An Observational Study Assessing Changes in Health and Functional Status in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) During Therapy with Spiolto Respimat in Everyday Clinical Practice: The Greek ELLACTO Study.

Introduction: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often report deteriorated functional status and poor health-related quality of life, both core aspects of their overall health status. The study objective was to assess tiotropium/olodaterol Respimat effects on health and functional status of COPD patients requiring long-acting dual bronchodilation treatment in the real world.

Methods: ELLACTO was an open-label, observational, prospective study conducted in Greece, measuring changes on health and functional status of COPD patients treated with a fixed dose of tiotropium/olodaterol Respimat for approximately 6 weeks.

Incidence and cost of bleeding events requiring hospitalization in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with acenocoumarol in Greece.

Background: To estimate the incidence of hemorrhagic events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with acenocoumarol, and the management cost of those requiring hospitalization in Greece.

Methods: A nationwide telephone survey was conducted between December 2017 and January 2018, to identify cardiologists who treat AF patients with acenocoumarol. A total of 300 cardiologists were selected and reported the number of AF acenocoumarol-treated patients during the past 12 months and the number of those who experienced a hemorrhagic event.

Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome are at High Risk Prior to the Event and Lipid Management is Underachieved Pre- and Post- Hospitalization.

Background: Current European Guidelines suggest the use of cardiovascular risk categories and also recommend using high-intensity statins for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).

Objective: We examined the risk of ACS patients prior to the event, as well as the overall use and intensity of statins.

Methods: We enrolled 687 ACS patients (mean age 63 years, 78% males).

A contemporary cross-sectional study on dyslipidemia management, cardiovascular risk status, and patients' quality of life in Greece: The CHALLENGE study.

Background: Prior studies conducted in Greece consistently indicate that dyslipidemia is suboptimally managed, while the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and related risk factors is rising.

Methods: CHALLENGE was a multicenter, cross-sectional study carried out following the publication of guidelines advocating stricter low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets. It primarily aimed to depict LDL-C target attainment, and to assess the cardiovascular risk status and quality of life (QoL) of patients treated in a primary or secondary CVD prevention setting who had received any medical intervention for cardiovascular risk modification within 6months of enrollment.

Determination of Death and the Dead Donor Rule: A Survey of the Current Law on Brain Death.

Despite seeming uniformity in the law, end-of-life controversies have highlighted variations among state brain death laws and their interpretation by courts. This article provides a survey of the current legal landscape regarding brain death in the United States, for the purpose of assisting professionals who seek to formulate or assess proposals for changes in current law and hospital policy. As we note, the public is increasingly wary of the role of organ transplantation in determinations of death, and of the variability of brain death diagnosing criteria.

Effects of benchmarking on the quality of type 2 diabetes care: results of the OPTIMISE (Optimal Type 2 Diabetes Management Including Benchmarking and Standard Treatment) study in Greece.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of benchmarking on the quality of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) care in Greece.

Methods: The OPTIMISE (Optimal Type 2 Diabetes Management Including Benchmarking and Standard Treatment) study [ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00681850] was an international multicenter, prospective cohort study.

Glycaemic control, treatment satisfaction and quality of life in type 2 diabetes patients in Greece: The PANORAMA study Greek results.

Aim: To provide an update on glycaemic control in European patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We present the Greek population data of the study.

Methods: An observational multicenter, cross-sectional study evaluating glycaemic control and a range of other clinical and biological measures as well as quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction in 375 patients with T2DM enrolled by 25 primary care sites from Greece.

Prevalence of peripheral arterial disease in subjects at moderate cardiovascular risk: Greek results of the PANDORA study.

Introduction: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a form of atherosclerotic disease that confers a cardiovascular (CV) risk equivalent to that of coronary heart disease. Despite its association with high CV risk, PAD is potentially underdiagnosed. The primary objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic PAD through measurement of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) in subjects at moderate CV risk.

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in Greece: Greek results of the EURIKA study.

Introduction: The EURIKA study was designed to describe the control of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a real-world primary prevention setting in Europe, to estimate residual CVD risk, and to assess physicians' attitudes to and perceptions of risk factor management. The present manuscript reports the EURIKA results from Greece.

Methods: EURIKA was a multinational, cross-sectional study conducted in 12 European countries.

Rationale, design and baseline patient characteristics of the optimal type 2 diabetes management including benchmarking and standard treatment study in Greece.

Aim: To describe baseline data of the optimal type 2 diabetes management including benchmarking and standard treatment (OPTIMISE) study in Greece.

Methods: "Benchmarking" is the process of receiving feedback comparing one's performance with that of others. The OPTIMISE (NCT00681850) study is a multinational, multicenter study assessing, at a primary care level, whether using "benchmarking" can help to improve the quality of patient care, compared with a set of guideline-based reference values ("non-benchmarking").

Short-term outcome and attainment of secondary prevention goals in patients with acute coronary syndrome--results from the countrywide TARGET study.

Background/objectives: Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) continue to pose a significant medical and socioeconomic burden worldwide. Optimal management strategy aims to improve short and long-term outcome. The present study aims to assess short-term outcome of real-world ACS patients and evaluate the achievement rate of secondary prevention goals.

Centralized Pan-European survey on the undertreatment of hypercholesterolemia in patients using lipid lowering drugs--the CEPHEUS-Greece survey.

Surveys evaluating plasma lipid goal attainment in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) show that hypercholesterolemia is inadequately treated. CEPHEUS (CEntralized Pan-European survey on tHE Undertreatment of hypercholeSterolemia)-Greece was part of a European multicenter, cross-sectional survey to evaluate the proportion of patients on lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs) for >or=3 months, without dose modifications for at least 6 weeks, who reach their low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) target. A total of 1321 Greek patients comprised the full analysis set (FAS); 28% were smokers, while 60.