Freiburg doctor honored with the esteemed Adolf Kußmaul Award

Freiburg doctor honored with the esteemed Adolf Kußmaul Award

In a groundbreaking development for liver cirrhosis patients undergoing a life-saving procedure known as a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), Dr. Lukas Sturm has been honoured with the Adolf-Kußmaul Prize by the Southwest German Society for Gastroenterology. The award, worth 5,000 euros, recognises Dr. Sturm's exceptional clinical research on risk assessment for these patients.

The FIPS (Freiburg Index of Post-TIPS Survival) is a new risk assessment tool Dr. Sturm developed to evaluate the risk of complications such as infections or acute-on-chronic liver failure after the TIPS procedure. The FIPS score takes into account key clinical parameters like bilirubin, albumin, creatinine, and age, all of which are associated with the severity of liver dysfunction and patient prognosis in advanced chronic liver disease.

The FIPS score has been externally validated in TIPS patient populations and has proven effective in stratifying patients into different risk groups for survival after TIPS. For instance, retrospective analyses demonstrated that patients in the low-risk FIPS category had significantly better survival when treated with TIPS compared to alternative therapies like paracentesis, while high-risk patients did not show survival benefit from TIPS over other treatments.

By quantifying post-TIPS survival probability, the FIPS score aids individualized therapy planning by helping clinicians decide whether TIPS is the optimal therapy for a given patient, particularly in borderline or high-risk cases. It facilitates a more nuanced assessment beyond traditional scores and clinical judgment, guiding organ allocation and therapeutic decisions to maximize patient outcomes in liver cirrhosis with portal hypertension.

Dr. Sturm led a study involving eight German clinics and a total of 1,359 patients, using the FIPS to assess the risk of complications after the TIPS procedure. The study's findings were aimed at improving the survival chances of severely ill patients undergoing the TIPS procedure. The results suggest that the FIPS can help improve the survival chances of severely ill patients undergoing the TIPS procedure.

Dr. Sturm, the deputy section head in the Clinic for Internal Medicine II of the University Hospital Freiburg, expressed his delight about the recognition of his research and its impact on patient safety. Prof. Dr. Robert Thimme, the Medical Director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine II at the University Hospital Freiburg, praised Dr. Sturm's work, stating it directly contributes to improving patient care.

The study, conducted at the Clinic for Internal Medicine II of the University Hospital Freiburg, with Prof. Dr. Dominik Bettinger serving as the scientific director of the TIPS section, took place over several years. The award ceremony took place during the 35th anniversary conference of the society on July 4, 2025.

The FIPS score not only provides prognostic information but also helps identify which patients are likely to benefit most from the TIPS procedure versus alternative management options. This makes the FIPS score a valuable tool in the management of cirrhosis patients requiring portal decompression interventions. Its potential use extends beyond TIPS, including acute decompensation scenarios.

In summary, the FIPS score predicts mortality risk post-TIPS using routine clinical variables, differentiates patients who benefit from TIPS versus alternative treatments, supports individualized therapeutic decision-making and risk stratification, and has the potential to improve patient outcomes for those with liver cirrhosis requiring portal decompression interventions.

[1] Bettinger, D., Sturm, L., Thimme, R. et al. The Freiburg Index of Post-TIPS Survival (FIPS): a novel clinical scoring tool for risk assessment after TIPS in decompensated cirrhosis. Liver Int (2022). https://doi.org/10.1111/liv.15177 [2] Sturm, L., Bettinger, D., Thimme, R. et al. The Freiburg Index of Post-TIPS Survival (FIPS): a novel clinical scoring tool for risk assessment after TIPS in decompensated cirrhosis. Journal of Hepatology (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2022.05.038

1. The new risk assessment tool, FIPS (Freiburg Index of Post-TIPS Survival), developed by Dr. Lukas Sturm, is based on key clinical parameters like bilirubin, albumin, creatinine, and age.
2. The FIPS score also takes into account the severity of liver dysfunction and patient prognosis in advanced chronic liver disease.
3. The FIPS score has been proven effective in stratifying patients into different risk groups for survival after TIPS.
4. Retrospective analyses demonstrated that patients in the low-risk FIPS category had significantly better survival when treated with TIPS compared to alternative therapies.
5. By quantifying post-TIPS survival probability, the FIPS score aids individualized therapy planning.
6. The FIPS score helps clinicians decide whether TIPS is the optimal therapy for a given patient, particularly in borderline or high-risk cases.
7. The FIPS score not only provides prognostic information but also helps identify which patients are likely to benefit most from the TIPS procedure versus alternative management options.
8. The FIPS score predicts mortality risk post-TIPS using routine clinical variables.
9. The FIPS score is a valuable tool in the management of cirrhosis patients requiring portal decompression interventions.
10. Its potential use extends beyond TIPS, including acute decompensation scenarios.
11. Dr. Sturm's work directly contributes to improving patient care, as stated by Prof. Dr. Robert Thimme, the Medical Director of the Clinic for Internal Medicine II at the University Hospital Freiburg.
12. The award recognizes Dr. Sturm's exceptional clinical research on risk assessment for TIPS patients, culminating in the development of the FIPS score.
13. The FIPS score has been externally validated in TIPS patient populations.
14. The study's findings suggest that the FIPS can help improve the survival chances of severely ill patients undergoing the TIPS procedure.
15. The study involved eight German clinics and a total of 1,359 patients, and took place over several years at the Clinic for Internal Medicine II of the University Hospital Freiburg.
16. The FIPS score can have implications not only in the realm of science and medicine but also in health and wellness, workplace-wellness, and patient-centered care, including mentoring programs for parents, weight management, and mental health. It could potentially be integrated with other therapies, treatments, and interventions, such as fitness and exercise, nutrition, sleep, and even digital therapies. Furthermore, considering the increasing impact of climate change on health, the FIPS score could also contribute to environmental science research.

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