Adverse drug events (ADE) occur frequently during treatment with vitamin K antagonists (AVK) and contribute to increase hemorrhagic risks. A retrospective study was conducted over a period of 2 years. Patients treated with AVK and admitted to the emergency room of a tertiary care hospital in Beirut were included. The ...

We aimed to document the drug management of patients at high cardiovascular risk in daily practice, with the special focus on lipid-lowering treatment. In this prospective noninterventional study in 2387 outpatient centers throughout Germany, a total of 13,942 high-risk patients (mean age 65.7 years, 61.6% males) were treated with simvastatin ...

To evaluate the safety of besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension 0.6% when used in laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) prophylactic antibiotic regimens. Retrospective surveillance of LASIK surgery cases where besifloxacin ophthalmic suspension 0.6% or moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution 0.5% were prescribed as prophylactic medications. Surgeons from nine US surgical centers provided retrospective case ...

Despite major advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), in-stent restenosis (ISR) remains a therapeutic challenge. We sought to compare the mid-term clinical outcomes after treatment with repeat drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation ("DES sandwich" technique) with DES placement in the bare-metal stent (DES-in-BMS) in a "real world" setting. We retrospectively identified ...

ABSTRACTObjectives:Injection drug users (IDUs) often undergo procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) as part of emergency department (ED) treatment. We compared adverse events (AEs) using a variety of sedation regimens.Methods:This was a retrospective analysis of a PSA safety audit in two urban EDs. Consecutive self-reported IDUs were identified, and structured data ...

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are often treated with aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics during infective pulmonary exacerbations. Achieving pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) targets to improve outcomes and counteract resistance is paramount. PURPOSE: The primary objective was to compare the number of pediatric CF patients achieving AG PK/PD targets when a clinical ...

In Japan, a lower maintenance dose of ticlopidine is used than in the United States and Europe. Therefore a lower maintenance dose of clopidogrel may also be considered appropriate in Japanese patients. The present randomized pilot study evaluated the efficacy and safety of 50 mg clopidogrel in Japanese patients who ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate a possible alternative to epidural anesthesia/analgesia. The authors compared thoracic epidural anesthesia/analgesia with continuous wound infiltration anesthesia/analgesia in patients scheduled for mini-invasive abdominal aortic surgery in a fast-track setting. DESIGN: A prospective randomized study. SETTING: A university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty patients ...

Stent thrombosis is a major clinical problem associated with a high rate of mortality.(1,2) The development of drug-eluting stents (DES) has significantly reduced restenosis compared with bare metal stents (BMS) due to the antiproliferative agents inhibiting vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) proliferation. However, the rate of stent thrombosis associated with DES ...

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of three different types of anaesthesia on perioperative bleeding control and to analyse the mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate in patients undergoing endoscopic paranasal sinus surgery. Ninety patients (30 women and 60 men, aged 18-85 years) scheduled to undergo ...

Abstract Objective: Severe iron deficiency resulting in anemia is a common problem during pregnancy and in menstruating women. Several choices for IV iron replacement therapies exist and increased pressures on budgets may require cheaper 'iron sucrose similar' (ISS) to be used. In our practice, an iron sucrose similar (Ferex®; ISS(FRX)) ...

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the incidence of reocclusion and identification of predictors of angiographic failure after successful chronic total occlusion (CTO) drug-eluting stent-supported percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: Large registries have shown a survival benefit in patients with successful CTO PCI. Intuitively, sustained vessel patency may be considered ...

OBJECTIVETo assess the effect of two hypoglycemic drugs on ischemic preconditioning (IPC) patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD).RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe performed a prospective study of 96 consecutive patients allocated into two groups: 42 to group repaglinide (R) and 54 to group vilgagliptin (V). All patients ...

Refractory chronic GVHD (cGVHD) remains a major cause of morbidity after transplantation. Many drugs are used but there is no consensus on the standard of care. We investigated the efficacy of TLI in corticosteroid-refractory cGVHD. We analyzed retrospectively 31 patients receiving one or more TLI session for refractory cGVHD from ...

BACKGROUND: Most patients undergoing caesarean delivery with general anaesthesia require systemic opioid administration. Due to its rapid onset and long duration of action, intravenous methadone may make it suitable for analgesia after caesarean delivery. Intraoperative methadone combined with postoperative intravenous patient-controlled analgesia with fentanyl or morphine has recently been introduced ...

BACKGROUND: /st>Paracetamol formulations provide effective analgesia after surgery [Duggan ST, Scott LJ. Intravenous paracetamol (acetominophen). Drugs 2009; 69: 101-13; Toms L, McQuay HJ, Derry S, Moore RA. Single dose oral paracetamol (acetaminophen) for postoperative pain in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008: CD004602]. I.V. paracetamol is superior to oral for ...

The two newer antiplatelet drugs, prasugrel and ticagrelor have both been incorporated in various national guidelines and are both under consideration for approval or have already been approved by various drug regulatory authorities. Mortality benefits with clopidogrel were comparable to newer anti-platelets, and prasugrel had great anti-ischemic potency than ticagrelor. ...

Background: Early extubation is implemented in cardiothoracic units worldwide for its advantages such as decreased mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization costs. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate potential factors which may affect extubation time. Methods: The records of 334 eligible patients who underwent elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in ...

The best way to manage restenosis in patients who have previously received a drug-eluting stent is unknown. We investigated the efficacy of paclitaxel-eluting balloons (PEB), paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES), and balloon angioplasty in these patients. In this randomised, open-label trial, we enrolled patients older than 18 years with restenosis of at ...

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) can be used to correct volume loss associated with periorbital aging. Objective: To report and compare the ef!cacy and safety of HA used to treat tear trough deformities with two different injection techniques. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center study of 81 patients comparing ...

Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation is invariably associated with a reflex sympathetic pressor response resulting in elevated heart rate and blood pressures. This may prove detrimental in high risk patients. Objective of this study is to compare the effects of lignocaine and fentanyl in attenuation of this pressor response to laryngoscopy ...

AIM: To compare efficacy (intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction) and safety of preservative-free latanoprost (T2345) to benzalkonium chloride (BAK)-preserved latanoprost (BPL; Xalatan) in ocular hypertension (OHT) or primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. METHODS: Prospective, international, multicentre, randomised, investigator-masked, parallel-group trial. After a wash-out period, POAG or OHT patients, previously managed ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:Antiplatelet drug resistance has been associated with thromboembolic complications in patients after coronary stent placement. It has not been well-studied in patients who have neurovascular stent-placement procedures. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between antiplatelet drug resistance and neurovascular stent-placement complications.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A prospective data base of ...

The aim of our study was to compare single incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) and conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC) with respect to clinical outcomes. Patients with less than a 28 body mass index (BMI) and a benign gall bladder disease were enrolled in this study. From January 2011 to February 2012, ...

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention for lesions with small vessel diameter may have high event rates. Although drug-eluting stents reduce the risk of restenosis, the long-term efficacy of drug-eluting stent implantation in small vessels is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed the data of Cypher Stent Japan Post-Marketing Surveillance Registry including ...

Vitamin K antagonists (e.g. warfarin) are commonly underutilised, due to limitations such as the need for monitoring, in high-risk atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. We therefore aimed to model the potential impact on clinical outcomes in patients with AF with the use of the novel oral anticoagulant (OAC) drugs, apixaban and ...

OBJECTIVES:Colectomy rates for ulcerative colitis (UC) have been inconsistently reported. We assessed temporal trends of colectomy rates for UC, stratified by emergent vs. elective colectomy indication.METHODS:From 1997 to 2009, we identified adults hospitalized for a flare of UC. Medical charts were reviewed. Temporal changes were evaluated using linear regression models ...

BACKGROUND: This prospective multicenter registry used intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with definite stent thrombosis (ST) to compare rates of incomplete stent apposition (ISA), stent fracture and stent expansion in patients treated with drug-eluting (DES) versus bare metal (BMS) stents. ST is a rare, but potential life threatening event after ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of covering open wounds with a polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet and a fibrin glue spray after partial glossectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We clinically evaluated postoperative pain and scar contracture in 44 patients who underwent partial glossectomy followed by covering ...

BACKGROUND: EXAGGERATED NEOINTIMAL HYPERPLASIA IS CONSIDERED AS THE PRIMARY MECHANISM FOR INCREASED RESTENOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS (DM) TREATED WITH BARE-METAL STENT. HOWEVER, THE VESSEL RESPONSE IN DM AND NON-DM TREATED WITH DIFFERENT DRUG-ELUTING STENTS (DES) HAS NOT BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATED.METHODS AND RESULTS: WE INVESTIGATED 3D INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND (POSTPROCEDURE ...

BACKGROUND:Despite the uncertainty surrounding the safety of switching warfarin formulations, limited data exist on the resource use and costs associated with this switching pattern.OBJECTIVE:To evaluate health care resource use and costs associated with switching warfarin formulations among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in a managed care organization.METHODS:Patients diagnosed with AF ...

BACKGROUND/AIM: Timed interval cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling by indwelling catheterization can be a valuable corroborative tool for the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic assessment of drugs. CSF sampling in studies on drug candidates for Alzheimer's disease have been conducted in evaluations of the biomarkers acetylcholine (ACh), tau proteins, amyloid precursor protein and ...

BACKGROUND:: The efficacy of urinary biomarkers for predicting adverse clinical outcomes in drug-induced chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis (D-CTIN) has not been well described. METHODS:: A total of 54 patients with D-CTIN were prospectively followed-up in this study. The urinary excretion of α1-microglobulin and transforming growth factor-β1 and the activity of urinary ...

Background: A newly-developed vasopressin type 2 receptor antagonist, tolvaptan (TLV), has a unique feature of diuresis, but the response to this drug can be unpredictable. Methods and Results: Data were collected from hospitalized patients with decompensated congestive heart failure who were administered TLV at 3.75-15mg/day (n=61). A responder/non-responder to TLV was determined ...

Object Awake craniotomy for removal of intraaxial tumors within or adjacent to eloquent brain regions is a well-established procedure. However, awake craniotomy failures have not been well characterized. In the present study, the authors aimed to analyze and assess the incidence and causes for failed awake craniotomy. Methods The database ...

Optimal pain treatment with minimal side effects is essential for early mobility and recovery in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We investigated the effect of pregabalin as an adjuvant for postoperative analgesia provided by opioid-based patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) in such patients. Forty patients undergoing unilateral primary TKA were ...

Serial changes in strut coverage of drug-eluting stents (DESs), which are placed across side-branch vessels, remain unclear. The changes in strut coverage of DESs crossing side-branch vessels (size ≥2.0 mm) were serially evaluated by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in 30 patients at 9 months and 2 years after the index ...

In 2009, a flu pandemic caused panic worldwide. Oseltamivir and zanamivir were widely used in this pandemic. Currently, there are a limited number of studies comparing the efficacy and tolerability of these two drugs. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and tolerability of these two drugs in the treatment ...

There is a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the United States, particularly in the elderly population. Patients with atrial fibrillation are at an increased risk of stroke and anticoagulant therapy is recommended. However, many eligible patients are not receiving therapy due to limitations and concerns related to the use ...

Introduction: Surgical extraction of lower 3 rd molar is the most frequent intervention in oral surgery. This procedure is often associated with significant post operative swelling that may have both biological and social implications. Various studies have been done using different anti inflammatory drugs to study their impact on inflammation. ...

Drug-coated balloons (DCBs) are increasingly used in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The sequential use of DCB and bare-metal stent (BMS) represents a novel approach and results of pilot studies have been encouraging. The aim of this study was to assess long-term outcomes of patients who received treatment with DCB and ...

Drug-eluting stents (DES) are effective in reducing neointimal proliferation and in-stent restenosis. However, the procedure is complicated by early and late stent thrombosis that is related to incomplete healing, leading to stent malapposition and incomplete reendothelialization. Stent restenosis results in significant mortality and morbidity and portends a poor long-term outcome. ...

A patient posted for vaginal hysterectomy was administered subarachnoid block, which failed, so was repeated in one space above. The block failed again, after waiting for 30 min. Patient gave a history of scorpion bite twice, once at the age of 17 years on her right foot and again about ...

To study the effect of the topical Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug (NSAID), Flurbiprofen 0.03%, as an alternative to the topical steroids for the postoperative control of inflammation in cataract surgeries. The effect of the topical NSAID, flurbiprofen sodium 0.03%, was studied and compared with that of the topical steroid - ...

Warfarin, at a dose adjusted according to the INR, is the standard prophylactic anticoagulant for patients with atrial fibrillation and a major risk of thrombosis. Dabigatran, a thrombin inhibitor, is an alternative when warfarin fails to maintain the INR within the therapeutic range most of the time. Warfarin and aspirin ...

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) frequently occurs in patients on hemodialysis (HD); however, little is known about the effectiveness of drugs. We compare the effects of sarpogrelate and cilostazol in HD patients with PAD. Methods: We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label, and multicenter trial for 24 weeks in HD patients with ...

BACKGROUND: Dabigatran is an oral direct thrombin inhibitor recently approved for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) as an alternative to warfarin. The primary advantages of dabigatran are freedom from monitoring and less interaction with other drugs and food. It is ideal for patients who are unwilling to adhere to ...

BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH DRUG-ELUTING STENTS AND INTENSIVE SECONDARY PREVENTION HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO IMPROVED OUTCOMES AFTER PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION (PCI), REPEAT REVASCULARIZATION REMAINS RELATIVELY COMMON IN CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE. WE USED DATA FROM THE MULTICENTER EVALUATION OF DRUG-ELUTING STENTS AND ISCHEMIC EVENTS REGISTRY TO EVALUATE THE RELATIVE FREQUENCY AND TIMING OF STAGED REVASCULARIZATION, ...

Aims: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is increasingly being used to treat left main stem (LMS) coronary artery disease. Disease at the LMS bifurcation is technically challenging to treat, and there is no consensus as to the best method. We previously described experimental and initial clinical results with the simultaneous kissing ...

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the tolerability of three classic antimuscarinic drugs used in the treatment of over active bladder syndrome using clinical data and quality of life tests, and to evaluate the parameters affecting the success of these drugs. METHODS: A total ...