Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Antipsychotic drugs are the mainstay treatment for schizophrenia. Long-acting depot injections of drugs such as bromperidol decanoate are extensively used as a means of long-term maintenance treatment. ⋯ Currently, minimal poorly reported trial data suggests that bromperidol decanoate may be better than placebo injection but less valuable than fluphenazine or haloperidol decanoate. If bromperidol decanoate is available it may be a viable choice, especially when there are reasons not to use fluphenazine or haloperidol decanoate. Well-conducted and reported randomised trials are needed to inform practice in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2004
ReviewOpioid switching to improve pain relief and drug tolerability.
Patients with cancer, and increasingly chronic non-cancer pain frequently require strong opioids for pain relief. Morphine is the first-line strong opioid of choice for these patients. While most achieve adequate analgesia with morphine, a significant minority either suffer intolerable side-effects, inadequate pain relief, or both. For these patients switching to an alternative opioid is becoming established clinical practice. However, the evidence for the effectiveness of opioid switching does not appear to be established. ⋯ For patients with inadequate pain relief and intolerable opioid-related toxicity/adverse effects, a switch to an alternative opioid may be the only option for symptomatic relief. However, the evidence to support the practice of opioid switching is largely anecdotal or based on observational and uncontrolled studies. Randomised trials, including 'N of 1' studies, where a patient acts as their own control, are needed: firstly, to establish the true effectiveness of this clinical practice; secondly, to determine which opioid should be used first-line or second-line; and thirdly, to standardise conversion ratios when switching from one opioid to another.
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The prevalence of chronic heart failure is increasing, and increases with increasing age. Major symptoms include breathlessness and restricted activities of daily living due to reduced functional capacity, which in turn affects quality of life. Exercise training has been shown to be effective in patients with coronary heart disease and has been proposed as an intervention to improve exercise tolerance in patients with heart failure. ⋯ Exercise training improves exercise capacity and quality of life in patients mild to moderate heart failure in the short term. There is currently no information regarding the effect of exercise training on clinical outcomes. The findings are based on small-scale trials in patients who are unrepresentative of the total population of patients with heart failure. Other groups (more severe patients, the elderly, women) may also benefit. Large-scale pragmatic trials of exercise training of longer duration, recruiting a wider spectrum of patients are needed to address these issues.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2004
ReviewAnticoagulants for preventing stroke in patients with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation and a history of stroke or transient ischaemic attack.
People with nonrheumatic atrial fibrillation (NRAF) who have had a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or a minor ischaemic stroke are at high risk of recurrent stroke. ⋯ The evidence suggests that anticoagulants are beneficial, without serious adverse effects, for people with NRAF and recent cerebral ischaemia.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2004
ReviewHorse chestnut seed extract for chronic venous insufficiency.
Conservative therapy of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) consists largely of compression treatment. However, this often causes discomfort and has been associated with poor compliance. Therefore, oral drug treatment is an attractive alternative. ⋯ The evidence presented implies that HCSE is an efficacious and safe short-term treatment for CVI. However, several caveats exist and more rigorous RCTs are required to assess the efficacy of this treatment option.