The peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) represents a specific, but stressful therapy for hemato-oncological diseases. While for adults, data suggest positive eff ects for a supportive sport therapy, this question is not evaluated sufficiently for children. The objective of this study was to examine the integration of sports activity into pediatric PBSCT and to indicate attainable results. This 2-step case-control-study included 23 children and adolescents from the PBSCT: During the isolation phase 13 patients trained 3 times per week on a cycle ergometer and passed a course with different sports equipment. Apart from recording physiologic adaptations, quality of live was inquired in a pre-post design using questionnaires. Guided interviews according to necessity and requirements for sports activity at the PBSCT unit completed the evaluation and were used for the intervention as well as for the control group (n = 10) without sports therapy. On the ergometer, patients trained average 25 min with 0.6 watt / kg. In the majority, a loss of muscular power could be avoided. Quality of life and fatigue symptoms improved by trend. Interview analysis showed general acceptance of physical activity during PBSCT. After initial skepticism due to the additional burden, our implementation study showed the feasibility of supportive sports therapy in PBSCT. Quality and flexibility of the equipment should be higher than normal and different physical and psychological conditions of the patients should be anticipated and integrated into the training program.

Introduction Stroke volume variation (SVV) has repeatedly been shown to be a reliable predictor of fluid responsiveness. Various devices allow automated clinical assessment of SVV. The aim of the present study was to compare prediction of fluid responsiveness using SVV, as determined by the FloTrac™/ Vigileo™ system and the PiCCOplus™ system.

The overarching goals of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) are to enable European citizens to lead healthy, active and independent lives whilst ageing. The EIP on AHA includes 74 Reference Sites. The aim of this study was to transfer innovation from an app developed by the MACVIA-France EIP on AHA reference site (Allergy Diary) to other reference sites. The phenotypic characteristics of rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity in adults and the elderly will be compared using validated information and communication technology (ICT) tools (i.e. the Allergy Diary and CARAT: Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test) in 22 Reference Sites or regions across Europe. This will improve the understanding, assessment of burden, diagnosis and management of rhinitis in the elderly by comparison with an adult population. Specific objectives will be: (i) to assess the percentage of adults and elderly who are able to use the Allergy Diary, (ii) to study the phenotypic characteristics and treatment over a 1-year period of rhinitis and asthma multimorbidity at baseline (cross-sectional study) and (iii) to follow-up using visual analogue scale (VAS). This part of the study may provide some insight into the differences between the elderly and adults in terms of response to treatment and practice. Finally (iv) work productivity will be examined in adults.

Introduction The FloTrac/Vigileo™ (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) allows pulse pressure-derived cardiac output measurement without external calibration. Software modifications were performed in order to eliminate initially observed deficits. The aim of this study was to assess changes in cardiac output determined by the FloTrac/Vigileo™ system (FCO) with an initially released (FCOA) and a modified (FCOB) software version, as well as changes in cardiac output from the PiCCOplus™ system (PCO; Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany). Both devices were compared with cardiac output measured by intermittent thermodilution (ICO). Methods Cardiac output measurements were performed in patients after elective cardiac surgery. Two sets of data (A and B) were obtained using FCOA and FCOB in 50 patients. After calibration of the PiCCOplus™ system, triplicate FCO and PCO values were recorded and ICO was determined in the supine position and cardiac output changes due to body positioning were recorded 15 minutes later (30° head-up, 30° head-down, supine). Student's t test, analysis of variance and Bland-Altman analysis were calculated. Results Significant changes of FCO, PCO and ICO induced by body positioning were observed in both data sets. For set A, ΔFCOA was significantly larger than ΔICO induced by positioning the head down. For set B, there were no significant differences between ΔFCOB and ΔICO. For set A, increased limits of agreement were found for FCOA-ICO when compared with PCO-ICO. For set B, mean bias and limits of agreement were comparable for FCOB-ICO and PCO-ICO. Conclusions The modification of the FloTrac/Vigileo™ system resulted in an improved performance in order to reliably assess cardiac output and track the related changes in patients after cardiac surgery.