0000000000065154
AUTHOR
Claudia Dellas
Validation of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide cut-off values for risk stratification of pulmonary embolism
The optimal N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) cut-off value for risk stratification of pulmonary embolism remains controversial. In this study we validated and compared different proposed NT-proBNP cut-off values in 688 normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism. During the first 30 days, 28 (4.1%) patients reached the primary outcome (pulmonary embolism-related death or complications) and 29 (4.2%) patients died. Receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.70 (0.60-0.80) for NT-proBNP. A cut-off value of 600 pg·mL(-1) was associated with the best prognostic performance (sensitivity 86% and specificity 50%) and the highest odds ratio…
Sex-specific differences in pulmonary embolism
Abstract Introduction Sex-specific differences regarding risk factors, symptoms and prognosis have been reported for several cardiovascular diseases. For patients with pulmonary embolism (PE), sex-specific data are limited and inconsistent. We aimed to investigate sex-specific differences in PE. Materials and methods Over a 10-year period (01/2003–09/2013), patients with confirmed PE were enrolled in a prospective single-centre cohort study. Results We prospectively examined 569 PE patients (55.9% women). Men more often had cancer (20.7% vs. 13.5%, p = 0.024) and unprovoked PE (61.0% vs. 47.5%, p = 0.001) while women more frequently presented with risk factors for venous thromboembolism suc…
Early switch to oral anticoagulation in patients with acute intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PEITHO-2) : a multinational, multicentre, single-arm, phase 4 trial
BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend a risk-adjusted treatment strategy for the management of acute pulmonary embolism. This is a particular patient category for whom optimal treatment (anticoagulant treatment, reperfusion strategies, and duration of hospitalisation) is currently unknown. We investigated whether treatment of acute intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism with parenteral anticoagulation for a short period of 72 h, followed by a switch to a direct oral anticoagulant (dabigatran), is effective and safe. METHODS: We did a multinational, multicentre, single-arm, phase 4 trial at 42 hospitals in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia, and Spain. …
The predictive value of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein is independent from symptom duration in normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism.
Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) is a useful biomarker for risk stratification of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). In patients with acute myocardial infarction, H-FABP plasma concentrations rise after 30 minutes and return to normal within 20-24 hours. We tested whether the predictive value of H-FABP is affected by the duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis in patients with PE.We prospectively studied 257 consecutive normotensive patients with confirmed symptomatic PE.Patients with acute (24 hours; n=150) symptom onset presented more often with syncope (28.7% vs. 6.5%; p0.001) compared to patients with symptoms ≥ 24 hours (n=107); other baseline characteristics, comorbi…
Quality of life and functional limitations after pulmonary embolism and its prognostic relevance
Abstract Background While the importance of patients’ quality of life (QoL) in chronic cardiac or pulmonary disease is uncontroversial, the burden of an acute pulmonary embolism (PE) on QoL has received little attention thus far. Objectives We aimed to validate the German PEmb‐QoL questionnaire, identify associations between QoL and clinical/functional parameters, and investigate the prognostic relevance of QoL for long‐term survival in survivors of an acute PE episode. Patients/Methods Patients were invited for a clinical follow‐up visit including assessment of QoL using the German PEmb‐QoL questionnaire 6 months after an objectively confirmed PE at a single center. Internal consistency re…