[Pacemaker and MRI in clinical practice]. / Herzschrittmacher und MRT im klinischen Alltag.

The number of cardiac pacemaker wearers is continuously increasing in Germany as well as worldwide. The probability of indications for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination during the lifetime is approximately 50-75% for every person. An MRI examination is nowadays possible for pacemaker wearers under certain conditions. Due to the technical developments during the last 10 years certain MRI-conditional pacemakers are available. The recommendations of the German and American medical specialist societies currently allow an MRI examination in patients with conventional pacemakers beyond the approval conditions (off-label use) under prespecified conditions, based on the study data. This article summarizes the information on conditions of use and reprogramming strategies as well as on the study situation for the clinical routine.

Forced expiratory volume in one second and peak expiratory flow rate values in non-professional male tennis players.

AIM: Forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) is a reliable and easily measured lung function index, which is nowadays used for early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It has also been established recently as an important predictor of all-cause, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality in the Western World. Similar implications have been made with regard to peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). The present study was designed in order to compare the FEV1 and PEFR values of non-professional, smoking and non-smoking male athletes to those predicted for the general, non-athlete population. METHODS: A total of 141 non-professional tennis players aged 30-74 years were studied (99 smokers and 42 non-smokers). FEV1 and PEFR of all men were measured by means of a one flow spirometer, and compared to those predicted for their age and height, based on formulas for the non-athlete, healthy, non-smoking population. RESULTS: Non-professional tennis players had significantly higher FEV1 and PEFR values, compared to FEV1 and PEFR predicted, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed between smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that even moderate physical activity, such as non-professional tennis, can improve FEV1 and PEFR values, maintaining a normal respiratory function, which is a strong predictor of reduced cardiovascular and overall morbidity and mortality. FEV1 and PEFR are easy to measure parameters that should be used more often for the assessment of general health status.