Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2014
ReviewPressure-relieving devices for treating heel pressure ulcers.
Pressure ulcers are areas of localised damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by pressure or shear. Pressure redistribution devices are used as part of the treatment to reduce the pressure on the ulcer. The anatomy of the heel and the susceptibility of the foot to vascular disease mean that pressure ulcers located there require a particular approach to pressure relief. ⋯ This review identified one small study at moderate to high risk of bias which provided no evidence to inform practice. More research is needed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2014
ReviewNon-operative versus operative treatment for blunt pancreatic trauma in children.
Pancreatic trauma in children is a serious condition with high morbidity. Blunt traumatic pancreatic lesions in children can be treated non-operatively or operatively. For less severe, grade I and II, blunt pancreatic trauma a non-operative or conservative approach is usually employed. Currently, the optimal treatment, of whether to perform operative or non-operative treatment of severe, grade III to V, blunt pancreatic injury in children is unclear. ⋯ This review shows that strategies regarding non-operative versus operative treatment of severe blunt pancreatic trauma in children are not based on randomised clinical trials. We recommend that multi-centre trials evaluating non-operative versus operative treatment of paediatric pancreatic trauma are conducted to establish firm evidence in this field of medicine.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2014
Review Meta AnalysisProphylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease in pregnancy and the early postnatal period.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE), although rare, is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity, and methods of prophylaxis are therefore often used for women considered to be at risk. This may include women who have given birth by caesarean section, those with a personal or family history of VTE and women with inherited or acquired thrombophilias (conditions that predispose people to thrombosis). Many methods of prophylaxis carry risks of adverse effects, and as the risk of VTE is often low, it is possible that the benefits of thromboprophylaxis may be outweighed by harms. Guidelines for clinical practice have been based on expert opinion rather than high-quality evidence from randomised trials. ⋯ There is insufficient evidence on which to base recommendations for thromboprophylaxis during pregnancy and the early postnatal period, with the small number of differences detected in this review being largely derived from trials that were not of high methodological quality. Large scale, high-quality randomised trials of currently used interventions are warranted.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2014
ReviewPsychological and behavioural treatments for adults with non-epileptic attack disorder.
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, also known as non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD), have the outward appearance of epilepsy in the absence of physiological or electroencephalographic correlates. Non-epileptic seizures can occur in isolation or in combination with epileptic seizures. The development and maintenance of non-epileptic seizures has been well documented and there is a growing literature on the treatment of non-epileptic seizures which includes non-psychological (including anti-anxiety and antidepressant pharmacological treatment) and psychological therapies (including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), hypnotherapy and paradoxical therapy). Various treatment methodologies have been tried with variable success. The purpose of this Cochrane review was to establish the evidence base for the treatment of non-epileptic seizures with behavioural and psychological therapies only. ⋯ There is little reliable evidence to support the use of any treatment, including CBT, in the treatment of non-epileptic seizures. Further randomised controlled trials of CBT and other interventions are needed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Feb 2014
ReviewDietary interventions for preventing complications in idiopathic hypercalciuria.
Idiopathic hypercalciuria is an inherited metabolic abnormality that is characterised by excessive amounts of calcium excreted in the urine by people whose calcium serum levels are normal. Morbidity associated with idiopathic hypercalciuria is chiefly related to kidney stone disease and bone demineralisation leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Idiopathic hypercalciuria contributes to kidney stone disease at all life stages; people with the condition are prone to developing oxalate and calcium phosphate kidney stones. In some cases, crystallised calcium can be deposited in the renal interstitium, causing increased calcium levels in the kidneys. In children, idiopathic hypercalciuria can cause a range of comorbidities including recurrent macroscopic or microscopic haematuria, frequency dysuria syndrome, urinary tract infections and abdominal and lumbar pain. Various dietary interventions have been described that aim to decrease urinary calcium levels or urinary crystallisation. ⋯ Long-term adherence (five years) to diets that feature normal levels of calcium, low protein and low salt may reduce numbers of stone recurrences, decrease oxaluria and calcium oxalate relative supersaturation indexes in people with idiopathic hypercalciuria who experience recurrent kidney stones. Adherence to a low salt, normal calcium level diet for some months can reduce calciuria and oxaluria. However, the other dietary interventions examined did not demonstrate evidence of significant beneficial effects.No studies were found investigating the effect of dietary recommendations on other clinical complications or asymptomatic idiopathic hypercalciuria.