Percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy in high-risk ICU patients.

Background: Percutaneous dilatational tracheotomy (PDT) has become an established procedure in intensive care units (ICU). However, the safety of this method has been under debate given the growing number of critically ill patients with high bleeding risk receiving anticoagulation, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) or even a combination of both, i.e.

Early Bronchoscopy Improves Extubation Rates after Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Background: Patients suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) frequently receive a bronchoscopy after being admitted to the ICU. We investigated the optimal timing and the outcome in these patients.

Methods: All patients who suffered from OHCA and were treated in our ICU from January 2013 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.

Clinical and microbiological features and outcomes of mucormycosis in critically ill patients.

Introduction: Mucormycosis is a rare invasive fungal infection with high mortality in patients with severe underlying predisposing factors causing immunosuppression. The exact incidence of mucormycosis and the optimal therapeutic approach is difficult to determine, especially in severe cases, due to the rarity of the disease. The new second-generation triazole isavuconazole provides an alternative treatment option which may represent a potential benefit in severe cases.

Efficacy and Safety of Revacept, a Novel Lesion-Directed Competitive Antagonist to Platelet Glycoprotein VI, in Patients Undergoing Elective Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Stable Ischemic Heart Disease: The Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled ISAR-PLASTER Phase 2 Trial.

Importance: The assessment of new antithrombotic agents with a favorable safety profile is clinically relevant.

Objective: To test the efficacy and safety of revacept, a novel, lesion-directed antithrombotic drug, acting as a competitive antagonist to platelet glycoprotein VI.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A phase 2 randomized clinical trial; patients were enrolled from 9 centers in Germany from November 20, 2017, to February 27, 2020; follow-up ended on March 27, 2020.

Prediction of outcome in patients with ARDS: A prospective cohort study comparing ARDS-definitions and other ARDS-associated parameters, ratios and scores at intubation and over time.

Background: Early recognition of high-risk-patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) might improve their outcome by less protracted allocation to intensified therapy including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Among numerous predictors and classifications, the American European Consensus Conferenece (AECC)- and Berlin-definitions as well as the oxygenation index (OI) and the Murray-/Lung Injury Score are the most common. Most studies compared the prediction of mortality by these parameters on the day of intubation and/or diagnosis of ARDS.

Predicting factors for long-term survival in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest - A propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with acute coronary syndromes accounting for most of the cases. While the benefit of early revascularization has been clearly demonstrated in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), diagnostic pathways remain unclear in the absence of STEMI. We aimed to characterize OHCA patients presenting to 2 tertiary cardiology centers and identify predicting factors associated with survival.

Ticagrelor or Prasugrel in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes.

Background: The relative merits of ticagrelor as compared with prasugrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes for whom invasive evaluation is planned are uncertain.

Methods: In this multicenter, randomized, open-label trial, we randomly assigned patients who presented with acute coronary syndromes and for whom invasive evaluation was planned to receive either ticagrelor or prasugrel. The primary end point was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke at 1 year.

Proteomics of tear fluid in thyroid-associated orbitopathy.

Background: Proteomics and mass spectrometry are useful tools for peptide screening in body fluids. In thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO), evidence for lacrimal gland involvement with altered composition of tears has been reported. Our objective was to detect and evaluate potential changes in the proteomic patterns of tear fluid in TAO.

Dual thienopyridine low-response to clopidogrel and prasugrel in a patient with STEMI, cardiogenic shock and early stent thrombosis is overcome by ticagrelor.

Little is known about the antiplatelet action of the thienopyridines, clopidogrel and prasugrel, as well as the non-thienopyridine, ticagrelor, in patients suffering from ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock since systematic comparisons of these antiplatelet agents in this devastating condition are limited so far. This is a report of a patient with STEMI undergoing urgent PCI in cardiogenic shock followed by repeated angioplasty after suffering early stent thrombosis (ST) who showed dual thienopyridine treatment failure of clopidogrel and prasugrel, which was successfully overcome by switching the patient to the non-thienopyridine derivative ticagrelor.

Platelet dysfunction and inhibition of multiple electrode platelet aggregometry caused by penicillin.

Beta-lactam antibiotics, e.g. penicillin, may inhibit platelet function and lead to reduced response in light transmission aggregometry and adhesion.