J Formos Med Assoc
-
Meta Analysis
The association of changes of sleep architecture related to donepezil: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Donepezil had been recognized to have impact on sleep quality in demented patients. However, there was insufficient evidences about the actual effect of donepezil in the sleep architectures. Our meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the changes of sleep architectures related to donepezil use. ⋯ Our meta-analysis provided detailed changes of sleep architectures related to donepezil treatment. Further larger sample size studies with stricter control of potential moderators are needed to clarify these issues.
-
In patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), the left atrial appendage occluder (LAAO) is an alternative treatment for stroke prevention. However, the long-term outcomes in Asia was generally unknown. ⋯ This long-term follow-up study shows that percutaneous closure of LAA is a safe and technically feasible procedure with satisfactory outcomes in Asia. The procedure success rate, efficacy and adverse event were similar to those reported in the Caucasian populations.
-
Efficacy and cost-effectiveness analysis of post-acute care for elderly patients with hip fractures.
Hip fractures are associated with physical dysfunction, and poor quality of life in the elderly. Post-acute care (PAC) would facilitate functional recovery in patients with hip fractures after surgeries. Taiwan has proposed a nationwide PAC program for hip fractures since 2017, but little has been known about its effectiveness. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the PAC program for hip fracture patients in Taiwan. ⋯ Both PAC programs would significantly improve the physical function and quality of life in patients with hip fractures. However, the home-based PAC provided the best CER for BI and EQ-5D.
-
Postoperative venous thromboembolism is an important complication in Taiwan. We prospectively investigated the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after major orthopedic surgery without pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis in a cohort of 120 patients (46 males, 74 females, median age 71 years) at our institute. ⋯ Nine out of 120 (7.5%) orthopedic patients without pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis developed postoperative sonographic DVT in our study. The DVT rate is consistent with other reports from various Asian countries and evidence from meta-analyses.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Tailored susceptibility-guided therapy via gastric juice PCR for the first-line H. pylori eradication, a randomized controlled trial.
Clarithromycin-based standard triple therapy is still commonly adopted by 81.4% of physicians in real-world practice but yields low eradication rates. Therefore, we conducted this study to compare the efficacy of gastric juice-guided therapy for first-line eradication with the standard triple therapy, in order to provide an alternative to real-world practice. ⋯ This prospective randomized controlled trial demonstrated the reliable efficacy of susceptibility-guided therapy via gastric juice PCR for the first-line Hp eradication. In Asia-Pacific area, where standard triple therapy is still adopted by the majority of the physicians, it is a recommended alternative to overcome the increasing antibiotic resistance.