Publications by authors named "Urs Jeker"
Article Synopsis
- Smokers scheduled for surgery represent a unique opportunity for smoking cessation interventions, as they are motivated to quit and may experience fewer postoperative complications, leading to lower costs.
- A study is being conducted to analyze the effects of a high-intensity preoperative smoking cessation program on surgical outcomes, comparing patients receiving this intervention to those who only receive standard care.
- The trial aims to enroll 251 patients and will assess complications and various secondary outcomes like hospital stay length and quality of life within 90 days post-surgery.
Aim: Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is an intensively studied biomarker at the crossroads of cardiovascular disease, heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease. Independent associations between increasing FGF23 levels and cardiovascular events were found in many, but not all studies. By analysing data from the TIME-CHF cohort, we sought to investigate the prognostic value of FGF23 in an elderly, multimorbid HF patient cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is little information regarding the prognostic role of resting heart rate (HR) in older compared with younger patients with chronic heart failure (HF).
Methods And Results: In patients enrolled in the Trial of Intensified Medical Therapy in Elderly Patients With Congestive Heart Failure (TIME-CHF) with sinus rhythm, effects of baseline HR (≥70 vs <70 beats/min [bpm]) on 18-month outcomes were compared between older (≥75 years; n = 186) and younger (<75 years; n = 141) patients. Older patients with lower (61 ± 6 bpm) and higher (83 ± 9 bpm) HR had similar left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and survival and HF hospitalization-free survival.
Aims: Elderly heart failure (HF) patients are assumed to prefer improved quality of life over longevity, but sufficient data are lacking. Therefore, we assessed the willingness to trade survival time for quality-of-life (QoL) and the preferences for resuscitation.
Methods And Results: At baseline and after 12 and 18 months, 622 HF patients aged ≥60 years (77 ± 8 years, 74% NYHA-class ≥III) participating in the Trial of Intensified vs.
Background: Contemporary heart failure (HF) patients are elderly and have a high rate of early rehospitalization or death, resulting in a high burden for both the patients and the health care system. Prior studies were focused on younger and less well-characterized patients. We aimed to identify predictors of early hospital readmission and death in elderly patients with HF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: It is uncertain whether intensified heart failure therapy guided by N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is superior to symptom-guided therapy.
Objective: To compare 18-month outcomes of N-terminal BNP-guided vs symptom-guided heart failure therapy.
Design, Setting, And Patients: Randomized controlled multicenter Trial of Intensified vs Standard Medical Therapy in Elderly Patients With Congestive Heart Failure (TIME-CHF) of 499 patients aged 60 years or older with systolic heart failure (ejection fraction < or = 45%), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class of II or greater, prior hospitalization for heart failure within 1 year, and N-terminal BNP level of 2 or more times the upper limit of normal.
Questions Under Study: Many patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), risk factors for stroke and no obvious contraindications do not receive oral anticoagulation. Estimations of the increased rate of stroke due to neglected anticoagulation, particularly in an elderly, non-selected population, are unknown.
Methods: Consecutive patients with paroxysmal or permanent atrial fibrillation admitted to the medical or surgical department of our hospital for any reason were studied.