Annals of hematology
-
Annals of hematology · Mar 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyPrevention of central venous catheter related infections with chlorhexidine gluconate impregnated wound dressings: a randomized controlled trial.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of chlorhexidine-impregnated sponges for reducing catheter-related infections of central venous catheters inserted for cancer chemotherapy. The method used was a randomized, prospective, open, controlled clinical study (three-step group sequential analysis protocol). The patients were from two high dependency units at a university hospital undergoing chemotherapy for haematological or oncological malignancies requiring central venous catheters (CVCs) expected to remain in place for at least 5 days. ⋯ Especially, catheter-related infections at internal jugular vein insertions could be reduced (p=0.018). No adverse effects related to the intervention were observed. The use of chlorhexidine-impregnated wound dressings significantly reduced the incidence of CVC-related infections in patients receiving chemotherapy.
-
This review focuses on the occurrence, prevention and treatment of anaemia during pregnancy in Western societies. Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most prevalent deficiency disorder and the most frequent form of anaemia in pregnant women. Minor causes of anaemia are folate and vitamin B12 deficiency, haemoglobinopathy and haemolytic anaemia. ⋯ Intravenous iron of 600-1,200 mg should be considered: (1) as second option if oral iron fails to increase haemoglobin within 2 weeks; (2) as first option at profound IDA, i.e. haemoglobin of <90 g/L in any trimester beyond 14 weeks gestation; and (3) as first option for IDA in third trimester. Profound IDA has serious consequences for both woman and foetus and requires prompt intervention with intravenous iron. This is especially important for the safety of women who for various reasons oppose blood transfusions.
-
Annals of hematology · Nov 2008
Feasibility, cost-effectiveness and patients' acceptance of point-of-care INR testing in a hospital-based anticoagulation clinic.
Point-of-care (POC) coagulometers are increasingly used by patients for self-monitoring of oral vitamin K antagonists therapy. We studied the feasibility of introducing POC international normalised ratio (INR) testing in place of standard laboratory assays in a hospital-based anticoagulation clinic with 250 active patients. The CoaguChek XS system was first validated in 253 INR samples and found to have a correlation of r = 0.945 with standard assays. ⋯ Among 232 respondents surveyed, 87.5% (95% CI 82.5-91.5%) preferred POC INR monitoring. Rates of thrombosis and major bleeding complications were 1.2% (95% CI 0.2-3.5%) and 0.4% (95% CI 0.01-2.2%), respectively. In conclusion, provided mechanisms are in place to address increased variations of INR at higher ranges, POC testing can be successfully implemented in busy hospital-based anticoagulation clinics.
-
Annals of hematology · Oct 2008
Multivariate analysis of factors influencing oral mucositis in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Little information is available regarding the effect of oral intervention on the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of oral mucositis after allogeneic HSCT with or without oral intervention among 96 consecutive patients in our hospital between January 1988 and March 2006. We combined two oral intervention strategies: cryotherapy and oral health care. ⋯ Multiple logistic analysis revealed that the conditioning regimen and oral health care were independent risk factors for the incidence of oral mucositis. The cryotherapy did not exert enough potency to prevent oral mucositis in patients who had undergone CST or RIST. We concluded that oral health care improved tissue damage due to an overall upgrade in oral hygiene during chemotherapy.
-
Annals of hematology · Aug 2008
Clinical TrialFluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in mature T-cell and natural killer cell malignancies.
Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) is useful in Hodgkin and B-cell lymphomas. Few data exist on T-cell and natural killer (NK)-cell lymphomas. Thirty consecutive T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas were investigated with PET-computerized tomography (CT). ⋯ PET maximum standardised uptake value did not correlate with clinicopathological features and prognosis. These observations defined the pre-treatment value of PET-CT in T-cell and NK-cell lymphomas. The post-treatment role requires further studies.