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Social and economic background influences survival in intensive care: Research with societal impact

Social and economic background influences survival in intensive care: Research with societal impact

18 August 2026

A large-scale study by researchers from Maastricht UMC+ and Amsterdam UMC demonstrates that lower socioeconomic status (SES) of patients admitted to Dutch intensive care units contributes to worse survival.

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Fatma Karapinar appointed as Professor in Medication Safety

Fatma Karapinar appointed as Professor in Medication Safety

12 August 2026

As of 1 June 2026, Dr Fatma Karapinar has been appointed Professor of Medication Safety at Maastricht University.

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Carim Maastricht
Carim Maastricht

Christian Knackstedt

Associate professor

Dr Christian Knackstedt was born in in Giessen (Germany). After completing his secondary school (Gymnasium) in Münster, he started his medical training at the University of Münster, Germany. During his studies, he spent some time abroad in France, Switzerland, and the US and finally obtained his medical degree.

After an interim position at the Department of Cardiology, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum, Bad Oeynhausen, he soon moved to the University Hospital at the RWTH Aachen University where he pursued his formation as internist and cardiologist. Also, he succeeded in obtaining his German 'promotion' and later 'habilitation' besides passing the board examinations for internal medicine, cardiology and sport medicine. Gaining some more expertise in the field of sport cardiology as a senior physician at the Institute of Cardiology and Sports medicine, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany, he finally returned to his roots as a clinical cardiologist at Maastricht UMC+. He now holds a position as senior physician with an expertise in heart failure.

My research interest has always been the niche between heart failure and imaging/ mostly echocardiography. One of the topics I am currently interested in, is early detection of cardiac dysfunction. This goes hand in hand with the application of new echocardiographic techniques in the clinical practice. Also, I have been engaged and involved in research activities to improve therapy of heart failure by different means.

Christian-knackstedt

Department of Cardiology
Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER Maastricht
PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht

  • 2026
    • Ektare, V., Simons, C., Johannesen, K., Krause, T., Zema, C. L., Buisman, L. R., Treur, M., Moura, A., Dasari, M., Verkaik, M., van de Wetering, G., Pronk, L., Pompen, M., Li, X., Contente, M., Knackstedt, C., & Hurst, M. (2026). A global model for symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy to assess the cost-effectiveness of mavacamten: results from a Dutch societal perspective. Journal of Medical Economics, 29(1), 1595-1616. https://doi.org/10.1080/13696998.2026.2675850
    • Sikking, M. A., Peisker, F., Maatz, H., Lopez-Anguita, N., Hazebroek, M. R., Henkens, M. T. H. M., Raafs, A. G., Heymans, A. B. M., Stroeks, S. L. V. M., Abdul Hamid, M. A., Li, X., Vicenzetto, C., Caforio, A. L. P., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Knackstedt, C., van Paassen, P., van Empel, V. P. M., Hubner, N., Verdonschot, J. A. J., & Heymans, S. R. B. (2026). Improved outcome up to 10 years after intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. European journal of heart failure. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejhf/xuag134
    • Philip, M., Dumonceau, R. G., Citro, R., Cosyns, B., Donal, E., Erba, P. A., Gouriet, F., Iung, B., Kong, W. K. F., Lancellotti, P., Maggioni, A., Mancini, J., Popescu, B. A., Prendergast, B., Sambola, A., Sengupta, S. P., Timoteo, A., Tribouilloy, C., van Melle, J. P., ... Habib, G. (2026). Clinical characteristics, management and outcomes of enterococcal infective endocarditis: an ancillary study from the ESC-EORP EURO-ENDO registry. European heart journal - Quality of care & clinical outcomes, 12(3), 308-321. https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaf145
    • Weerts, J., Voorrips, S. N., Jeneson, J. A. L., Barandiaran Aizpurua, A., Mevenkamp, J., Sibeijn-Kuiper, A. J., Renken, R. J., Schroen, B. L. M., Knackstedt, C., Houben, A. J. H. M., van der Meer, P., Schrauwen-Hinderling, V. B., Westenbrink, B. D., & van Empel, V. P. M. (2026). Quantifying skeletal muscle energy metabolism during exercise in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction using in vivo <SUP>31</SUP>P magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Esc heart failure, 13(2), Article xvaf035. https://doi.org/10.1093/eschf/xvaf035
    • Schoonvelde, S. A. C., Zwetsloot, P.-P., Hirsch, A., Schinkel, A. F. L., Knackstedt, C., Germans, T., van Slegtenhorst, M. A., Verhagen, J. M. A., de Boer, R. A., & Michels, M. (2026). Accelerometry-defined physical activity and quality of life in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Heart, 112(6), 333-340. Article 326217. https://doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2025-326217
    • Raafs, A. G., Verdonschot, J. A. J., Knackstedt, C., Nijveldt, R., & Heymans, S. R. B. (2026). Clinical and prognostic impact of left atrial strain in non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging, 42(2), 175-193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-025-03597-2
    • Lewis, G. D., Garcia-Pavia, P., Masri, A., Merkely, B., Nassif, M. E., Peña-Peña, M. L., Barriales-Villa, R., Bilen, O., Burroughs, M., Claggett, B., Costabel, J. P., de Barros Correia, E., Dybro, A. M., Kulac, I. J., Lakdawala, N. K., Mann, A., Maron, M. S., McGinnis, S., Nair, A., ... MAPLE-HCM Investigators (2026). Exercise Performance With Aficamten vs Metoprolol in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy The MAPLE-HCM Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Cardiology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2026.1730
    • Venner, M. F. G. H. M., Verdonschot, J. A. J., & Knackstedt, C. (2026). Letter to the editor: Diastolic dysfunction as predictive parameter for the development of post-TIPS cardiac decompensation. International Journal of Cardiology, 442, Article 133886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2025.133886
    • Mourmans, S. G. J., Achten, A., Weerts, J., Scheepers, M., Barandiarán Aizpurua, A., Henkens, M., Uszko-Lencer, N., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Knackstedt, C., & van Empel, V. P. M. (2026). The diagnostic yield of an elaborate workup for comorbidities in a real-life heart failure with preserved ejection fraction outpatient population. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 33(2), 276-285. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf429
  • 2025
    • Weerts, J., Aizpurua, A. B., Patel, R. B., van de Bovenkamp, A. A., Amin, H., Sanders-van Wijk, S., Mourmans, S. G. J., Achten, A., Handoko, M. L., Bayes-Genis, A., Brunner-La Rocca, H.-P., Shah, S. J., Knackstedt, C., & van Empel, V. P. M. (2025). A simplified approach for diagnosing heart failure with preserved ejection fraction by assessing the left atrium and natriuretic peptides. European journal of heart failure, 27(12), 2897-2902. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.3651
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