Current medical research and opinion
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Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is present in up to 17% of patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This study compared healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs between AF patients initiating rivaroxaban or warfarin in SNFs. Methods: Using de-identified claims from Optum Clinformatics Extended Data Mart (1 January 2013 to 31 December 2017), this retrospective cohort study indexed AF patients with first SNF admission during which rivaroxaban or warfarin was initiated within 3 days of admission. ⋯ Total all-cause healthcare costs 100 days post-index SNF were $8746 lower with rivaroxaban versus warfarin (p < .0001). Conclusions: In the SNF setting, AF patients treated with rivaroxaban had 5-day shorter length of stay, lower HRU, and lower all-cause total and medical costs compared to warfarin, despite higher treatment costs. These findings may help inform clinical decision-making to reduce economic burden.
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Observational Study
Tapentadol prolonged release for managing moderate to severe chronic neck pain with or without a neuropathic component.
Background: Despite the high prevalence of neck pain, few studies have addressed the pharmacological treatment of this condition. Purpose: We evaluated the effectiveness of tapentadol prolonged-release (PR) in patients with or without a neuropathic pain component, with a focus on functional movements, disability and Quality of Life (QoL). Study design/setting: Observational, retrospective study. ⋯ ROM significantly improved in all three planes of motion (p < .01), with no difference between the two groups. Interference of pain with sleep and QoL also improved. Conclusions: The reduction in pain provided by tapentadol is associated with functional recovery, which may in turn be linked to an improvement in QoL.
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Objective: Oral supplementation with iron is a standard intervention for treating or preventing iron deficiency with or without anemia. Over the last few decades, various forms of oral iron have been developed to improve treatment tolerability and iron bioavailability. In this review, we gathered research data regarding the use of iron protein succinylate since it was first marketed in the 1980s. ⋯ The change in all parameters was similar or higher with iron protein succinylate compared to other iron treatments evaluated. Overall, study groups receiving iron protein succinylate reported the lowest rate of adverse events. Conclusions: Although all iron treatments analyzed are effective and safe, our results suggest that iron protein succinylate may be an excellent choice to treat iron deficiency and anemia due to its superior effectiveness and tolerability.