0000000000408981
AUTHOR
Ingo Ahrens
Current status and needs for changes in critical care training: the voice of the young cardiologists
Abstract Aims The implementation of the 2013 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Core Curriculum guidelines for acute cardiovascular care (acc) training among European countries is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the current status of acc training among cardiology trainees and young cardiologists (<40 years) from ESC countries. Methods and results The survey (March–July 2019) asked about details of cardiology training, self-confidence in acc technical and non-technical skills, access to training opportunities, and needs for further training in the field. Overall 614 young doctors, 31 (26–43) years old, 55% males were surveyed. Place and duration of acc training differed between countr…
Epidemiology, monitoring, and treatment strategy in cardiogenic shock. A multinational cross-sectional survey of ESC-acute cardiovascular care association research section
Abstract Aims Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening condition burdened by mortality in up to 50% of cases. Few recommendations exist with intermediate–low level of evidence on CS management and no data on adherence across centres exist. We performed a survey to frame CS management at multinational level. Methods and results An international cross-sectional survey was created and approved by European Society of Cardiology-Acute Cardiovascular Care Association board. A total of 337 responses from 60 countries were obtained. Data were assessed by the hospital level of care of the participants. The most common cause of CS was AMI (AMI-CS—79.9%) with significant difference according to ho…
Conformation-specific blockade of the integrin GPIIb/IIIa: a novel antiplatelet strategy that selectively targets activated platelets.
Platelet activation causes conformational changes of integrin GPIIb/IIIa (α IIb β 3 ), resulting in the exposure of its ligand-binding pocket. This provides the unique possibility to design agents that specifically block activated platelets only. We used phage display of single-chain antibody (scFv) libraries in combination with several rounds of depletion/selection to obtain human scFvs that bind specifically to the activated conformation of GPIIb/IIIa. Functional evaluation of these scFv clones revealed that fibrinogen binding to human platelets and platelet aggregation can be effectively inhibited by activation-specific scFvs. In contrast to clinically used GPIIb/IIIa blockers, which ar…