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Background Although associations between cardiovascular diseases and cognitive impairment are well known, the impact of cognitive performance on the success of patient education as a core component of cardiac rehabilitation remains insufficiently investigated so far. Design Prospective observational study in two inpatient cardiac rehabilitation centres between September 2014 and August 2015 with a follow-up six months after cardiac rehabilitation. Method At admission to and discharge from cardiac rehabilitation, the cognitive performance of 401 patients (54.5 ± 6.3 years, 80% men) following an acute coronary syndrome and/or coronary artery bypass graft was tested using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Patients’ disease-related knowledge was determined using a quiz (22 items for medical knowledge and 12 items for healthy lifestyle and behaviour) at both times and at follow-up. The change in knowledge after cardiac rehabilitation was analysed in multivariable regression models. Potentially influencing parameters (e.g. level of education, medication, cardiovascular risk factors, coronary artery bypass graft, comorbidities, exercise capacity) were considered. Results During cardiac rehabilitation, disease-related knowledge was significantly enhanced in both scales. At follow-up, the average level of medical knowledge was significantly reduced, while lifestyle knowledge remained at a stable level. The maintenance of knowledge after cardiac rehabilitation was predominantly predicted by prior knowledge, cognitive performance at discharge from cardiac rehabilitation and, in the case of medical knowledge, by coronary artery bypass graft. Conclusion Patient education in cardiac rehabilitation led to enhanced disease-related knowledge, but the maintenance of this essentially depended on patients’ cognitive performance, especially after coronary artery bypass graft. Therefore, patient education concepts in cardiac rehabilitation should be reconsidered and adjusted as needed.

ZusammenfassungIn der vorliegenden Studie wurde die Prävalenz der Besiedlung mit multiresistenten Keimen an 155 Patienten aus der onkologischen und 157 Patienten aus der kardiologischen Rehabilitation mittels mikrobiologischen Screenings untersucht. Dabei zeigten 4,5% der onkologischen und 4,5% der kardiologischen Rehabilitationspatienten eine Besiedlung mit multiresistenten Erregern. Am häufigsten wurden 2-MRGN und ESBL (2,9%) nachgewiesen. Onkologische Rehapatienten zeigten doppelt so hohe Prävalenzraten für 3-MRGN im Vergleich zu kardiologischen (2,6 und 1,3%). Insgesamt zeigen onkologische und kardiologische Rehabilitationspatienten vergleichsweise niedrige Prävalenzraten für multiresistente Krankenhauskeime.

Background In the last decade, transcatheter aortic valve implantation has become a promising treatment modality for patients with aortic stenosis and a high surgical risk. Little is known about influencing factors of function and quality of life during multicomponent cardiac rehabilitation. Methods From October 2013 to July 2015, patients with elective transcatheter aortic valve implantation and a subsequent inpatient cardiac rehabilitation were enrolled in the prospective cohort multicentre study. Frailty-Index (including cognition, nutrition, autonomy and mobility), Short Form-12 (SF-12), six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and maximum work load in bicycle ergometry were performed at admission and discharge of cardiac rehabilitation. The relation between patient characteristics and improvements in 6MWD, maximum work load or SF-12 scales were studied univariately and multivariately using regression models. Results One hundred and thirty-six patients (80.6 ± 5.0 years, 47.8% male) were enrolled. 6MWD and maximum work load increased by 56.3 ± 65.3 m ( p 0.001) and 8.0 ± 14.9 watts ( p 0.001), respectively. An improvement in SF-12 (physical 2.5 ± 8.7, p = 0.001, mental 3.4 ± 10.2, p = 0.003) could be observed. In multivariate analysis, age and higher education were significantly associated with a reduced 6MWD, whereas cognition and obesity showed a positive predictive value. Higher cognition, nutrition and autonomy positively influenced the physical scale of SF-12. Additionally, the baseline values of SF-12 had an inverse impact on the change during cardiac rehabilitation. Conclusions Cardiac rehabilitation can improve functional capacity as well as quality of life and reduce frailty in patients after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. An individually tailored therapy with special consideration of cognition and nutrition is needed to maintain autonomy and empower octogenarians in coping with challenges of everyday life.

We investigated the prevalence of multidrug resistant pathogens in patients of oncologic and cardiologic rehabilitation units with 155 oncologic and 157 cardiologic patients undergoing microbiologic screening. It was found that 4.5% of oncologic as well as cardiologic patients were colonized with multidrug resistant pathogens. 2-MRGN and ESBL were the most encountered species (2.9%). 3-MRGN were found twice as frequent in oncologic patients (2.6 and 1.3%). Overall oncologic and cardiologic patients exhibit comparatively low prevalence rates for multidrug resistant pathogens.In der vorliegenden Studie wurde die Prävalenz der Besiedlung mit multiresistenten Keimen an 155 Patienten aus der onkologischen und 157 Patienten aus der kardiologischen Rehabilitation mittels mikrobiologischen Screenings untersucht. Dabei zeigten 4,5% der onkologischen und 4,5% der kardiologischen Rehabilitationspatienten eine Besiedlung mit multiresistenten Erregern. Am häufigsten wurden 2-MRGN und ESBL (2,9%) nachgewiesen. Onkologische Rehapatienten zeigten doppelt so hohe Prävalenzraten für 3-MRGN im Vergleich zu kardiologischen (2,6 und 1,3%). Insgesamt zeigen onkologische und kardiologische Rehabilitationspatienten vergleichsweise niedrige Prävalenzraten für multiresistente Krankenhauskeime.

The study was designed to demonstrate--for the first time in humans--that oxidative stress in the heart indicated by lipid peroxidation is associated with time-dependent changes in the enzymatic antioxidative defense. For this purpose, we analyzed the oxygen radical metabolism in 69 myocardial biopsies (taken between the fifth day and 6 years after transplantation) of 31 heart transplant recipients who were suspected of suffering from increased formation of oxygen radicals in the allograft. The levels of lipid peroxides (LPO), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total-, copper/zinc- and manganese superoxide dismutase (t-SOD, CuZnSOD, MnSOD) were compared in 3 post-transplantation periods (5-90 d vs. 91-365 d vs. >1 y). Significantly increased LPO levels were found (0.27+/-0.04 vs. 0. 13+/-0.02 vs. 0.27+/-0.04 nmol/mg protein) in the first and third period. Increased activities of GSH-Px (39.8+/-3.8 vs. 30.2+/-4.1 vs. 76.7+/-6.5 mU/mg protein), t-SOD (1.57+/-0.10 vs. 1.30+/-0.14 vs. 2.44+/-0.23 U/mg protein) and CuZnSOD (1.09+/-0.08 vs. 0.93+/-0.13 vs. 2.05+/-0.21 U/mg protein) occurred only in the third period. For calculation of time courses more precisely, the single data with respect to time were analyzed with a curve fitting program. Except for the first period, the allograft LPO and GSH-Px levels rose for up to 6 years after transplantation. However, the t-SOD and CuZnSOD activities switched from increase to decrease in the third period. The study provided indication for: first, the potency of the human heart to time-limited increase of the enzymatic antioxidative defense, and secondly, the inability of human heart allografts--despite this adaptation--for complete prevention of myocardial oxidative stress.