Med Klin
-
Case Reports
[Increased myocardial blood flow after spinal cord stimulation in patients with refractory angina pectoris].
In spite of great progresses in surgical and catheter interventional techniques there is an increasing number of patients with coronary heart disease not suitable for these conventional treatment strategies. ⋯ In agreement with the study group of the ESC, we would recommend SCS as first-line therapy for refractory angina pectoris. As a matter of course, conventional treatment strategies should not be replaced by SCS. Hence, a strict evaluation before implanting a SCS device is indispensable.
-
The journal impact factor (IF), which is published annually by the Institute for Scientific Information, (Philadelphia, USA), is meanwhile in widespread use as a scientometric parameter for the evaluation of research and researchers in Germany and other European countries. The present article subjects the IF to critical analysis. ⋯ In addition, the extent to which the IF is appropriate for evaluating the quality of a specific article, of a journal or of individual and collective research achievements is discussed. The present article calls for (1) research evaluation in accordance with the recommendations of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Council) and of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften (Association of the Scientific Medical Societies) and (2) more intensive occupation with and organization of medical knowledge processes.
-
The "Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System" (TISS) and the simplified version TISS-28 obtain the therapeutic workload in the critically ill and may be used for outcome prediction. The feasibility and applicability regarding cost analysis and outcome prediction of TISS and TISS-28 have been assessed in 303 consecutive medical patients staying longer than 24 h in the intensive care unit (ICU). ⋯ The faster data collection process as well as the uniformity of the system are strong clinical and scientific advantages of the TISS-28. In addition, TISS-28 is capable of calculating individual costs in an acceptable time frame. Therefore TISS-28 serves as a valuable tool for quality assurance and cost analysis purposes in the medical ICU.
-
Review Comparative Study
[Anticoagulation in cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. Current status and outlook for the future].
Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmias with increasing incidence in the elderly. The increased morbidity associated with atrial fibrillation is mainly caused by cardiac emboli, mostly from the left atrial appendage, that may cause cerebral ischemic infarctions. Although electrical cardioversion of atrial fibrillation has been the standard therapy for restoration of sinus rhythm for many years, questions regarding the optimal anticoagulation for the prevention of thromboembolic complications remain unanswered. ⋯ Low molecular weight heparins allow outpatient therapy because no intravenous therapy initiation is necessary and the need for anticoagulation monitoring is reduced. Whether oral thrombin antagonists may increase the safety of chronic anticoagulation because of their higher therapeutic index compared to warfarin has to be determined in future studies.
-
Comparative Study
[Determination of plasma iron -- useful, superfluous, or misleading?].