American journal of therapeutics
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Case Reports
Use of hydromorphone (Dilaudid) and morphine for patients with hepatic and renal impairment.
Management of pain in the elderly is very challenging. First, the compromised ability to perceive pain because of loss of sensory neurons and other comorbid conditions such as dementia and degenerative joint diseases make the assessment of severity source and localization of pain very difficult. ⋯ Third, many elderly patients have comorbid conditions causing impaired hepatic and renal impairment. In this article, we review the role of 2 more commonly used opiates, morphine and hydromorphone, in elderly patients with hepatic and renal impairment.
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The authors retrospectively reviewed their experience with nitric oxide (NO) in a pediatric ICU. Given its cost ($3000/d), ongoing evaluations are required to ensure its effective use and avoid inappropriate applications. NO use included 4 categories: (1) hypoxemic respiratory failure, (2) pulmonary hypertension following surgery for congenital heart disease (CHD), (3) intraoperatively for surgical procedures such BT shunt placement or 1-lung ventilation, and (4) during ECMO. ⋯ The survival of responders was 9 of 9 versus 1 of 4 for nonresponders (P = 0.014). No significant adverse effects requiring therapy other than decreasing the inhaled NO concentration were noted. Potential interventions and practices to limit the unwarranted use of this costly agent are discussed.
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We investigated the impact of kinetic beds on the incidence of atelectasis in mechanically ventilated patients in an intensive care unit (ICU). All bronchoscopies performed for atelectasis on mechanically ventilated patients between July 2000 and June 2001 and between July 2002 and June 2003 were reviewed. On July 26, 2001, 50 kinetic beds, 20 continuous lateral rotation therapy modules, and 20 percussion and vibration modules were introduced to our institution. ⋯ Of the 3065 ICU admissions between July 2002 and June 2003, 83 patients developed atelectasis while being mechanically ventilated. Of these, 48 (58%) patients had left-sided atelectasis, 30 (36%) had right-sided atelectasis, and 5 (6%) had bilateral atelectasis. There was no decrease in the incidence of atelectasis in mechanically ventilated patients at our institution after the introduction of kinetic beds and vibration, percussion, and rotation modules despite their widespread availability.
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Hypertensive emergencies are life-threatening conditions because their course is complicated with acute target organ damage. They can present with neurological, renal, cardiovascular, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, and obstetric complications. After diagnosis, they require the immediate reduction of blood pressure (in <1 hour) with intravenous drugs such as sodium nitroprusside, administered in an intensive care unit. ⋯ Hypertensive urgencies are severe elevations of blood pressure without evidence of acute and progressive dysfunction of target organs. They demand adequate control of blood pressure within 24 hours to several days with use of orally administered agents. The purpose of this review is to provide a rational approach to hypertensive crisis management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Metformin plus low-dose glimeperide significantly improves Homeostasis Model Assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)) and beta-cell function (HOMA(beta-cell)) without hyperinsulinemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin resistance and defects in insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells, which have been studied by using euglycemic/hyperinsulinemic clamps. However, it is difficult to study insulin resistance and beta-cell failure by these techniques in humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three different antidiabetic therapeutic regimens on insulin resistance and beta-cell activity by using a mathematical model, Homeostasis Model Assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)) and beta-cell function (HOMA(beta-cell)). ⋯ Metformin plus low-dose glimepiride (plus ADA diet and physical activity) is a more effective treatment for type 2 diabetes than either metformin plus ADA diet and physical activity or ADA diet and physical activity alone. Determination of HOMA(IR) and HOMA(beta-cell) values is an inexpensive, reliable, less invasive, and less labor-intensive method than other tests to estimate insulin resistance and beta-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.