Systematic reviews
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Shared decision making in pediatrics is unique because it often involves active participation of both the child or adolescent patient and his or her caregiver(s) in the decision making process with the clinician or care team, and the extent to which the patient is involved is commensurate with their developmental level. However, little is known about the nature of pediatric-specific shared decision making interventions and their impact. ⋯ We anticipate that the paucity of published quantitative data and the heterogeneous nature of the reported results will preclude quantitative analysis. In this event, a meta-narrative approach will be undertaken.
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Pregabalin is used in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathic pain, partial seizures, anxiety disorders and fibromyalgia. Recognized adverse effects associated with its use include cognitive impairment, somnolence and dizziness. Heart failure associated with pregabalin has been described, however the strength of this association has not been well characterized. To examine this further, we will conduct a systematic review of the risk of heart failure and edema associated with use of pregabalin. ⋯ The results of this review will assist physicians to better appreciate pregabalin's risk for edema or congestive heart failure and will be pertinent to the thousands of patients worldwide who are administered this medication.Our protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42012002948).
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The essential clinical diagnostic components of brain death must include evidence for an established etiology capable of causing brain death, two independent clinical confirmations of the absence of all brainstem reflexes and an apnea test, and exclude confounders that can mimic brain death. Numerous confounders can render the clinical neurological determination of death (NDD) virtually impossible. As such, clinicians must rely on additional ancillary testing. ⋯ PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42013005907.
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Infection occurs commonly among patients hospitalized after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and has been associated with increased intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay and an elevated risk of poor neurological outcome and mortality. However, as many relevant published studies to date have varied in the type and severity of TBI among included patients as well as in their design (randomized versus non-randomized), risk of bias, and setting (hospital ward versus intensive care unit), their reported estimates of infection occurrence vary considerably. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the incidence, prevalence, and occurrence rate of infection among patients hospitalized after TBI. ⋯ This study will compile the world literature regarding the epidemiology of infection among adults hospitalized after TBI. A better understanding of the role of infection will be helpful in the development of guidelines for patient management. This protocol has been registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (ID: CRD42013005146).
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Patients undergoing surgery or chemotherapy often experience nausea and vomiting. To increase their quality of life and treatment satisfaction, antiemetic medication, such as serotonin receptor antagonists, is often prescribed for patients experiencing these symptoms. However, early warning signs suggest that serotonin receptor antagonists can cause harm, including arrhythmia. Our objective is to identify the most effective interventions that mitigate the risk of adverse cardiac events associated with serotonin receptor antagonists in patients undergoing surgery and chemotherapy through a systematic review and network meta-analysis. ⋯ Our results will provide information regarding the utility of different strategies that can be used to mitigate cardiac risk amongst patients taking serotonin antagonist receptors. Such results are likely to be of use to clinicians prescribing these agents, as well as policy makers responsible for making decisions about antiemetic medications.