Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Oct 2011
Outcomes and costs associated with a history of vancomycin exposure in patients with MRSA-related complicated bacteremia and infective endocarditis.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the primary cause of complicated bacteremia (CB) and infective endocarditis (IE). Studies have compared the costs of treatment with vancomycin to those of other agents, as well as the efficacy and tolerability of these treatments. However, a literature search found no published studies of the effects of vancomycin exposure on outcomes and hospital costs in patients with CB or IE due to MRSA. ⋯ Using the present model, cumulative vancomycin amount and duration were associated with attributable mortality and clinical failure but not with costs.
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Clinical therapeutics · Sep 2011
ReviewAssessment of the clinical use of intravenous and oral N-acetylcysteine in the treatment of acute acetaminophen poisoning in children: a retrospective review.
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is the most effective therapy for acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity and is currently available for oral and intravenous (IV) administration. Although both routes are effective, use of the IV formulation has been increasing since becoming available in the United States in 2004, raising questions about cost/benefit comparisons between the 2 formulations. Decreased length of treatment and hospital stay have been used to justify the use of IV NAC; however, some patients may receive extended therapy of either NAC regimen. ⋯ Based on our review, the majority of patients received recommended dosing of NAC therapy; however, 3 patients received extended NAC therapy. Patient-specific factors should be considered when assessing whether NAC therapy should be extended and if one route of administration may be preferred. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00725179.
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Clinical therapeutics · Sep 2011
Impact of ezetimibe coadministered with statins on cardiovascular events following acute coronary syndrome: a 3-year population-based retrospective cohort study in Taiwan.
Conflicting results using the combination of ezetimibe and statins to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been reported. ⋯ Based on the data of Taiwan's NHIRD, our findings suggest that patients with ACS on ezetimibe combined with statins had a significantly lower risk of rehospitalization due to ACS, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, and revascularization than those on statins alone. The generalization of the results is limited because of using claims data of a specific population as the data source.
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Clinical therapeutics · Sep 2011
Retrospective analysis of real-world efficacy of angiotensin receptor blockers versus other classes of antihypertensive agents in blood pressure management.
Efficacy of blood pressure (BP) lowering may differ between clinical trials and what is observed in clinical practice. These differences may contribute to poor BP control rates among those at risk. ⋯ In this real-world setting, hypertensive adults treated with ARBs versus β-blockers or diuretics were more likely to have evidence-based target BP recorded. In addition, patients using ARBs versus ACEIs or CCBs had fewer reports of CV events.
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Clinical therapeutics · Sep 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEffects of prolonged-release torasemide versus furosemide on myocardial fibrosis in hypertensive patients with chronic heart failure: a randomized, blinded-end point, active-controlled study.
The pharmacologic modification of the synthesis and deposition of fibrillar collagen in the myocardium may have effects on the cardiac function, clinical status, and prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF). Serum procollagen type I carboxyterminal peptide (PICP) is a biochemical marker of collagen type I fibers synthesis and myocardial deposition. ⋯ In hypertensive patients with mild and clinically stable HF, long-term administration of either torasemide-PR or furosemide was not associated with significant effects on myocardial fibrosis, as assessed by serum PICP. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00409942.