Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr.med.univ. Fritz Sterz

Associate Professor, Internal Medicine

Work address
Department of Emergency Medicine
Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 6D
1090 Vienna, Austria

Phone: +43 (0)1 40400 - 19640
Fax: +43 (0)1 40400 - 19650
E-Mail: fritz.sterz@meduniwien.ac.at 

 
Know-how and research interests
Our Resuscitation Research Group focuses on cardiac arrest and resuscitation research in a bench-to-bedside approach. Pathogenic processes of global ischaemic cell damage to the brain and the rest of the body are being explored. Therapeutic concepts, including emergency preservation and resuscitation (EPR) and extracorporeal life support (ECLS) for controlled reperfusion conditions are investigated. This research is conducted in an experimental setup in both a cardiac arrest model in rats and in pigs, as well as in the clinical setting of our emergency medical department. A special interest goes into therapeutic hypothermia as most promising concept in attenuating reperfusion injury. As a result, the systematic workup of induction and maintenance of mild hypothermia in the pig and later the humane patient led to the development, patenting and marketing of EMCOOLS surface cooling device.

Research topic (general title)

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and hypothermia research

Techniques and infrastructure of the research group
Experimental animal research is being performed at the Institute of Biomedical Research, Medical University Vienna. The institute provides animal housing and operation theatre as well as technicians during regular working time, while our team supports all necessary equipment and know-how for small and large animal anaesthesia, intubation and ventilation, instrumentation and post-intervention intensive care and monitoring. Our experimental repertoire includes a ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest model with long-term survival both in rats and in pigs. Resuscitation techniques include conventional chest compressions as well as miniaturized cardiopulmonary bypass set for ECLS resuscitation. Outcome assessment includes neurologic evaluation and behavioral testing, e.g. by Morris Water Maze, performed by our veterinary scientist Dr. Wolfgang Weihs. Histopathologic workup is conducted by Dr. Sandra Högler, scientist of the Vienna Veterinary University, and a lab technician. Haemodynamic monitoring includes coronary perfusion pressure, carotid flow and coronary direct blood flow velocity measurements, as well as standard intensive care monitoring. In our latest approach, brain metabolism is being evaluated by microdialysis of cerebral fluid for interstitial lactate and pyruvate levels in selectively vulnerable brain regions.

5 selected publications

• Janata A., et al. Cold aortic flush and chest compressions enable good neurologic outcome after 15 min of ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest in pigs. Critical Care Medicine 38:1637-1643; 2010
  
  
• Högler S., et al. Distribution of neuropathological lesions in pig brains after different durations of cardiac arrest. Resuscitation 81:1577-1583; 2010
  
  
• Schratter A., et al. New conventional long term survival normovolemic cardiac arrest pig model. Resuscitation 82:90-96; 2011
  
  
• Weihs W., et al. The importance of surface area for the cooling efficacy of mild therapeutic hypothermia. Resuscitation 82:74-78; 2011
  
  
• Weihs W., et al. Rapid induction of hypothermia with a small volume aortic flush during cardiac arrest in pigs. American Journal of Emergency Medicine 30:643-650, 2012