Knowledge about psychological distress in older cardiac arrest (CA) survivors is sparse, and the ... more Knowledge about psychological distress in older cardiac arrest (CA) survivors is sparse, and the lack of comparisons with general populations make it difficult to draw any strong conclusions about prevalence and potential changes caused by CA. Our aim was to compare psychological distress between older CA survivors and a general population. This study included survivors 65–80 years old and an age- and sex-matched general population. Data on survivors was collected from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure psychological distress. Data were analyzed with non-parametric statistics. The final sample included 1,027 CA survivors and 1018 persons from the general population. In both groups, the mean age was 72 years (SD = 4) and 28% were women. The prevalence of anxiety was 9.9% for survivors and 9.5% for the general population, while the corresponding prevalence for depression was 11.3% and 11.5% respectively....
This study examines the association between aerobic capacity and biomarkers of skeletal- and card... more This study examines the association between aerobic capacity and biomarkers of skeletal- and cardiac muscle damage among amateur triathletes after a full distance Ironman. Men and women (N = 55) were recruited from local sport clubs. One month before an Ironman triathlon, they conducted a 20 m shuttle run test to determine aerobic capacity. Blood samples were taken immediately after finishing the triathlon, and analyzed for cardiac Troponin T (cTnT), Myosin heavy chain-a (MHC-a), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), Creatin Kinas (CK), and Myoglobin. Regression models examining the association between the biomarkers and aerobic capacity expressed in both relative terms (mLO2*kg−1*min−1) and absolute terms (LO2*min−1) controlled for weight were fitted. A total of 39 subjects (26% females) had complete data and were included in the analysis. No association between aerobic capacity and cardiac muscle damage was observed. For myoglobin, adding aerobic capacity...
Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society, 2018
Old-generation drug-eluting coronary stents (o-DES) have despite being safe and effective been as... more Old-generation drug-eluting coronary stents (o-DES) have despite being safe and effective been associated with an increased propensity of late stent thrombosis (ST). We evaluated ST rates in o-DES, new-generation DES (n-DES) and bare metal stents (BMS) the first year (< 1 year) and beyond 1 year (> 1 year). We evaluated all implantations with BMS, o-DES (Cordis Cypher, Boston Scientific Taxus Liberté and Medtronic Endeavor) and n-DES in the Swedish coronary angiography and angioplasty registry (SCAAR) between 1 January 2007 and 8 January 2014 (n = 207 291). All cases of ST (n = 2 268) until 31 December 2014 were analyzed. The overall risk of ST was lower in both n-DES and o-DES compared with BMS up to 1 year (n-DES versus BMS: adjusted risk ratio (RR) 0.48 (0.41-0.58) and o-DES versus BMS: 0.56 (0.46-0.67), both p < 0.001). From 1 year after stent implantation and onward, the risk for ST was higher in o-DES compared with BMS [adjusted RR, 1.82 (1.47-2.25], p < 0.001). N-...
The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) aims to measure symptoms of anxiety (HADS Anxiet... more The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) aims to measure symptoms of anxiety (HADS Anxiety) and depression (HADS Depression). The HADS is widely used but has shown ambiguous results both regarding the factor structure and sex differences in the prevalence of depressive symptoms. There is also a lack of psychometric evaluations of the HADS in non-clinical samples of older people. The aim of the study was to evaluate the factor structure of the HADS in a general population 65-80 years old and to exam possible presence of differential item functioning (DIF) with respect to sex. This study was based on data from a Swedish sample, randomized from the total population in the age group 65-80 years (n = 6659). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to examine the factor structure. Ordinal regression analyses were conducted to detect DIF for sex. Reliability was examined by both ordinal as well as traditional Cronbach's alpha. The CFA showed a two-factor model with cro...
A high quality of chest compressions, e.g. sufficient depth (5-6 cm) and rate (100-120 per min), ... more A high quality of chest compressions, e.g. sufficient depth (5-6 cm) and rate (100-120 per min), has been associated with survival. The patient&amp;amp;#39;s underlay affects chest compression depth. Depth and rate can be assessed by feedback systems to guide rescuers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The purpose of this study was to describe the quality of chest compressions by healthcare professionals using real-time audiovisual feedback during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An observational descriptive study was performed including 63 cardiac arrest events with a resuscitation attempt. Data files were recorded by Zoll AED Pro, and reviewed by RescueNet Code Review software. The events were analysed according to depth, rate, quality of chest compressions and underlay. Across events, 12.7% (median) of the compressions had a depth of 5-6 cm. Compression depth of &amp;amp;gt;6 cm was measured in 70.1% (median). The underlay could be identified from the electronic patient records in 54 events. The median compression depth was 4.5 cm (floor) and 6.7 cm (mattress). Across events, 57.5% (median) of the compressions were performed with a median frequency of 100-120 compressions/min and the most common problem was a compression rate of &amp;amp;lt;100 (median=22.3%). Chest compression quality was poor according to the feedback system. However, the distribution of compression depth with regard to underlay points towards overestimation of depth when treating patients on a mattress. Audiovisual feedback devices ought to be further developed. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their devices.
Background The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is an index used to assess the severity of cor... more Background The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is an index used to assess the severity of coronary-artery stenosis. The index has been tested against fractional flow reserve (FFR) in small trials, and the two measures have been found to have similar diagnostic accuracy. However, studies of clinical outcomes associated with the use of iFR are lacking. We aimed to evaluate whether iFR is noninferior to FFR with respect to the rate of subsequent major adverse cardiac events. Methods We conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label clinical trial using the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry for enrollment. A total of 2037 participants with stable angina or an acute coronary syndrome who had an indication for physiologically guided assessment of coronary-artery stenosis were randomly assigned to undergo revascularization guided by either iFR or FFR. The primary end point was the rate of a composite of death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarcti...
Acute myocardial infarction is a very rare event during pregnancy and bears the problem of misdia... more Acute myocardial infarction is a very rare event during pregnancy and bears the problem of misdiagnosis. However, about 150 cases have been published worldwide with a preponderance of anterior wall infarcts. With more women delaying childbearing until an older age and increasing prevalence of smoking in young women, it can be expected that all forms of coronary artery disease--including acute myocardial infarction--will be seen more often in the future. Among the causes of coronary artery occlusion in pregnancy are (1) rupture of very small coronary artery plaques triggered by different events, e.g., hypertension; (2) plain coronary artery disease; (3) dissection of coronary arteries; (4) coronary artery spasms with/without arterial thrombosis. Prompt diagnosis and immediate therapy are necessary to lower the high mortality of mother and fetus. The gold standard in the therapy of acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy is immediate coronary angiography and percutaneous translum...
Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 2013
The question "Is it possible to do less?" and the claim "Less is more!" can b... more The question "Is it possible to do less?" and the claim "Less is more!" can be answered and construed in different ways. One possible interpretation, which is well established in the Swedish health system, is "Accomplishing more (of the things that are important) by doing less (of the things that are dispensable)". Essentially, this is the basis of prioritisation in Swedish health care. While the concept of prioritisation is very well established in Sweden, the discussion about prioritising in Germany has always been difficult. It is, from a Swedish perspective, unclear why, of all things, health care should be exempted from prioritisation which otherwise is a necessity concerning all aspects of human and societal life. Some conditions complicate prioritisation in German health care, including the system of private and statutory health insurance and economic incentives which do not reward procedures based on indications. It will be argued that the Swedi...
Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 2012
Prioritisation of medical services in Sweden takes place on two different levels. On the national... more Prioritisation of medical services in Sweden takes place on two different levels. On the national level, the Swedish priority guidelines ascribe priority values ranging from 1 (high priority) to 10 (low priority) to measures (in terms of condition-treatment pairs) of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, this list contains interventions that should be avoided and those that should only be provided as part of clinical research projects. The government then commissions a multi-professional team under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare "Socialstyelsen" with the development of corresponding guidelines. In addition to the scientific evidence, the priority lists incorporate ethical and economical aspects and are based on the so-called ethics platform consisting of human dignity, needs, solidarity and cost-effectiveness. At the other level of prioritisation there are regional projects aiming at the in...
Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 2009
In the Swedish priority guidelines, as opposed to traditional guidelines issued by professional a... more In the Swedish priority guidelines, as opposed to traditional guidelines issued by professional associations, measures (in terms of condition-treatment pairs) of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases are assigned a priority value of 1 (high priority) through 10 (low priority). In its recent 2008 version this list also comprises procedures that should not be performed and those that should only be performed in the context of research projects. The government commissions the development of this list which will then be elaborated by a multi-professional team under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare. In addition to scientific evidence, the prioritylists incorporate ethical and economical aspects. Examples from the Swedish guidelines will be discussed. The impact and limits of the priority lists will be described.
Knowledge about psychological distress in older cardiac arrest (CA) survivors is sparse, and the ... more Knowledge about psychological distress in older cardiac arrest (CA) survivors is sparse, and the lack of comparisons with general populations make it difficult to draw any strong conclusions about prevalence and potential changes caused by CA. Our aim was to compare psychological distress between older CA survivors and a general population. This study included survivors 65–80 years old and an age- and sex-matched general population. Data on survivors was collected from the Swedish Register of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to measure psychological distress. Data were analyzed with non-parametric statistics. The final sample included 1,027 CA survivors and 1018 persons from the general population. In both groups, the mean age was 72 years (SD = 4) and 28% were women. The prevalence of anxiety was 9.9% for survivors and 9.5% for the general population, while the corresponding prevalence for depression was 11.3% and 11.5% respectively....
This study examines the association between aerobic capacity and biomarkers of skeletal- and card... more This study examines the association between aerobic capacity and biomarkers of skeletal- and cardiac muscle damage among amateur triathletes after a full distance Ironman. Men and women (N = 55) were recruited from local sport clubs. One month before an Ironman triathlon, they conducted a 20 m shuttle run test to determine aerobic capacity. Blood samples were taken immediately after finishing the triathlon, and analyzed for cardiac Troponin T (cTnT), Myosin heavy chain-a (MHC-a), N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), Creatin Kinas (CK), and Myoglobin. Regression models examining the association between the biomarkers and aerobic capacity expressed in both relative terms (mLO2*kg−1*min−1) and absolute terms (LO2*min−1) controlled for weight were fitted. A total of 39 subjects (26% females) had complete data and were included in the analysis. No association between aerobic capacity and cardiac muscle damage was observed. For myoglobin, adding aerobic capacity...
Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society, 2018
Old-generation drug-eluting coronary stents (o-DES) have despite being safe and effective been as... more Old-generation drug-eluting coronary stents (o-DES) have despite being safe and effective been associated with an increased propensity of late stent thrombosis (ST). We evaluated ST rates in o-DES, new-generation DES (n-DES) and bare metal stents (BMS) the first year (< 1 year) and beyond 1 year (> 1 year). We evaluated all implantations with BMS, o-DES (Cordis Cypher, Boston Scientific Taxus Liberté and Medtronic Endeavor) and n-DES in the Swedish coronary angiography and angioplasty registry (SCAAR) between 1 January 2007 and 8 January 2014 (n = 207 291). All cases of ST (n = 2 268) until 31 December 2014 were analyzed. The overall risk of ST was lower in both n-DES and o-DES compared with BMS up to 1 year (n-DES versus BMS: adjusted risk ratio (RR) 0.48 (0.41-0.58) and o-DES versus BMS: 0.56 (0.46-0.67), both p < 0.001). From 1 year after stent implantation and onward, the risk for ST was higher in o-DES compared with BMS [adjusted RR, 1.82 (1.47-2.25], p < 0.001). N-...
The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) aims to measure symptoms of anxiety (HADS Anxiet... more The HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) aims to measure symptoms of anxiety (HADS Anxiety) and depression (HADS Depression). The HADS is widely used but has shown ambiguous results both regarding the factor structure and sex differences in the prevalence of depressive symptoms. There is also a lack of psychometric evaluations of the HADS in non-clinical samples of older people. The aim of the study was to evaluate the factor structure of the HADS in a general population 65-80 years old and to exam possible presence of differential item functioning (DIF) with respect to sex. This study was based on data from a Swedish sample, randomized from the total population in the age group 65-80 years (n = 6659). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to examine the factor structure. Ordinal regression analyses were conducted to detect DIF for sex. Reliability was examined by both ordinal as well as traditional Cronbach's alpha. The CFA showed a two-factor model with cro...
A high quality of chest compressions, e.g. sufficient depth (5-6 cm) and rate (100-120 per min), ... more A high quality of chest compressions, e.g. sufficient depth (5-6 cm) and rate (100-120 per min), has been associated with survival. The patient&amp;amp;#39;s underlay affects chest compression depth. Depth and rate can be assessed by feedback systems to guide rescuers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The purpose of this study was to describe the quality of chest compressions by healthcare professionals using real-time audiovisual feedback during in-hospital cardiopulmonary resuscitation. An observational descriptive study was performed including 63 cardiac arrest events with a resuscitation attempt. Data files were recorded by Zoll AED Pro, and reviewed by RescueNet Code Review software. The events were analysed according to depth, rate, quality of chest compressions and underlay. Across events, 12.7% (median) of the compressions had a depth of 5-6 cm. Compression depth of &amp;amp;gt;6 cm was measured in 70.1% (median). The underlay could be identified from the electronic patient records in 54 events. The median compression depth was 4.5 cm (floor) and 6.7 cm (mattress). Across events, 57.5% (median) of the compressions were performed with a median frequency of 100-120 compressions/min and the most common problem was a compression rate of &amp;amp;lt;100 (median=22.3%). Chest compression quality was poor according to the feedback system. However, the distribution of compression depth with regard to underlay points towards overestimation of depth when treating patients on a mattress. Audiovisual feedback devices ought to be further developed. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their devices.
Background The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is an index used to assess the severity of cor... more Background The instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) is an index used to assess the severity of coronary-artery stenosis. The index has been tested against fractional flow reserve (FFR) in small trials, and the two measures have been found to have similar diagnostic accuracy. However, studies of clinical outcomes associated with the use of iFR are lacking. We aimed to evaluate whether iFR is noninferior to FFR with respect to the rate of subsequent major adverse cardiac events. Methods We conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label clinical trial using the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry for enrollment. A total of 2037 participants with stable angina or an acute coronary syndrome who had an indication for physiologically guided assessment of coronary-artery stenosis were randomly assigned to undergo revascularization guided by either iFR or FFR. The primary end point was the rate of a composite of death from any cause, nonfatal myocardial infarcti...
Acute myocardial infarction is a very rare event during pregnancy and bears the problem of misdia... more Acute myocardial infarction is a very rare event during pregnancy and bears the problem of misdiagnosis. However, about 150 cases have been published worldwide with a preponderance of anterior wall infarcts. With more women delaying childbearing until an older age and increasing prevalence of smoking in young women, it can be expected that all forms of coronary artery disease--including acute myocardial infarction--will be seen more often in the future. Among the causes of coronary artery occlusion in pregnancy are (1) rupture of very small coronary artery plaques triggered by different events, e.g., hypertension; (2) plain coronary artery disease; (3) dissection of coronary arteries; (4) coronary artery spasms with/without arterial thrombosis. Prompt diagnosis and immediate therapy are necessary to lower the high mortality of mother and fetus. The gold standard in the therapy of acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy is immediate coronary angiography and percutaneous translum...
Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 2013
The question "Is it possible to do less?" and the claim "Less is more!" can b... more The question "Is it possible to do less?" and the claim "Less is more!" can be answered and construed in different ways. One possible interpretation, which is well established in the Swedish health system, is "Accomplishing more (of the things that are important) by doing less (of the things that are dispensable)". Essentially, this is the basis of prioritisation in Swedish health care. While the concept of prioritisation is very well established in Sweden, the discussion about prioritising in Germany has always been difficult. It is, from a Swedish perspective, unclear why, of all things, health care should be exempted from prioritisation which otherwise is a necessity concerning all aspects of human and societal life. Some conditions complicate prioritisation in German health care, including the system of private and statutory health insurance and economic incentives which do not reward procedures based on indications. It will be argued that the Swedi...
Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 2012
Prioritisation of medical services in Sweden takes place on two different levels. On the national... more Prioritisation of medical services in Sweden takes place on two different levels. On the national level, the Swedish priority guidelines ascribe priority values ranging from 1 (high priority) to 10 (low priority) to measures (in terms of condition-treatment pairs) of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. In addition, this list contains interventions that should be avoided and those that should only be provided as part of clinical research projects. The government then commissions a multi-professional team under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare "Socialstyelsen" with the development of corresponding guidelines. In addition to the scientific evidence, the priority lists incorporate ethical and economical aspects and are based on the so-called ethics platform consisting of human dignity, needs, solidarity and cost-effectiveness. At the other level of prioritisation there are regional projects aiming at the in...
Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen, 2009
In the Swedish priority guidelines, as opposed to traditional guidelines issued by professional a... more In the Swedish priority guidelines, as opposed to traditional guidelines issued by professional associations, measures (in terms of condition-treatment pairs) of prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases are assigned a priority value of 1 (high priority) through 10 (low priority). In its recent 2008 version this list also comprises procedures that should not be performed and those that should only be performed in the context of research projects. The government commissions the development of this list which will then be elaborated by a multi-professional team under the supervision of the National Board of Health and Welfare. In addition to scientific evidence, the prioritylists incorporate ethical and economical aspects. Examples from the Swedish guidelines will be discussed. The impact and limits of the priority lists will be described.
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Papers by Jörg Carlsson