Publications by authors named "Robert H. G. Schwinger"

Article Synopsis
  • * Women with HF-CS tend to be older, have fewer prior heart issues, and lower rates of severe heart dysfunction compared to men, yet both genders received similar treatments.
  • * Despite ranking equally in treatment use, the 30-day mortality rates were also comparable between sexes (around 53% for women and 51% for men), suggesting the need for further investigation into sex-specific treatment strategies.
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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied the use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in patients with non-ischaemic cardiogenic shock (CS), focusing on how left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) could influence patient outcomes.
  • An analysis of 807 patients showed that while lower LVEF was linked to more severe shock, it didn't correlate with overall 30-day mortality risk; however, MCS appeared to reduce mortality in those with severely reduced LVEF (≤20%).
  • The study suggests that incorporating LVEF into decision-making for MCS in non-ischaemic CS patients could improve patient outcomes by optimizing the benefit-risk ratio.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to compare clinical characteristics and 30-day mortality rates between patients with de novo heart failure-related cardiogenic shock (HF-CS) and those with acute-on-chronic HF-CS, finding significant differences in outcomes.
  • - An analysis of 1,030 patients revealed that while traditional markers of severity were similar, acute-on-chronic HF-CS was linked to higher mortality rates (55.9% vs. 45.5%) and greater severity of shock.
  • - The results suggest that the chronicity of heart failure significantly influences the severity of cardiogenic shock, underlining the need to consider this factor in future clinical trials.
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Article Synopsis
  • VA-ECMO therapy helps patients with cardiogenic shock by restoring circulation but can lead to various complications affecting survival and neurological outcomes.
  • A study analyzed data from 501 patients across 16 centers, revealing that over half experienced complications, especially women, with 40% mortality within 30 days.
  • The findings indicate a need for better identification of patients at risk for complications to improve treatment strategies, as most adverse events correlate with worse prognosis.
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Aims: Despite its high incidence and mortality risk, there is no evidence-based treatment for non-ischaemic cardiogenic shock (CS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of mechanical circulatory support (MCS) for non-ischaemic CS treatment.

Methods And Results: In this multicentre, international, retrospective study, data from 890 patients with non-ischaemic CS, defined as CS due to severe de-novo or acute-on-chronic heart failure with no need for urgent revascularization, treated with or without active MCS, were collected.

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Background: It is currently unclear if active left ventricular (LV) unloading should be used as a primary treatment strategy or as a bailout in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO).

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the association between timing of active LV unloading and implantation of VA-ECMO with outcomes of patients with CS.

Methods: Data from 421 patients with CS treated with VA-ECMO and active LV unloading at 18 tertiary care centers in 4 countries were analyzed.

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Neuroendocrine tumors can lead to carcinoid heart disease with subsequent development of severe tricuspid regurgitation due to thickening and restriction of the tricuspid leaflets. We present a patient who underwent successful heterotopic transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement for torrential tricuspid regurgitation due to carcinoid heart disease. ().

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Background: There is evidence that repetitive administration of levosimendan can improve outcome in chronic heart failure patients.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the effect of therapy with levosimendan (LEV) additional to standard medical care in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HFrEF = heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) on NYHA class, NT-proBNP values, ejection fraction (EF) and body weight.

Patients And Methods: 178 participating patients (125 male, 53 female; mean age of 73 ± 13 years) were grouped according to whether LEV was given once (group 1) or repetitively (group 2).

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Pathophysiology of heart failure.

Cardiovasc Diagn Ther

February 2021

Heart failure is an epidemic disease which affects about 1% to 2% of the population worldwide. Both, the etiology and phenotype of heart failure differ largely. Following a cardiac injury (e.

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