Individualised stent therapy 35 years after the first stent implantation

Since 1986, the rapid technological development of coronary stents has revolutionised cardiac care of patients with myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. Today’s stents are mostly designed as all-rounders, but  knowledge about specific stent features is essential for a tailored approach to treating challenging coronary lesions.

Feasibility, acceptability and needs in telemedicine for palliative care

Despite a broad range of studies on telemedicine in palliative care, patients’ needs are rarely addressed. Therefore, especially in countries such as Switzerland, a needs assessment is recommended before the implementation of a new telemedicine intervention, to guarantee high feasibility and acceptability.

Post-bariatric contour deformity correction: an endeavour to establish objective criteria nationally

A marked increase in bariatric surgery has led to higher numbers of patients with contour deformities after massive weight loss seeking plastic surgical correction. Insurance coverage for these post-bariatric interventions is highly subjective and a common set of objective criteria has not yet been established.

Swiss general internal medicine board examination: quantitative effects of publicly available and unavailable questions on question difficulty and test performance

This study provides the quantitative evidence that the public availability of questions has a decisive influence on question difficulty and thus on SSGIM board examination performance. Reducing the number of publicly available questions in the examination by introducing confidential, high-quality Helvetic questions contributes to the validity of the board examination by addressing higher order cognitive skills and making rote-learning strategies less effective.

Suicides and ambient temperature in Switzerland:  A nationwide time-series analysis

The findings presented here suggest that increasing temperatures could be considered a risk factor for suicidal behaviour in Switzerland. Knowledge of the profile of people committing suicide could help us to understand the mechanisms behind this association and thus support policymakers in suicide prevention.

Basic life support knowledge among Swiss conscripts: a national multicentre survey

Knowledge of the emergency phone number and BLS principles was poor among Swiss conscripts participating in the study. However, their awareness and motivation is high. The effect of training during boot camp should be evaluated in further studies. Focusing on BLS training is essential and should be promoted in educational and professional contexts.

Acute abdominal emergency due to infectious enteritis: an observational study comparing Campylobacter spp. to other enteric pathogens in children

A subset of patients with Campylobacter spp. gastroenteritis presents as an acute abdominal emergency. The presentation of these patients was characterised mainly by the nature of the associated abdominal pain.

Increasing prevalence of obesity and diabetes among patients evaluated for liver transplantation in a Swiss tertiary referral center: a 10-year retrospective analysis

The prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus significantly increased over our study period. Obese patients had similar chances of being listed. The landscape of liver transplantation indications is shifting towards NAFLD, highlighting the urgent need to prevent NAFLD progression.

Observational study of suicide in Switzerland: comparison between psychiatric in- and outpatients

Based on data from a clinical committee reviewing every death by suicide of psychiatric patients in the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland), this observational study aimed to gain knowledge on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of psychiatric patients who died by suicide by comparing in- and outpatients.