The American journal of medicine
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No prior studies have identified which patients with deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs are at a low risk for adverse events within the first week of therapy. ⋯ Using 6 easily available variables, we identified outpatients with deep vein thrombosis at low risk for adverse events within the first week. These data may help to safely treat more patients at home. This score, however, should be validated.
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Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring offers the ability to collect blood pressure readings several times an hour across a 24-hour period. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring facilitates the identification of white-coat hypertension, the phenomenon whereby certain individuals who are not taking antihypertensive medication show elevated blood pressure in a clinical setting but show nonelevated blood pressure averages when assessed by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. In addition, readings can be segmented into time windows of particular interest, for example, mean daytime and nighttime values. ⋯ A nondipping pattern and nocturnal hypertension are strongly associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Approximately 70% of individuals have blood pressure dips of ≥10% at night, whereas 30% have nondipping patterns, when blood pressure remains similar to daytime average or occasionally increases above daytime average. The various blood pressure categorizations afforded by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring are valuable for clinical management of high blood pressure because they increase the accuracy for diagnosis and the prediction of cardiovascular risk.
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Systemic capillary leak syndrome is a highly rare disorder of unknown cause. The disease is characterized by episodes of transient vascular collapse, which leads to hypotensive shock and anasarca. Previous treatment of this potentially devastating condition has been largely ineffective. We evaluated intravenous immunoglobulin prophylactic therapy in a cohort of 29 patients with systemic capillary leak syndrome in a longitudinal follow-up study. ⋯ Intravenous immunoglobulin prophylaxis is associated with a dramatic reduction in the occurrence of systemic capillary leak syndrome attacks in most patients, with minimal side effects. A prospective, randomized trial may be necessary to fully assess the benefits of intravenous immunoglobulin for systemic capillary leak syndrome and to determine the optimal dosage and duration of therapy.
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Less than 1 in 5 patients receive hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance; however, most studies were performed in racially and socioeconomically homogenous populations, and few used guideline-based definitions for surveillance. The study objective was to characterize guideline-consistent hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance rates and identify determinants of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance among a racially and socioeconomically diverse cohort of cirrhotic patients. ⋯ Only 13% of patients with cirrhosis receive annual surveillance, and less than 2% of patients receive biannual surveillance. There are racial and socioeconomic disparities, with lower rates of hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance among African Americans and underinsured patients.
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Comorbidities are a major concern in heart failure, leading to adverse outcomes, increased health care utilization, and excess mortality. Nevertheless, the epidemiology of comorbid conditions and differences in their occurrence by type of heart failure and sex are not well documented. ⋯ Multimorbidity is common in heart failure, and differences in co-occurrence of conditions exist by type of heart failure and sex, highlighting the need for a better understanding of the clinical consequences of multiple chronic conditions in heart failure patients.