Circ Cardiovasc Qual
-
Circ Cardiovasc Qual · Nov 2008
Off-label use of cardiovascular medications in children hospitalized with congenital and acquired heart disease.
Many barriers exist to conducting pediatric cardiovascular (CV) trials, and the majority of therapies used are not evidence based. Recent legislation has aimed to stimulate pediatric research and improve drug labeling. This study describes off-label use of CV medications in children hospitalized with congenital and acquired CV disease. ⋯ Despite recent legislation, off-label use of CV medications in the pediatric population is common. These data highlight the need for further study to determine which treatments should be used more frequently and which are unsafe or ineffective in children hospitalized with CV disease.
-
Circ Cardiovasc Qual · Sep 2008
ReviewPrimer on statistical interpretation or methods report card on propensity-score matching in the cardiology literature from 2004 to 2006: a systematic review.
Propensity-score matching is frequently used in the cardiology literature. Recent systematic reviews have found that this method is, in general, poorly implemented in the medical literature. The study objective was to examine the quality of the implementation of propensity-score matching in the general cardiology literature. ⋯ Application of propensity-score matching was poor in the cardiology literature. Suggestions for improving the reporting and analysis of studies that use propensity-score matching are provided.