The Annals of pharmacotherapy
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To review the literature regarding the efficacy and safety of continuous intravenous infusion of loop diuretics following cardiac surgery. ⋯ A continuous infusion of furosemide is an effective and safe method of diuresis in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
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Comparative Study
Relationships between beliefs about medications and nonadherence to prescribed chronic medications.
Medication beliefs of patients with a specific medical condition have been associated with nonadherence to drugs used to treat that condition. However, associations between medication beliefs and nonadherence of individuals on chronic, multiple medications have not been studied. ⋯ Patients' medication beliefs explained a significant portion of variation in medication nonadherence.
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Comparative Study
Concurrent use of metered-dose and dry powder inhalers by children with persistent asthma does not adversely affect spacer/inhaler technique.
Studies conducted in adults have suggested that patients who use a metered-dose inhaler/holding chamber spacer (MDI/S) and dry powder inhaler (DPI) concurrently will have poorer MDI/S technique than that of patients who use MDI/S exclusively. To our knowledge, as of August 31, 2006, no studies have been performed in pediatric patients. ⋯ While DPI and MDI/S techniques are markedly different in several significant ways, concurrent use of these inhalers did not adversely affect MDI/S technique scores of pediatric patients with persistent asthma, compared with those using MDI/S alone. Patients in the MDI/S only group had an inadequate MDI/S score (<70%) more often than did patients in the MDI/S + DPI group.