[Chronic pain. Overview of out-patient pain treatment in Austria].

Background: Chronic pain is a widespread social problem. This paper reports on the care situation for patients with chronic pain in out-patient community settings in Austria.

Materials And Methods: The study took the form of a telephone survey together with internet research.

Tako-Tsubo syndrome: an important differential diagnosis in patients with acute chest pain.

Background: The syndrome of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by the occurrence of acute chest pain, electrocardiographic signs of ischemia, and transient balloon-like abnormalities in cardiac wall motion mostly involving the left ventricular apex. Significant obstructive coronary artery disease is absent. Owing to its clinical and imaging characteristics, TTC is frequently misdiagnosed as an acute coronary syndrome.

Feasibility and accuracy of transthoracic Doppler echocardiographic estimation of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure applying different methods.

Background: Pulmonary wedge pressure (PWP) is an established index of cardiac function and an essential component in the management of patients with congestive heart failure and in critically ill patients.

Aim: To evaluate feasibility and accuracy of non-invasive prediction of PWP by Doppler echocardiography in daily clinical practice.

Methods: Agreement was assessed between values predicted by Doppler vs.

Prospective comparison of flecainide versus sotalol for immediate cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.

This study sought to compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous flecainide and sotalol for immediate cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. We performed a prospective, randomized, single-blind, multicenter trial, including 106 hemodynamically stable patients with atrial fibrillation, stratified according to duration of the arrhythmia. Exclusion criteria included severely reduced left ventricular systolic function, recent antiarrhythmic therapy, and hypokalemia.

[Primary angioplasty in acute myocardial infarct].

We report our experience with primary angioplasty (PPTCA) in acute myocardial infarction performed without prior thrombolytic therapy. Between January 1991 and April 1993, 44 patients underwent PPTCA. Duration of symptoms was 163 +/ 106 min; age range of patients was 30 to 89 years (mean 60.