Publications by authors named "Marlene Fischer"

Purpose: In patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), adequate oxygenation is crucial to optimize survival and neurological outcome. However, supranormal oxygen partial pressure (PaO) only leads to minor increase in cerebral oxygen delivery but can cause numerous pathophysiological disturbances. Therefore, we aimed to study effects of hyperoxia on patient outcome and identify optimum PaO ranges.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The expanding field of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for non-malignant diseases, including those amenable to gene therapy or gene editing, faces challenges due to limited donor availability and the toxicity associated with cell collection methods. Umbilical cord blood (CB) represents a readily accessible source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs); however, the cell dose obtainable from a single cord blood unit is frequently insufficient. This limitation can be addressed by enhancing the potency of HSPCs, specifically their capacity to reconstitute hematopoiesis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Energy expenditure (EE) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may differ from other intracranial pathologies, such as intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), due to an activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Indirect calorimetry (IC) is recommended, but is not always available. We study EE, catabolism, and metabolic stress in patients with SAH, TBI, ICH, and sepsis as controls.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Endovascular thrombectomy stands as a pivotal component in the standard care for patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Subsequent care for patients often extends to a neurological intensive care unit. While fluid management is integral to intensive care, the association between early fluid balance and neurological and functional outcomes post-thrombectomy has not yet been thoroughly investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: It remains unknown whether there is a causal relationship between intraoperative hypotension and postoperative neurocognitive disorders. We tested the hypothesis that personalised-compared to routine-intraoperative blood pressure management reduces the incidence of postoperative neurocognitive disorders in patients having major noncardiac surgery.

Methods: In this single-centre trial, 328 elective major noncardiac surgery patients were randomly allocated to receive personalised blood pressure management (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To assess the association between fluctuations of arterial carbon dioxide early after start of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) or ischemic stroke (IS).

Materials And Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients who required ECMO for circulatory or respiratory failure between January 2011 and April 2021 and for whom a cerebral computed tomography (cCT) scan was available. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to evaluate the association between the relative change of arterial carbon dioxide (RelΔPaCO) and ICH, IS or a composite of ICH, IS, and mortality.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to investigate the associations between dyscapnia, ventilatory variables, and mortality. We hypothesized that the association between mechanical power or ventilatory ratio and survival is mediated by dyscapnia. Patients with moderate or severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), who received mechanical ventilation within the first 48 h after admission to the intensive care unit for at least 48 h, were included in this retrospective single-center study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) can lead to complications such as acute hydrocephalic congestion. Treatment of this acute condition often includes establishing an external ventricular drainage (EVD). However, chronic hydrocephalus develops in some patients, who then require placement of a permanent ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To date, there is no instrument to adequately assess self-reported quality of recovery (QoR) in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). We previously developed the QoR-PACU, a 13-item questionnaire specifically applicable to the PACU. The feasibility, acceptance, and validity of the QoR-PACU were promising.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Delayed neurocognitive recovery is a common and severe complication after surgery and anesthesia with an adverse impact on daily living, morbidity, and mortality. High cognitive reserve may mitigate the development of delayed neurocognitive recovery, however, supporting data is lacking. We aimed to assess the association between cognitive reserve and delayed neurocognitive recovery in the early postoperative period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Intraoperative impairment of cerebral autoregulation (CA) has been associated with perioperative neurocognitive disorders. We investigated whether intraoperative fluctuations in cardiac index are associated with changes in CA.

Methods: We conducted an integrative explorative secondary analysis of individual-level data from 2 prospective observational studies including patients scheduled for radical prostatectomy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requiring veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (vv-ECMO) are at risk for acute kidney injury (AKI). Currently, the incidence of AKI and progression to kidney replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients with vv-ECMO for severe COVID-19 and implications on outcome are still unclear.

Methods: Retrospective analysis at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany) between March 1st, 2020 and July 31st, 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The fruits of the native tree Cryptocarya alba Mol. (Lauraceae), known as "peumo" were consumed by the Mapuche Amerindians in Chile both raw and after boiling. The aim of this work was to compare the content of phenolic, procyanidins, antioxidant capacity and inhibition of enzymes related with metabolic syndrome (α-glucosidase, α-amylase and pancreatic lipase) from the phenolic enriched extracts (PEEs) of peumo fruits.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the roll-out of vaccines and therapeutic agents, as well as the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants, have shown significant effects on disease severity.

Methods: Patients hospitalized at our center between January 2020 and April 2022 were attributed to subgroups depending on which SARS-CoV-2 variant was predominantly circulating in Germany: (i) Wild-type: January 1, 2020, to March 7, 2021, (ii) Alpha variant: August 3, 2021, to June 27, 2021, (iii) Delta variant: June 28, 2021, to December 26, 2021, and (iv) Omicron variant: December 27, 2021, to April 30, 2022.

Results: Between January 2020 and April 2022, 1500 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections were admitted to the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Patients' perception of postoperative recovery is a key aspect of perioperative care. Self-reported quality of recovery (QoR) has evolved as a relevant endpoint in perioperative research. Several psychometric instruments have been introduced to assess self-reported recovery 24 hours after surgery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

COVID-19-associated ARDS (C-ARDS) is mentioned to express higher analgosedation needs, in comparison to ARDS of other etiologies. The objective of this monocentric retrospective cohort study was to compare the analgosedation needs between C-ARDS and non-COVID-19 ARDS (non-C-ARDS) on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). Data were collected from the electronic medical records of all adult patients treated with C-ARDS in our Department of Intensive Care Medicine between March 2020 and April 2022.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the impact of pre-existing neurological conditions like dementia and cerebrovascular disease on severe outcomes in COVID-19 patients hospitalized in 2022.
  • A total of 1,249 patients were analyzed, revealing low in-hospital mortality (3.8%) and ICU admission rates (9.9%), with no significant increase in risk due to dementia or cerebrovascular disease.
  • However, patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease and a history of myocardial infarction showed a higher likelihood of developing vascular complications after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Unpredictable vegetative deteriorations made the treatment of patients with acute COVID-19 on intensive care unit particularly challenging during the first waves of the pandemic. Clinical correlates of dysautonomia and their impact on the disease course in critically ill COVID-19 patients are unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data collected during a single-center observational study (March 2020-November 2021) which was performed at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, a large tertiary medical center in Germany.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Anesthesia and surgery are associated with cognitive impairment, particularly memory deficits. So far, electroencephalography markers of perioperative memory function remain scarce.

Methods: We included male patients >60 years scheduled for prostatectomy under general anesthesia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Nociception monitoring devices are designed to estimate nociception during general anaesthesia. We evaluated the predictive accuracy of heart rate and three nociception indices to predict postoperative pain before emergence from general anaesthesia.

Methods: In patients undergoing trauma or orthopaedic surgery, HR, Surgical Pleth Index® (SPI), Pupillary Pain Index® (PPI), and Nociception Level® (NOL) were simultaneously recorded for 5 min after the end of surgery but before return of consciousness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study analyzed the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody sotrovimab against the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf from December 2021 to June 2022.
  • Out of 1,254 patients, 185 received sotrovimab, either alone or with remdesivir, but no differences in in-hospital mortality were found between those treated with sotrovimab and those who weren't, even after adjusting for various factors.
  • These results, along with previous findings that sotrovimab has reduced effectiveness against the Omicron variant, indicate that sotrovimab is not a beneficial treatment for hospitalized patients with this infection
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in high hospitalization rates worldwide. Acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 is frequent and associated with disease severity and poor outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and its implication on outcome.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examined the effects of spinal anaesthesia (SPA) vs general anaesthesia (GA) on opioid use and postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing open radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP).
  • It involved 636 patients, comparing their opioid consumption, pain levels, recovery time, and cancer survival rates between the two anaesthesia techniques.
  • Results showed that while the SPA group required slightly more postoperative opioids, there were no significant differences in long-term pain, hospital stays, or cancer-free survival rates between the groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Immunomodulatory therapies have shown beneficial effects in patients with severe COVID-19. Patients with hypercytokinemia might benefit from the removal of inflammatory mediators via hemadsorption.

Methods: Single-center prospective randomized trial at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF