Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Renal vasculitis presents as rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis which comprises of a group of conditions characterised by acute kidney injury (AKI), haematuria and proteinuria. Treatment of these conditions comprises steroid and non-steroid agents in combination with plasma exchange. Although immunosuppression overall has been very successful in treatment of these conditions, many questions remain unanswered in terms of dose and duration of therapy, the use of plasma exchange and the role of new therapies. This an update of a review first published in 2008. ⋯ Plasma exchange was effective in patients with severe AKI secondary to vasculitis. Pulse cyclophosphamide results in an increased risk of relapse when compared to continuous oral use but a reduced total dose. Whilst cyclophosphamide is standard induction treatment, rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil were also effective. Azathioprine, methotrexate and leflunomide were effective as maintenance therapy. Further studies are required to more clearly delineate the appropriate place of newer agents within an evidence-based therapeutic strategy.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2015
Review Meta AnalysisContinuous intravenous perioperative lidocaine infusion for postoperative pain and recovery.
Perioperative lignocaine infusion reduces postoperative pain and nausea, and may improve GIT function and speed hospital discharge.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2015
Review Meta AnalysisNon-invasive positive pressure ventilation for prevention of complications after pulmonary resection in lung cancer patients.
Pulmonary complications are often observed during the postoperative period of lung resection for patients with lung cancer. Some conditions such as intubation, a long stay in the intensive care unit, the high cost of antibiotics and mortality may be avoided with the prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) is widely accepted and often used in hospitals, and may reduce the number of pulmonary complications and mortality after this type of surgery. Therefore, a systematic review is required to map and critically assess the benefits and harms of NIPPV for patients undergoing lung resection. ⋯ This review demonstrated that there was no additional benefit of using NIPPV in postoperative pulmonary resection for all outcomes analysed (pulmonary complications, rate of intubation, mortality, rate of non-pulmonary complications, postoperative consumption of antibiotics, length of intensive care unit stay, length of hospital stay and adverse effects related to NIPPV). However, the quality of evidence is 'very low', 'low' and 'moderate' since there were few studies, with small sample size and low frequency of outcomes. New well-designed and well-conducted randomised trials are needed to answer the questions of this review with greater certainty.
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Sepsis occurs when an infection is complicated by organ failures as defined by a sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score of two or higher. Sepsis may be complicated by impaired corticosteroid metabolism. Giving corticosteroids may benefit patients. The original review was published in 2004 and was updated in 2010 and again in 2015. ⋯ Overall, low-quality evidence indicates that corticosteroids reduce mortality among patients with sepsis. Moderate-quality evidence suggests that a long course of low-dose corticosteroids reduced 28-day mortality without inducing major complications and led to an increase in metabolic disorders.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2015
Review Meta AnalysisOral lactoferrin for the prevention of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants.
Lactoferrin, a normal component of human colostrum and milk, can enhance host defense and may be effective in the prevention of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm neonates. ⋯ Evidence of moderate to low quality suggests that oral lactoferrin prophylaxis with or without probiotics decreases late-onset sepsis and NEC stage II or greater in preterm infants without adverse effects. Completion of ongoing trials will provide evidence from more than 6000 preterm neonates and may enhance the quality of the evidence. Clarifications regarding optimum dosing regimens, type of lactoferrin (human or bovine), and long-term outcomes are still needed.