Search

Introduction: Public knowledge of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), and initiation of basic life support (BLS) is crucial to increase survival in OHCA. Methods: The study analysed the knowledge and willingness to perform BLS of laypersons passing an AED at a public train station. Interviewees were recruited at two time points before and after a four year-long structured regional awareness campaign, which focused on call, compress, shock in a mid-size European city (270,000 inhabitants). Complete BLS was defined as multiple responses for call for help; initiation of chest compressions; and usage of an AED, without mentioning recovery position. Minimal BLS was defined as call for help and initiation of chest compressions. Results: A total of 784 persons were interviewed, 257 at baseline and 527 post-campaign. Confronted with a fictional OHCA, at baseline 8.5% of the interviewees spontaneously mentioned actions for complete BLS and 17.9% post-campaign (p = 0.009). An even larger increase in knowledge was seen in minimal BLS (34.6% vs 60.6%, p

Hereby, the supplemental data of the research article “Long-Term Prognostic Value of High-Sensitivity Troponin T added to N-Terminal Pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide Plasma Levels before Valve Replacement for Severe Aortic Stenosis” are presented [1]. It offers enhanced input on the predictive value of these biomarkers considering the influence of the presence of concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD) in various severities as well as an additional cox proportional hazard model on cardiovascular mortality. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are shown as figures. The material described increases therefore the understanding of the predictive value of these already routinely available biomarkers and reduces the risk of potential bias due to possible confounding factors. It also underlines the urge for a multi-factorial approach in diagnostics to detect the optimal point for referral to valve replacement other than just symptomatic status, an observed reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction or the presence of CAD with the necessity for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) [2]. The data of the 3595 patients were gathered retrospectively at a consortium of four university hospital centers in Austria and combined with prospectively collected data on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. Keywords: High sensitivity troponin T, N-terminal pro brain natiuretic peptide, Severe aortic stenosis, Valve replacement, Survival, Risk stratification