Medicine
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Clinical and cost-effectiveness of collaborative traditional Korean and Western medicine treatment for low back pain: A protocol for a prospective observational exploratory study.
In South Korea, a few patients with low back pain (LBP) are currently being treated with a combination of traditional Korean medicine (KM) and Western medicine (WM). Although a recent research has reported results regarding patient satisfaction and exploratory effectiveness, evidence of comparative effectiveness still needs to be reviewed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of KM and WM collaborative treatment (CT) compared with that of sole treatment (ST) for patients with LBP in Korea. ⋯ This study will provide clinical and economic information about CT for LBP, which might be a milestone for establishing future polices about this collaboration in Korea.
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Study on syndrome differentiation and treatment in the management of chronic stable coronary artery disease to improve quality of life.
Chronic stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) is a general term for all kinds of coronary artery disease (CAD), which includes patients with chronic stable angina, old myocardial infarctions, and also stable condition after revascularization (i.e., percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass graft). According to 2012 AHA/ACC guidelines, the objective of the treatment for SCAD is to maintain or recover patients' exercise tolerance, quality of life, and avoid complication like heart failure, so as to decrease mortality, eliminate symptoms, and avoid adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has 2000 years of history in managing CAD and has its advantages in improving quality of life. Using scientific method to evaluate, demonstrate, and conclude the clinical curative effect of TCM is an extremely important task for both TCM and integrative Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of CAD. ⋯ This research, based on past syndromes research and real clinical effective chronic SCAD cases, aim to build a TCM diagnosis and treatment information database.
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Clinical Trial Observational Study
Identification of volume parameters monitored with a noninvasive ultrasonic cardiac output monitor for predicting fluid responsiveness in children after congenital heart disease surgery.
No previous study has used an ultrasonic cardiac output monitor (USCOM) to assess volume parameters, such as stroke volume variation (SVV), in order to predict the volume status and fluid responsivenes in children after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery. The present prospective trial aimed to investigate the ability of SVV and corrected flow time (FTc), which were assessed with a USCOM, for predicting fluid responsiveness in children after CHD surgery. The study included 60 children who underwent elective CHD surgery. ⋯ Additionally, the SVV AUC was higher in the IS >10 group than in the IS ≤10 group (0.81 vs 0.73). SVV measured with a USCOM can be used to predict fluid responsiveness after CHD surgery in children. Additionally, the accuracy of SVV for predicting fluid responsiveness might be higher among patients with an IS >10 than among those with an IS ≤10.
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Perineural cysts, commonly referred to as Tarlov cysts, are cerebrospinal fluid-filled dilations between the perineurium and endoneurium typically arising at the junction of posterior and dorsal root ganglia in the neural foramina. This anatomical location is in close proximity to usual needle trajectory during performing transforaminal epidural injection, and therefore presents a potential risk of dural puncture and associated complications. ⋯ In patients presenting with an MRI report of "Tarlov cysts", meticulous evaluation of diagnostic images should be an essential first step before considering invasive spinal procedures. Should there be any presence of Tarlov cyst in close proximity to planned needle trajectory, we recommend appropriate modification of spinal intervention to avoid potential complications.
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Post-cardiac arrest care was implemented in 2010 and has been shown to improve the survival of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the findings varied for different survival conditions. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of records from 2007 to 2013 in the National Health Insurance Research Database. ⋯ Improvements in the odds of 2-day and 7-day survival were discovered only in patients <65 years old. Our data reinforce that short-term survival improved after implementation of post-cardiac arrest care. However, older age seemed to nullify the influence of post-cardiac arrest care on survival.