Influence of an antidiabetic treatment with sulfonylurea drugs on long-term survival after acute myocardial infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes. The LAngendreer Myocardial infarction and Blood glucose in Diabetic patients Assessment (LAMBDA).

INTRODUCTION: Patients with type 2 diabetes show a significantly higher mortality after acute myocardial infarction than non-diabetic patients. The influence of sulfonylureas on the survival after acute myocardial infarction is still under debate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Survival of 562 patients, consecutively admitted to an intensive care unit with the diagnosis acute myocardial infarction, was prospectively assessed for > 3 years. At the time of hospital admission, patients were grouped as (a) non-diabetic patients; (b) patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes; (c) patients with known type 2 diabetes not treated with sulfonylureas and (d) patients with known type 2 diabetes treated with sulfonylureas. Survival-analysis was performed according to Kaplan-Meier. RESULTS: 324 patients were non-diabetics, in 86 cases type 2 diabetes was newly diagnosed at the time of hospital admission, 77 patients with known diabetes had taken sulfonylureas (glibenclamide in all cases) prior to the acute myocardial infarction, 75 patients were on any other antidiabetic treatment. Long-term-survival was significantly shorter in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to the non-diabetic patients (p < 0.0001). However, no significant differences were observed between the patients with type 2 diabetes treated with sulfonylurea-drugs and those receiving any other antidiabetic treatment (p = 0.53) CONCLUSIONS: An antidiabetic treatment with sulfonylurea-drugs prior to acute myocardial infarction does not have negative effects on the long-term survival. Larger prospective studies will be necessary to finally clarify this question.     

Arbeitnehmerstatus von „locum-Ärzten“ an Krankenhäusern?

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Das Heidelberger Seminar „Invasive Notfalltechniken“ (INTECH) 2001–2004

Prehospital emergency medicine in Germany is based on a specially trained physician-staffed system, in order to realize a differentiate therapy at the scene. In the last years, the special education and the qualification were more and more discussed after the determination of deficits in the prehospital management of special emergency situations. In the presented paper we described the concept and organization of a practice-oriented training model of invasive emergency techniques, as like as the emergency cricothyrotomy, the thoracic tube and the intraosseous access. The relevance and the efficacy are discussed based on an evaluation of the participants. Practice-oriented training models seem to be adequate instruments in order to close the leak in educational programs and can help to improve the qualification of the physician-staffed system, generally.     

Characteristics of teenage mothers and predictors of breastfeeding initiation in the Michigan WIC Program in 1995. Women, Infants, and Children.

Although breast milk is recommended as the optimal source of infant nutrition, breastfeeding initiation is below recommended levels, especially among teenage mothers. Breastfeeding initiation rates among Michigan (US) teenage mothers (12-19 y) were compared by demographics and health behaviors. Multivariate analyses determined which factors were significant independent predictors of breastfeeding initiation among teenage mothers enrolled prenatally in the Michigan Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in 1995. Significant predictors independently associated with breastfeeding initiation were race/ethnicity, education, marital status, postpartum anemia status, parity, prenatal trimester of WIC enrollment, and smoking. The strongest predictor of breastfeeding initiation differed for white mothers (positive predictor: education beyond high school [OR = 3.13]) and black mothers (negative predictor: multiparous [OR = 0.25]). Initiation rates for this population of teenage mothers fall below the national average for mothers of all ages and the US Healthy People 2010 goals. Research is needed concerning how breastfeeding support and education can be improved to reach the US national health goals.     

Recanalization of chronically occluded coronary arteries.

A chronic coronary occlusion consists of an atherosclerotic plaque and one or several thrombi. It clinically imitates a tight stenosis but is exempt from the risk of truly unstable angina or myocardial infarction. Hence, quality of life is at stake and not longevity. This holds true for balloon angioplasty as well as for surgery. Indications for angioplasty are based on an estimate of technical difficulties and clinical risks balanced against potential subjective benefit and amount of viable myocardium concerned. An occlusion flush at the orifice of the vessel, tapering into a small sidebranch, with bridging collaterals, or devoid of collaterals is no target for angioplasty. Primary success is around 65% and complications are extremely rare. Abrupt vessel closure is common but harmless. No Q-wave infarctions have been reported in that context. The need for emergency bypass surgery may arise from acute closure of a vessel proximal to the occlusion in an exceptional case. Duration and length of occlusion are the most important predictors of success. Recurrence averages 62% (17% reocclusion and 45% restenosis). An important factor for the high recurrence rate is the competitive pressure exerted by the collaterals on standby. Recurrence happens almost exclusively within the first six months. It is innocuous but produces symptoms prompting further interventions (repeat angioplasty or bypass surgery). The conventional technique uses a stiff guidewire and advances the balloon catheter close to the tip of the guidewire for additional rigidity. New technologies are under investigation but no breakthrough has happened so far. They encompass blunt mechanical instruments (e.g., Magnum wire), drills of various velocities, laser energy applied directly to the tissue (some angioscopically guided, some triggered by on-line spectral tissue analysis), catheters dispersing laser energy through a sapphire or converting it into heat (hot tip), and electrical or radiofrequency heat applicators. As low-yield procedures had better be low-risk and low-cost, there are definite limits to how sophisticated, complicated, risky, and expensive tools and techniques for percutaneous coronary recanalization can become. Close relatives of conventional gear such as the Magnum system offer themselves as first choice equipment complemented, in case of need, by mechanical drills.     

Isolated congenital dislocation of the radial head: Good function in 4 untreated patients after 14-45 years

4 patients with a mean age of 20 years and isolated congenital radial head dislocation (1 unilateral anterior, 1 unilateral posterior and 2 bilateral anterior dislocations) were all pain-free and had almost normal elbow function.     

Thoraxschmerz und Vorw?lbung der Thoraxwand

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Analysis of patients with acute exogenous poisoning at an intensive care unit

Over a period of 2 years patients with exogenic intoxications take 16% in the total number of patients of the department for internal intensive care. The cases in question were 43.3% males and 56.7% females. The average age of the patients with 31 years was low. The mortality was 2.4%. In the first place of the exogenic intoxications were intoxications with the groups of medicaments sedatives, hypnotics, tranquilizers, analgetics and antipyretics followed by intoxications with neuroleptics, beta-receptor blockers, antidepressives, antiepileptics and glycosides. The rate of complications was greatest in the mixed intoxications.