[What can anti-VEGF therapy achieve in clinical routine? : Effectiveness of anti-VEGF therapy in patients with macular diseases in clinical routine on 1492 eyes in Austria]. / Was bringt die Anti-VEGF-Therapie im Klinikalltag? : Wirksamkeit von Anti-VEGF-Therapie bei Patienten mit Makulaerkrankungen in der Klinikroutine an 1492 Augen in Österreich.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this user observational study was to illustrate the effectiveness of intravitreal operative medication administration (IVOM) in the clinical routine. DESIGN: A monocentric, single arm, prospective study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Included in this study were all patients in whom a macular edema was diagnosed during an ophthalmological examination at the Barmherzigen Brüdern Hospital in Linz from November 2012 to August 2014 and who were treated as outpatients or day clinic patients with IVOM using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The parameters measured during the clinical routine were as follows: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using the early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) chart, central optical coherence tomography (OCT) thickness, diagnosis and possible prior treatment with IVOM. Following diagnosis, the IVOM was administered in 6­week intervals and a final control with measurement of the named parameters (approximately 19 weeks after diagnosis). If edema was present a further 3­stage series (19 weeks) was initiated. In the case of a "dry" condition the further controls were performed by a private practitioner and the patient only presented again if macular edema reoccurred. A control of the patients with "dry" results at regular intervals was not planned. RESULTS: A total of 1492 eyes from 1184 patients with an average age of 75.6 ± 11.3 years were included in the study according to the abovenamed criteria. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was diagnosed in 879 eyes and 314 eyes were treated for diabetic macular edema (DME). Of the eyes 122 (8.2%) were affected by branch vein thrombosis (AVT) and 63 (4.2%) from central vein thrombosis (CVT). In 47 (3.2%) eyes macular edema with myopic CNV (mCNV) was detected and 67 eyes (4.5%) were not further classified under "others". In all groups a gain in letters could be achieved in the EDTRS chart even after the first IVOM series: AMD + 3.4, DME + 1.3, AVT + 6.1, CVT + 10.1 and mCNV + 7.0. Patients who were treated with IVOM for the first time showed on average a better response than those previously treated with IVOM. CONCLUSION: As in many other studies our data also underline the necessity for intravitreal injections for treatment of macular edema. Even if a 6­week interval does not nowadays correspond to the current guidelines, we could achieve a stabilization of vision and do not shy away from comparison with large studies, such as the Marina study. In order to provide the increasing numbers of patients the best treatment in the future, an attempt at targeted implementation of resources must be made and if necessary symptoms which can be conservatively treated should be delegated to the private sector.

Prospective comparison of flecainide versus sotalol for immediate cardioversion of atrial fibrillation.

This study sought to compare the efficacy and safety of intravenous flecainide and sotalol for immediate cardioversion of atrial fibrillation. We performed a prospective, randomized, single-blind, multicenter trial, including 106 hemodynamically stable patients with atrial fibrillation, stratified according to duration of the arrhythmia. Exclusion criteria included severely reduced left ventricular systolic function, recent antiarrhythmic therapy, and hypokalemia. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous flecainide or intravenous sotalol. Trial medication was given at a dose of 1.5 mg/kg body weight (maximum 150 mg). Overall, 28 of 54 patients (52%) given flecainide and 12 of 52 patients (23%) given sotalol converted to sinus rhythm during the first 2 hours after start of the infusion (p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis confirmed that treatment allocation to flecainide, an arrhythmia duration of < or = 24 hours, higher plasma magnesium level at baseline, higher age for men, and lower age for women independently increases the probability of conversion. The frequency of adverse effects was not significantly different in the 2 treatment groups.

Late aortic dissection in a patient with a left ventricular assist device.

The limited availability of donor hearts means that an increasing number of transplantation candidates are temporarily or permanently supported by mechanical circulatory assist devices. We report a patient undergoing implantation of a Novacor left ventricular assist device who suffered fatal aortic dissection on postoperative day 11 after satisfactory recovery from multiple organ failure. The dissection of the aorta initially presented as an embolic peripheral ischemia. Early complete echocardiography is thus warranted to rule out dissection.

Antibody-response to three recombinant hepatitis B vaccines: comparative evaluation of multicenter travel-clinic based experience.

The immunogenicity of three currently used hepatitis B vaccines was compared in an unselected study population in an every day travel clinical setting. Five hundred and eighteen vaccinees received Engerix-B (EB), 990 received Twinrix (TWX), and 366 were immunised with Gen-HB-Vax (GHB). Overall, 88.6% of the vaccinees, tested within the first 6 months after completion of the vaccination series, developed protective levels of anti-HBs (> or = 10 mIU/ml). However, GHB recipients showed significantly lower seroprotection rates (SPR) than EB and TWX recipients (79.3% vs. 87.7% vs. 92.3%, P < 0.000001). GMTs for anti-HBs, tested within 6 months after the third vaccination, showed the lowest results in the GHB group, followed by EB and TWX (142 vs. 523 vs. 1008 mIU/ml, P < 0.000001). TWX vaccinees, however, showing a higher antibody decline rate than EB recipients within the first years after completion of the full immunisation course (30% vs. 25%; P = 0.0538). This study confirms an overall good immune response to the 20 microg-dose vaccine, in the course of a regular clinical setting. The significant difference in SPRs and GMTs to the 10 microg-dose vaccine, however, may influence future immunisation practices for the elderly.