantation of the 4-French Pulsar-18 self-expanding nitinol stent in femoropopliteal lesions.

Purpose: To evaluate the 1-year patency of the 4-F Pulsar-18 self-expanding nitinol stent for treatment of femoropopliteal occlusive disease in a national, prospective, multicenter, all-comers registry.

Methods: Between January and June 2012, the German PEACE I all-comers prospective registry enrolled 148 patients with symptomatic femoropopliteal lesions (Rutherford category 2-5) undergoing recanalization and implantation of the Pulsar-18 SE nitinol stent at 6 clinical centers. Thirty patients did not have the 12-month follow-up visit (18 declined reevaluation, 5 withdrew consent, and 7 died), leaving 118 patients (64 men; mean 71.