Burden of hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections in Germany: occurrence and outcomes of different variants.

BACKGROUND: Avoiding in-hospital transmissions has been crucial in the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known on the extent to which hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 variants have caused infections in Germany. AIM: To analyse the occurrence and the outcomes of HAI with regard to different SARS-CoV-2 variants. METHODS: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infections hospitalized between March 1st, 2020 and May 17th, 2022 in 79 hospitals of the Helios Group were included. Information on patients' characteristics and outcomes were retrieved from claims data. In accordance with the Robert Koch Institute, infections were classified as hospital-acquired when tested positive >6 days after admission and if no information hinted at a different source. FINDINGS: In all, 62,875 SARS-CoV-2 patients were analysed, of whom 10.6% had HAI. HAIs represented 14.7% of SARS-CoV-2 inpatients during the Wildtype period, 3.5% during Alpha (odds ratio: 0.21; 95% confidence interval: 0.19-0.24), 8.8% during Delta (2.70; 2.35-3.09) and 10.1% during Omicron (1.10; 1.03-1.19). When age and comorbidities were accounted for, HAI had lower odds for death than community-acquired infections (0.802; 0.740-0.866). Compared to the Wildtype period, HAIs during Omicron were associated with lower odds for ICU (0.78; 0.69-0.88), ventilation (0.47; 0.39-0.56), and death (0.33; 0.28-0.40). CONCLUSION: Hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred throughout the pandemic, affecting highly vulnerable patients. Although transmissibility increased with newer variants, the proportion of HAIs decreased, indicating improved infection prevention and/or the effect of immunization. Furthermore, the Omicron period was associated with improved outcomes. However, the burden of hospital-acquired SARS-CoV-2 infections remains high.

Establishing an ICD-10 code based SARI-surveillance in Germany - description of the system and first results from five recent influenza seasons.

BACKGROUND: Syndromic surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) is important to assess seriousness of disease as recommended by WHO for influenza. In 2015 the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) started to collaborate with a private hospital network to develop a SARI surveillance system using case-based data on ICD-10 codes. This first-time description of the system shows its application to the analysis of five influenza seasons. METHODS: Since week 40/2015, weekly updated anonymized data on discharged patients overall and on patients with respiratory illness including ICD-10 codes of primary and secondary diagnoses are transferred from the network data center to RKI. Retrospective datasets were also provided. Our descriptive analysis is based on data of 47 sentinel hospitals collected between weeks 1/2012 to 20/2016. We applied three different SARI case definitions (CD) based on ICD-10 codes for discharge diagnoses of respiratory tract infections (J09 - J22): basic CD (BCD), using only primary diagnoses; sensitive CD (SCD), using primary and secondary diagnoses; timely CD (TCD), using only primary diagnoses of patients hospitalized up to one week. We compared the CD with regard to severity, age distribution and timeliness and with results from the national primary care sentinel system. RESULTS: The 47 sentinel hospitals covered 3.6% of patients discharged from all German hospitals in 2013. The SCD comprised 2.2 times patients as the BCD, and 3.6 times as many as the TCD. Time course of SARI cases corresponded well to results from primary care surveillance and influenza virus circulation. The patients fulfilling the TCD had been completely reported after 3 weeks, which was fastest among the CD. The proportion of SARI cases among patients was highest in the youngest age group of below 5-year-olds. However, the age group 60 years and above contributed most SARI cases. This was irrespective of the CD used. CONCLUSIONS: In general, available data and the implemented reporting system are appropriate to provide timely and reliable information on SARI in inpatients in Germany. Our ICD-10-based approach proved to be useful for fulfilling requirements for SARI surveillance. The exploratory approach gave valuable insights in data structure and emphasized the advantages of different CD.

The effect of peer review on mortality rates.

OBJECTIVE: Lowering of mortality rates in hospitals with mortality rates higher than accepted reference values for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), pneumonia, stroke, mechanical ventilation (MV) and colorectal surgery by using an external peer review process that identifies areas requiring rectification and implements protocols directed at improving these areas. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational, quality management study using administrative data to compare in-hospital mortality rates (pre and post an external peer review process that included adoption of improvement protocols) with reference values. SETTING: German general hospitals of a large, private group. PARTICIPANTS: Hospitals with mortality rates higher than reference values. INTERVENTIONS: Peer review of medical records by experienced, outside physicians triggered by in-hospital mortality rates higher than expected. Inadequacies were identified, improvement protocols enforced and mortality rates subsequently re-examined. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality rates 1 year before and 1 year after peer review and protocol use. RESULTS: For AMI, CHF, pneumonia, stroke, MV and colorectal surgery, the mortality rates 1 year post-peer review were significantly decreased as compared to pre-peer review mortality rates. The standardized mortality ratio for all of the above diagnoses was 1.45, 1 year before peer review, and 0.97, 1 year after peer review. The absolute risk reduction of 7.3% translates into 710 deaths in this population which could have been prevented. CONCLUSIONS: Peer review triggered and conducted in the manner described here is associated with a significant lowering of in-hospital mortality rates in hospitals that previously had higher than expected mortality rates.

Sedation-associated complications in endoscopy--prospective multicentre survey of 191142 patients.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Propofol sedation is applied as moderate sedation for almost all diagnostic and interventional endoscopies. Propofol sedation bears the risk of complications such as respiratory as well as cardiopulmonary insufficiency including sedation-induced death. According to recent guidelines, non-anesthesiologist-administered propofol (NAAP) should be performed by an additional person who has NAAP as their sole task. METHODS: In a prospective multicentre survey involving 191,142 patients, clinically relevant endoscopy-associated complications were registered from 02/2010 to 01/2012. RESULTS: The majority of propofol sedations were applied without additional persons for NAAP. Overall endoscopy-related complication rate was 0.0022 % (n = 424) and sedation-related complications 0.00 042 % (n = 82). Variability over time and between the clinics was low and not influenced by the number of endoscopies performed during the investigation period. Sedation-related death occurred in 6 patients (0.00 003 %), 50 % during emergency endoscopies. In all sedation-associated deaths the patients had ASA class 3 before endoscopy. All fatal complications occurred in the presence of an additional trained person for NAAP. CONCLUSION: This large prospective survey shows that propofol sedation in gastrointestinal endoscopy is a safe procedure with a low potential of risk in daily routine. However, high risk patients (ASA ≥ 3) should be identified, especially before emergency endoscopies and managed by additional persons for NAAP and under intensive care surveillance.

Ventilatory strategies in septic patients. Results from a nationwide observational trial.

BACKGROUND: Mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients is affected by multiple variables. The possible impact of the mode of ventilation has not yet been clarified; therefore, a secondary analysis of the "epidemiology of sepsis in Germany" study was performed. The aims were (1) to describe the ventilation strategies currently applied in clinical practice, (2) to analyze the association of the different modes of ventilation with mortality and (3) to investigate whether the ratio between arterial partial pressure of oxygen and inspired fraction of oxygen (PF ratio) and/or other respiratory variables are associated with mortality in septic patients needing ventilatory support. METHODS: A total of 454 ICUs in 310 randomly selected hospitals participated in this national prospective observational 1-day point prevalence of sepsis study including 415 patients with severe sepsis or septic shock according to the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine criteria. RESULTS: Of the 415 patients, 331 required ventilatory support. Pressure controlled ventilation (PCV) was the most frequently used ventilatory mode (70.6 %) followed by assisted ventilation (AV 21.7 %) and volume controlled ventilation (VCV 7.7 %). Hospital mortality did not differ significantly among patients ventilated with PCV (57 %), VCV (71 %) or AV (51 %, p=0.23). A PF ratio equal or less than 300 mmHg was found in 83.2 % of invasively ventilated patients (n=316). In AV patients there was a clear trend to a higher PF ratio (204±70 mmHg) than in controlled ventilated patients (PCV 179±74 mmHg, VCV 175±75 mmHg, p=0.0551). Multiple regression analysis identified the tidal volume to pressure ratio (tidal volume divided by peak inspiratory airway pressure, odds ratio OR=0.94, 95 % confidence interval 95% CI=0.89-0.99), acute renal failure (OR=2.15, 95% CI=1.01-4.55) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score (OR=1.09, 95% CI=1.03-1.15) but not the PF ratio (univariate analysis OR=0.998, 95 % CI=0.995-1.001) as independent risk factors for in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This representative survey revealed that severe sepsis or septic shock was frequently associated with acute lung injury. Different ventilatory modes did not affect mortality. The tidal volume to inspiratory pressure ratio but not the PF ratio was independently associated with mortality.

Pumpless arterio-venous extracorporeal lung assist compared with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during experimental lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Extracorporeal lung support is effective to prevent hypoxaemia and excessive hypercapnia with respiratory acidosis in acute respiratory distress syndrome. Miniaturized veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (mECMO) and arterio-venous pumpless extracorporeal lung assist (pECLA) were compared for respiratory and haemodynamic response and extracorporeal gas exchange and device characteristics. METHODS: After induction of acute lung injury by repeated lung lavage, 16 anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated pigs were randomized to mECMO (Medos Hilite/Deltastream) or pECLA (iLA Novalung) for 24 h. RESULTS: Improved gas exchange allowed reduced ventilation and plateau pressure in both groups. An arterio-venous shunt flow of up to 30% of cardiac output resulted in a left cardiac work of 6.8 (2.0) kg m for pECLA compared with 5.0 (1.4) kg m for mECMO after 24 h (P<0.05). Both devices provided adequate oxygen delivery to organs. The oxygen transfer of pECLA was lower than mECMO due to inflow of arterial oxygenated blood [16 (5) compared with 64 (28) ml min(-1) after 24 h, P<0.05]. Unexpectedly, the carbon dioxide transfer rate was also lower [58 (28) compared with 111 (42) ml min(-1) after 24 h, P<0.05], probably caused by a Haldane effect preventing higher transfer rates in combination with lower extracorporeal blood flow. CONCLUSIONS: Both devices have the potential to unload the lungs from gas transfer sufficiently to facilitate lung-protective ventilation. Although technically less complex, oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide removal are limited in pECLA, and cardiac work was increased. mECMO overcomes these limitations and might provide better cardiopulmonary protection.

Prospectively defined indicators to improve the safety and quality of care for critically ill patients: a report from the Task Force on Safety and Quality of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM).

OBJECTIVES: To define a set of indicators that could be used to improve quality in intensive care medicine. METHODOLOGY: An European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Task Force on Quality and Safety identified all commonly used key quality indicators. This international Task Force consisted of 18 experts, all with a self-proclaimed interest in the area. Through a modified Delphi process seeking greater than 90% consensual agreement from this nominal group, the indicators were then refined through a series of iterative processes. RESULTS: A total of 111 indicators of quality were initially found, and these were consolidated into 102 separate items. After five discrete rounds of debate, these indicators were reduced to a subset of nine that all had greater than 90% agreement from the nominal group. These indicators can be used to describe the structures (3), processes (2) and outcomes (4) of intensive care. Across this international group, it was much more difficult to obtain consensual agreement on the indicators describing processes of care than on the structures and outcomes. CONCLUSION: This document contains nine indicators, all of which have a high level of consensual agreement from an international Task Force, which could be used to improve quality in routine intensive care practice.

[10 years of Peer Reviewing: improving treatment by quality indicators from administrative data]. / 10 Jahre Peer Review - Verbesserung der medizinischen Behandlung durch Qualitätsindikatoren aus Routinedaten.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In-hospital mortality of myocardial infarction, heart failure and pneumonia within a private hospital chain were compared with the German average since 2000. METHODS: Increased in-hospital mortalities based on diagnosis coding with ICD-10 benchmarked with German average values induced peer reviews in concern hospitals. From 2000 until 2010, peer reviews as performed by at least 2 peers compared retrospectively case management and treatment with best care, classified the treatment and discussed it with responsible physicians. The classification consisted of category 1 for improvement potential, category 2 for miscoding and category 3 for sufficient treatment. Based on the improvement potential an operational plan of treatment improvement for the single hospital was produced which was to be realized by this hospital and supported by concern activities for knowledge improvement. RESULTS: In 2000, the indicators in-hospital mortality of myocardial infarction, heart failure and pneumonia of the hospital chain exceeded German average whereas in 2008 these values were lower (i. e. better) than German average. The peer reviews detected large improvement potentials in treatment processes and helped to improve them. CONCLUSION: Peer reviews as triggered by quality indicators supported improvement of treatment and likely outcomes.

Spontaneously breathing anesthetized patients with a laryngeal mask airway: positive end-expiratory pressure does not improve oxygen saturation.

Spontaneous ventilation is a popular mode of ventilation for patients with the laryngeal mask airway (LMA). Studies have shown, however, that spontaneous ventilation impairs gas exchange and that assisting or controlling ventilation results in higher oxygen saturation. Atelectasis during general anesthesia is a well described mechanism which impacts on gas exchange. Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) increases the lung volume available for gas exchange. This study investigated whether the application of PEEP leads to an improvement of oxygen saturation in unassisted spontaneously breathing patients with a LMA. A total of 80 adult patients under general anesthesia were prospectively randomized into two groups. Both groups were left to breathe spontaneously. In group 1 the adjustable pressure limiting (APL) valve was opened resulting in zero end-expiratory pressure. In group 2 the valve was set to a PEEP of +7 cm H2O. Oxygen saturation was measured by pulse oxymetry at four different phases: pre-induction, after induction and insertion of the LMA, during maintenance and in recovery. The application of PEEP did not improve oxygen saturation. In both groups the mean oxygen saturation was similar (97.2±1.8% in group 1 versus 97.2±1.9% in group 2, p=0.941) during maintenance. No effect on oxygen saturation in recovery could be found either (96.0±1.8% in group 1 versus 96.1±2.0% in group 2, p=0.952) and hemodynamics were unaffected by the application of PEEP. The application of a PEEP of +7 cm H2O with a LMA under spontaneous ventilation cannot be recommended. Limitations of our study were the selection of healthy patients and omitting pre-oxygenation before induction which might have limited the development of atelectasis. In addition arterial partial pressure of oxygen (p(a)O2) measurements could have revealed subtle changes in oxygenation.

[Importance of abdominal compartment syndrome in Germany: a questionnaire]. / Bedeutung des abdominellen Kompartmentsyndroms in Deutschland: Eine Umfrage.

BACKGROUND: The abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) is a life-threatening condition and may affect any critically ill patient. Little is known about the recognition and management of the ACS in Germany. METHODS: A postal questionnaire was sent to departments of surgery and anesthesia of German hospitals with more than 450 beds. RESULTS: From the 222 eligible hospitals a total of 113 replies were received. Most respondents (95%) indicated that the ACS plays a role in their clinical practice. Measurement of intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is not performed by 26% while it is routinely done by 30%. Intra-abdominal pressure is mostly (94%) assessed via the bladder pressure. Of the respondents 41% measure IAP only in those patients thought likely to develop ACS. Risk factors of the ACS would lead to IAP monitoring in 10-23% of cases. The majority (86%) would require signs of organ dysfunction together with exceeding the IAD threshold in order to opt for a surgical decompression. The attitude towards the critical threshold (>20 mmHg or >25 mmhg) divided respondents into two groups of similar size (39% compared to 47%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: German anesthesiologists and surgeons are familiar with the ACS. However, about one-quarter never measure IAP and there is a considerable variance as to which patients are at risk to develop ACS and how often IAP should be measured in these patients. This could indicate a lack of acceptance or simply a persisting need for more data concerning the avoidance and treatment of the ACS.

[Non-invasive ventilation as treatment for acute respiratory insufficiency. Essentials from the new S3 guidelines]. / Nichtinvasive Beatmung als Therapie der akuten respiratorischen Insuffizienz. Das Wichtigste der neuen S3-Leitlinie.

BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence is accumulating that non-invasive ventilation (NIV) may be beneficial for different patient groups with acute respiratory insufficiency (ARI). The aim of the new S3 guidelines is to propagate evidence-based knowledge about the indications and limitations of NIV in clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 28 experts from 12 German medical societies were involved in the process of development of the present guidelines. These experts systematically analyzed approximately 2,900 publications. Finally, the recommendations were discussed and approved in two consensus conferences. RESULTS: In hypercapnic ARI, NIV reduces the length of stay and mortality during intensive care treatment [grade A recommendation (A)]. Patients with cardiopulmonary edema should be treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or NIV (A). For immunocompromized patients with ARI, NIV reduces the mortality (A). In patients with postextubation respiratory failure and during weaning from mechanical ventilation, NIV reduces the risk of reintubation (A). For patients who decline to be ventilated invasively, NIV may be an acceptable alternative (B). Non-invasive ventilation can also successfully be used in pediatric patients with ARI caused by different reasons (C). In acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) NIV cannot generally be recommended because the failure rate is relatively high. CONCLUSION: Non-invasive ventilation is still not as widely implemented in clinical medicine as would be expected on the basis of the scientific literature. The aim of the present guidelines is to further propagate NIV for the treatment of ARI.

Comparison of electrical velocimetry and thermodilution techniques for the measurement of cardiac output.

AIM: To compare a new method of non-invasive determination of cardiac output based on electrical velocimetry (EV-CO) with invasive thermodilution methods. METHODS: Fifty critically ill patients were enrolled into the study. EV-CO was compared with cardiac output measured by a pulmonary artery catheter (PA-CO) in one group (n= 25) and by a femoral artery catheter (PiCCO-CO) in a second group (n= 25), by simultaneous measurements. Standard electrocardiography electrodes were used for non-invasive measurements, and EV-CO was calculated using the Bernstein-Osypka equation. The invasive measurements of PA-CO and PiCCO-CO were made by the injection of iced 0.9% saline and the recording of thermodilution curves. RESULTS: The precision values of EV-CO, PA-CO and PiCCO-CO measurements were +/- 0.46 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), +/- 0.06], +/- 0.57 (95% CI, +/- 0.09) and +/- 0.48 l/min (95% CI, +/- 0.08 l/min), respectively. The mean differences between EV-CO and PA-CO or PiCCO-CO were -0.05 +/- 0.71 and 0.22 +/- 0.78 l/min, respectively. The lower and upper limits of agreement for the comparison of EV-CO with PA-CO were -1.47 and 1.37 l/min (95% CI, +/- 0.25 l/min), respectively. In the comparison of EV-CO and PiCCO-CO, lower and upper limits of -1.34 and 1.78 l/min (95% CI, +/- 0.27 l/min) were found. The percentage errors between EV-CO and PA-CO or PiCCO-CO were 26.5% and 26.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The values of cardiac output were statistically comparable between the groups. Therefore, electrical velocimetry is a suitable method to evaluate haemodynamic variables with clinically acceptable accuracy.

[Mechanical ventilation of acute lung injury]. / Beatmung beim akuten Lungenversagen.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is of paramount importance for modern intensive care since it is one of the most frequent conditions necessitating admission to an ICU. ALI is characterised by severe life threatening hypoxemia which is based on ventilation perfusion mismatching within the lung. This is mostly resulting from atelectasis formation due to primary or secondary inflammation of lung tissue. Many studies showed that this inflammatory process is not restricted to the respiratory system but might result in non pulmonary organ failure and hemodynamic compromise as well. Mechanical ventilation is considered the hallmark treatment for ALI patients aimed to recruit lung tissue and thereby reverse hypoxemia without causing additional lung injury potentially resulting from overdistention or cycling collapse during expiration. Scientific evidence shows us that prevention of ventilator induced lung injury by protective ventilation with reduced tidal volumes is resulting in better clinical outcomes. Moreover, different technologies and adjunctive therapies have been suggested based on their pathophysiology. All these treatment options will be summarized in this article. Given the clear evidence for protective ventilation and bearing in mind that clinical application of this easy concept is still not widespread we will focus on this aspect.

[Anaesthesiology as a compulsory subject in the new German medical school curriculum. Evaluation of a curricular model at the University Hospital Aachen]. / Anästhesiologie als Pflichtfach in der neuen Approbationsordnung. Evaluation eines Modell-Curriculums am Universitätsklinikum Aachen.

BACKGROUND: Since October 2003 new regulations for qualifications to practice medicine in Germany now require compulsory courses in anaesthesiology. Therefore, existing curricular activities had to be changed from facultative courses for a small number of interested students to compulsory activities for all students. METHODS: Previous data of the department of anaesthesiology at the University Hospital Aachen (Germany) were collected and taken into consideration for the development of a new curriculum: The result was a course consisting of a tutorial with integrated "basic skill training", practical training in the operating theatre and a simulation-based session, in addition to two series of lectures. An evaluation by the students was carried out using EvaLuna as a tool for web-based on-line evaluation and faculty members had to fill out a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: The different parts of the curriculum received the highest scores of all courses in the undergraduate medical school curriculum. Best results were achieved by the anaesthesia-simulation session followed by the tutorial and the practical training. CONCLUSION: The feedback of faculty members as well as the results of students' evaluation approved the developed concept of integrating anaesthesia-relevant issues into the formal medical school curriculum. Nevertheless, the on-line evaluation system EvaLuna provided additional suggestions for future improvements in the newly created curriculum.

[Abdominal compartment syndrome: significance, diagnosis and treatment]. / Abdominelles Kompartmentsyndrom: Bedeutung, Diagnostik und Therapie.

A pathological increase of intraabdominal pressure (IAP) is frequently observed in severely ill patients suffering from surgical diseases. This may lead to the abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) which is characterized by an IAP >20 mmHg (>2.67 kPa) and failure of one or more organ systems. The mortality of ACS exceeds 60%. Knowledge concerning the sequelae of ACS is abundant, however, measurement of IAP is not routinely performed even if patients present with corresponding risk factors. This is probably due to a variable incidence of ACS and scepticism regarding the results of bladder pressure measurement. However, measurement of IAP can now be performed semi-automatically, continuously and in a standardized fashion. The therapy of ACS, i.e. decompression laparotomy and laparostomy, is undisputed. Since a heterogeneous group of patients can be affected, monitoring of IAP is indicated in patients needing intensive care. A consistent registration of IAP will improve knowledge and guidelines regarding the therapy of a pathologically increased IAP. Nevertheless, patients in whom ACS is suspected should be decompressed as soon as possible.

Role of extracorporeal lung assist in the treatment of acute respiratory failure.

For patients with most severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) conservative treatment with lung protective ventilation is often not sufficient to prevent life-threatening hypoxemia and additional strategies are necessary. Extracorporeal lung assist (ECLA) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) using capillary membrane oxygenators can provide sufficient gas exchange and lung rest. In 2 randomized trials mortality was unchanged for ECMO. Today an technically enhanced ECMO is used for most severe ARDS using clinical algorithm and different case studies demonstrated a survival rate about 56%. Today miniaturized ECMO with optimized blood pumps and oxygenators are available and could enhance safety and clinical management. Another approach is an arterio-venous pumpless interventional lung assist (ILA) with a low resistance oxygenator. Advantages seem a simplified clinical management and less blood trauma. At present new devices are developed for chronic respiratory failure or bridge to lung transplant. Oxygenators with even less flow resistance could be implanted paracorporeal using the right ventricle as driving force. An intravascular oxygenator has been developed using the combination of a miniaturized blood pump and an oxygenator for implantation in the vena cava. Well designed clinical trials are necessary to demonstrate a clinical benefit for these experimental devices.

Successful use of recombinant factor VIIa in a patient with intractable bleeding during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Bleeding is still the most common complication during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for temporary cardio-circulatory support. We present a case of a young man suffering from intractable hemorrhage during ECMO support, who was pre-treated with glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist Tirofiban due to a suspicion of myocardial ischemia. After failure of conventional hemostatic means, hemostasis was achieved by the donation of recombinant Factor VIIa (rFVIIa). Aspects of bleeding control during extracorporeal circulatory support, the use of Tirofiban and rFVIIa are discussed.