Pharmacotherapy
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Impact of a pharmacist-led warfarin self-management program on quality of life and anticoagulation control: a randomized trial.
To evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-led warfarin patient self-management program on quality of life and anticoagulation control compared with management in a physician-led specialized anticoagulation clinic. ⋯ A self-management warfarin program led by pharmacists resulted in significant improvement in the quality of life of patients receiving warfarin therapy as well as a reduction in the time required for anticoagulation monitoring, while maintaining a level of anticoagulation control similar to a high-quality specialized anticoagulation clinic.
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As the number of psychotropics on the market expands, the likelihood increases that a patient requiring anticoagulation with warfarin will receive concurrent treatment with a psychotropic drug. Because warfarin undergoes hepatic metabolism and is highly protein bound, it is particularly prone to drug interactions; in addition, its relatively narrow therapeutic window places patients at risk of either hemorrhagic or thrombotic complications. Although warfarin's interactions with other drugs have long been studied, the most recent review of the literature of warfarin's interactions with psychotropics was over a decade ago. ⋯ Psychotropics that may significantly decrease the INR when used with warfarin include trazodone, St. John's wort, carbamazepine, and the polycyclic aromatic carbons in tobacco cigarettes; however, nicotine itself, as in nicotine replacement strategies, is not known to alter warfarin's anticoagulant effect. In certain cases, the need for anticoagulation may also necessitate switching to a different psychotropic.
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Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) represent a continuum of a clinical syndrome of respiratory failure due to refractory hypoxia. Acute respiratory distress syndrome is differentiated from ALI by a greater degree of hypoxemia and is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. The mortality for ARDS ranges from 22-41%, with survivors usually requiring long-term rehabilitation to regain normal physiologic function. ⋯ A liberal fluid strategy during the early phase of comorbid septic shock, balanced with a conservative fluid strategy in patients with ALI or ARDS during the postresuscitation phase, is the optimum approach for fluid management. Available evidence supports an early, short course of continuous-infusion cisatracurium in patients presenting with severe ARDS. Evidence of safe and effective pharmacologic therapies for ARDS is limited, and clinicians must be knowledgeable about the areas of controversies to determine application to patient care.
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To contrast the characteristics of two groups of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users-those with versus those without AAS dependence. ⋯ Data from the Anabolic 500 survey showed that almost one quarter of AAS users were dependent on these drugs. These AAS-dependent users had a higher rate of heroin use as well as anxiety and major depressive disorders compared with AAS-nondependent users. These findings can help clinicians and researchers better understand and address the potential illicit drug use and psychiatric comorbidities that may be present among AAS-dependent users.