Cochrane Db Syst Rev
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisParenteral versus oral iron therapy for adults and children with chronic kidney disease.
The anaemia seen in chronic kidney disease (CKD) may be exacerbated by iron deficiency. Iron can be provided through different routes, with advantages and drawbacks of each route. It remains unclear whether the potential harms and additional costs of intravenous (IV) compared with oral iron are justified. ⋯ The included studies provide strong evidence for increased ferritin and transferrin saturation levels, together with a small increase in haemoglobin, in patients with CKD who were treated with IV iron compared with oral iron. From a limited body of evidence, we identified a significant reduction in ESA requirements in patients treated with IV iron, and found no significant difference in mortality. Adverse effects were reported in only 50% of included studies. We therefore suggest that further studies that focus on patient-centred outcomes are needed to determine if the use of IV iron is justified on the basis of reductions in ESA dose and cost, improvements in patient quality of life, and with few serious adverse effects.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisEarly versus late erythropoietin for preventing red blood cell transfusion in preterm and/or low birth weight infants.
Low plasma levels of erythropoietin (EPO) in preterm infants provide a rationale for the use of EPO to prevent or treat anaemia. ⋯ The use of early EPO did not significantly reduce the 'Use of one or more RBC transfusions' or the 'Number of transfusions per infant" compared with late EPO administration. The finding of a statistically significant increased risk of ROP (any grade) and a similar trend for ROP stage ≥ 3 with early EPO treatment is of great concern.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisExternal cephalic version for breech presentation at term.
Management of breech presentation is controversial, particularly in regard to manipulation of the position of the fetus by external cephalic version (ECV). ECV may reduce the number of breech presentations and caesarean sections, but there also have been reports of complications with the procedure. ⋯ Attempting cephalic version at term reduces the chance of non-cephalic births and caesarean section. There is not enough evidence from randomised trials to assess complications of external cephalic version at term. Large observational studies suggest that complications are rare.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAntibiotics for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Many patients with an exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are treated with antibiotics. However, the value of antibiotics remains uncertain as systematic reviews and clinical trials have shown conflicting results. ⋯ Antibiotics for COPD exacerbations showed large and consistent beneficial effects across outcomes of patients admitted to an ICU. However, for outpatients and inpatients the results were inconsistent. The risk for treatment failure was significantly reduced in both inpatients and outpatients when all trials (1957 to 2012) were included but not when the analysis for outpatients was restricted to currently used antibiotics. Also, antibiotics had no statistically significant effect on mortality and length of hospital stay in inpatients and almost no data on patient-reported outcomes exist. These inconsistent effects call for research into clinical signs and biomarkers that help identify patients who benefit from antibiotics and patients who experience no effect, and in whom downsides of antibiotics (side effects, costs and multi-resistance) could be avoided.
-
Sonothrombolysis is a promising but unproven tool for treating acute ischaemic stroke. There is an ongoing debate about the efficacy, safety, technical aspects of ultrasound administration and the possible potentiating effect of microbubbles. ⋯ Sonothrombolysis did not reduce death or dependency at three months, but appeared to increase recanalisation without clear hazard. A larger clinical trial is warranted.