Lipid profile and long-term outcome in premature myocardial infarction.

Background: Premature myocardial infarction (≤40 years) represents a rare disease with a distinct risk factor profile and a lipid phenotype that is characterized by a predominance of elevated triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. So far high-density and low-density lipoproteins remain the primary targets for risk stratification and treatment evaluation in coronary artery disease, but this strategy might be insensitive in patients with premature myocardial infarction.

Aim: Aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of different lipid fractions on long-term cardiovascular outcome in patients with premature myocardial infarction.

In-Hospital Outcome Comparing Bivalirudin to Heparin in Real-World Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Randomized controlled trials have shown conflicting results regarding the outcome of bivalirudin in primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the in-hospital outcomes of patients receiving heparin or bivalirudin in a real-world setting of PPCI: 7,023 consecutive patients enrolled in the Austrian Acute PCI Registry were included between January 2010 and December 2014. Patients were classified according to the peri-interventional anticoagulation regimen receiving heparin (n = 6430) or bivalirudin (n = 593) with or without GpIIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs).

Impact of operator experience and training strategy on procedural outcomes with leadless pacing: Insights from the Micra Transcatheter Pacing Study.

Background: Leadless pacemaker systems have been designed to avoid the need for a pocket and transvenous lead. However, delivery of this therapy requires a new catheter-based procedure. This study evaluates the role of operator experience and different training strategies on procedural outcomes.

Long-term outcome and risk assessment in premature acute myocardial infarction: A 10-year follow-up study.

Background: Premature acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a rare disease carrying significant morbidity and mortality. Existing data on outcome in these patients is based on retrospective analysis of angiographic reports or refer to time periods with incomparable treatment regimes, making them unusable for risk assessment in times of widespread use of reperfusion therapy. Aim of this study was to assess the outcome of premature AMI in a prospectively recruited study population enrolled in the times of modern reperfusion therapy.

Gold-coated pacemaker implantation for a patient with type IV allergy to titanium.

A 65-year-old man was scheduled for pacemaker implantation for symptomatic sick-sinus-syndrome (SSS). He suffered from multiple drug-allergies and allergies to several metals like quicksilver and titanium. Gold-coated pacemaker generators and polyurethane leads are effective in avoiding allergic reactions to pacing system components.

Temporary leadless pacing in a patient with severe device infection.

A 64-year-old patient underwent implantation of a transcatheter pacing systems (TPS) for severe lead endocarditis. The patient experienced fever after a dental procedure. On the transoesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), vegetations were attached to the leads.

Subcutaneous Double "Purse String Suture"-A Safe Method for Femoral Vein Access Site Closure after Leadless Pacemaker Implantation.

Background: Leadless cardiac pacemaker (LCP) requires large-caliber venous sheaths for device placement. Sheath sizes for these procedures vary from 18- to 23-French (F). The most common complications are hematomas, pseudoaneurysms, and arteriovenous fistulas.

Austrian Lipid Consensus on the management of metabolic lipid disorders to prevent vascular complications: A joint position statement issued by eight medical societies. 2016 update.

In 2010, eight Austrian medical societies proposed a joint position statement on the management of metabolic lipid disorders for the prevention of vascular complications. An updated and extended version of these recommendations according to the current literature is presented, referring to the primary and secondary prevention of vascular complications in adults, taking into consideration the guidelines of other societies. The "Austrian Lipid Consensus - 2016 update" provides guidance for individualized risk stratification and respective therapeutic targets, and discusses the evidence for reducing vascular endpoints with available lipid-lowering therapies.

Dawn of a new era: the completely interventionally treated patient.

A frail 75-year-old woman with permanent atrial fibrillation and angina pectoris was admitted to our department for further evaluation. Echocardiography revealed concurrent severe aortic valve stenosis. Furthermore, significant coronary artery stenoses were identified on the coronary angiogram.

Implantation depth measured by 64-slice computed tomography is associated with permanent pacemaker requirement following transcatheter aortic valve implantation with the Core Valve(®) system.

Background: Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are at increased risk for post-interventional conduction disturbances leading to pacemaker (PM) implantation. We analyzed the association between implantation depth within the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT), measured by 64-slice computed tomography (CT), and 'index electrocardiographic (ECG) changes' (new onset atrioventricular-block grade II or III or left bundle branch block with PR interval prolongation >200ms).

Methods: We evaluated patients who underwent TAVI with the Core Valve(®) revalving system (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) for treatment of severe aortic stenosis at our department.

Premature myocardial infarction is strongly associated with increased levels of remnant cholesterol.

Background: Remnant cholesterol has been defined as the cholesterol present in triglyceride-rich remnant lipoproteins. Elevated levels of remnant cholesterol have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in very young individuals (≤40 years) represents a rare disease with a typical risk factor profile and a lipid phenotype that is characterized by a predominance of elevated triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.

Extraction of a trapped pacemaker lead in a pacemaker-dependent patient.

A 47-year-old female with a dual chamber pacemaker was referred to our institution for transvenous lead removal because of suspected pocket infection. The history of this patient started in 2002 with a tricuspid valve endocarditis. Therefore, the patient had tricuspid valve repair that yielded a poor outcome.

Predictors of response to renal denervation for resistant arterial hypertension: a single center experience.

Background: Renal denervation (RDN) has been shown to reduce blood pressure in patients with resistant arterial hypertension (RAH). We aimed to investigate predictors for response to RDN.

Methods: Patients suffering from RAH underwent RDN after exclusion of secondary causes of hypertension.

A Leadless Intracardiac Transcatheter Pacing System.

Background: A leadless intracardiac transcatheter pacing system has been designed to avoid the need for a pacemaker pocket and transvenous lead.

Methods: In a prospective multicenter study without controls, a transcatheter pacemaker was implanted in patients who had guideline-based indications for ventricular pacing. The analysis of the primary end points began when 300 patients reached 6 months of follow-up.

Coronary Pan-Ischemia as a First Sign of a Fulminant Host-Versus-Graft Reaction Eight Years After Orthotopic Heart Transplantation.

Acute graft rejection in patients after heart transplantation can cause arrhythmias and acute angina pectoris with electrocardiographic ST-segment elevation. We report a case of a 53-year old female patient who had undergone cardiac transplantation 8 years previously. She developed bradycardia with co-existent ST-segment elevation caused by a histologically proven acute graft rejection.

CoolLoop® First: A First In Man Study To Test A Novel Circular Cryoablation System In Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation.

Introduction: Pulmonary vein (PV) isolation is the mainstay of catheter treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). The CoolLoop® cryoablation catheter (AFreeze® GmbH; Innsbruck, Austria) was developed to create wide and complete circular lesions around the PVs. In this study we evaluated feasibility and safety of this novel ablation system in humans.

Quantifying synchrony patterns in the EEG of Alzheimer's patients with linear and non-linear connectivity markers.

We analyzed the relation of several synchrony markers in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) severity as measured by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. The study sample consisted of 79 subjects diagnosed with probable AD. All subjects were participants in the PRODEM-Austria study.

Clinical safety of an MRI conditional implantable cardioverter defibrillator system: A prospective Monocenter ICD-Magnetic resonance Imaging feasibility study (MIMI).

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Lumax 740(®) Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) system in patients undergoing a defined 1.5 Tesla (T) MRI.

Materials And Methods: Between November 2013 and April 2014, eighteen patients (age range, 41-78 years; mean age, 64 years) implanted with a Lumax 740(®) ICD system for at least 6 weeks before an MRI were enrolled into this single-center feasibility study.

Clinical Outcome after Colonic Resection in Women with Endometriosis.

Background: In severe forms of endometriosis, the colon or rectum may be involved. This study evaluated the functional results and long-term outcome after laparoscopic colonic resection for endometriosis.

Patients And Methods: Questionnaire survey with 24 women who had experienced typical symptoms, including pelvic pain, infertility, and endometriotic lesions in the bowel and undergone laparoscopic surgery, including low anterior resection, from 2009 to 2012, was conducted.

Trust behavior in Parkinson's disease: results of a trust game experiment.

Background: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor symptoms, but in which behavioral and cognitive disturbances are also common. Trust, due to its pervasiveness in society, has become a major research topic in several scientific disciplines. However, empirical evidence for trust behavior in neurological patients, and specifically for movement disorders such as PD, is missing.

Clinical Usefulness of a Novel Freehand 3D Imaging Device for Radio-Guided Intraoperative Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Malignant Melanoma.

Introduction: Patients with invasive malignant melanoma are commonly referred for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection. A recently proposed 3D tomographic imaging modality is freehand SPECT (declipseSPECT). This "bedside system" was originally developed to enable minimal-invasive image-guided surgery.

Early performance of a miniaturized leadless cardiac pacemaker: the Micra Transcatheter Pacing Study.

Aims: Permanent cardiac pacing is the only effective treatment for symptomatic bradycardia, but complications associated with conventional transvenous pacing systems are commonly related to the pacing lead and pocket. We describe the early performance of a novel self-contained miniaturized pacemaker.

Methods And Results: Patients having Class I or II indication for VVI pacing underwent implantation of a Micra transcatheter pacing system, from the femoral vein and fixated in the right ventricle using four protractible nitinol tines.

Influence of pseudo-resistance on the effect of renal denervation on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure levels.

Background: Renal denervation (RDN) is a promising treatment option in addition to medical antihypertensive treatment in patients suffering from resistant hypertension. Despite the growing interest in RDN, the negative result of the Symplicity HTN-3 trial led to a debate on the efficacy of RDN.

Methods: We systematically investigated the effects of RDN, evaluated by 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM), in a consecutive series of patients with resistant hypertension, which was defined by a mean office systolic blood pressure (SBP) >160 mm Hg (>150 mm Hg in patients with diabetes).