Therapeutics and clinical risk management
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
ReviewAnti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor encephalitis: diagnosis, optimal management, and challenges.
Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor (NMDA-R) encephalitis is a new autoimmune disorder, often paraneoplastic in nature, presenting with complex neuropsychiatric symptoms. Diagnosed serologically, this disorder is often responsive to immunosuppressant treatment. The objective of this review is to educate clinicians on the challenges of diagnosis and management of this disorder. ⋯ There is an increasing need for clinicians of different specialties, including psychiatrists, neurologists, oncologists, neurooncologists, immunologists, and intensivists to become familiar with this disorder and its potential complications. Remission can be optimized with prompt detection and aggressive, collaborative treatment within a multidisciplinary team.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
ReviewRivaroxaban as an oral anticoagulant for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in the developed world and is associated with a fivefold increase in the risk of stroke, accounting for up to 15% of strokes in the general population. The European Society of Cardiology now recommends direct oral anticoagulants, such as rivaroxaban, apixaban, and dabigatran, in preference to vitamin K antagonist therapy for the prevention of stroke in patients with A F. This review focuses on the direct Factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban, summarizing the properties that make rivaroxaban appropriate for anticoagulant therapy in this indication (including its predictable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile and once-daily dosing regimen) and describing data from the Phase III ROCKET AF trial, which showed once-daily rivaroxaban to be noninferior to warfarin for the prevention of stroke in patients with nonvalvular AF. ⋯ On the basis of these results, rivaroxaban was approved in both the United States and the European Union for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular AF. Subanalyses of ROCKET AF data showed rivaroxaban to have consistent efficacy and safety across a wide range of patients, and studies to confirm these results in real-world settings are underway. This review also describes practical considerations for treatment with rivaroxaban in clinical practice (including dose reductions in specific high-risk patients, eg, those with renal impairment), recommendations for the transition from vitamin K antagonists to rivaroxaban, the management of bleeding events, and the measurement of rivaroxaban exposure.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
ReviewLymphangioleiomyomatosis: differential diagnosis and optimal management.
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is an uncommon disease presented as diffuse thin-walled cystic changes in the lung. The main differential diagnoses include pulmonary Langerhans' histiocytosis (PLCH), Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome (BHD), lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP), and amyloidosis. A combination of clinical, radiological, and pathological approaches as well as genetic testing will clarify the diagnosis in most cases. ⋯ Research in other molecular-targeted therapies is under investigation. A previously little-known rare disease with no cure is now better understood with regards to its pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. In this review, current knowledge in diagnosis and differential diagnosis of LAM will be discussed, followed by the discussion of therapy with mTOR inhibitors.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
Successful percutaneous coronary intervention during cardiac arrest with use of an automated chest compression device: a case report.
Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation (VT/VF) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is associated with poor prognosis. Performing manual chest compressions is a serious obstacle for treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Here we introduce a case with refractory VT/VF where the patient was successfully treated with an automated chest compression device, which made revascularization with PCI possible.
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Ther Clin Risk Manag · Jan 2014
Efficacy of tramadol as a preincisional infiltration anesthetic in children undergoing inguinal hernia repair: a prospective randomized study.
Preincisional local anesthetic infiltration at the surgical site is a therapeutic option for postoperative pain relief for pediatric inguinal hernia. Additionally, tramadol has been used as an analgesic for postoperative pain in children. Recently, the local anesthetic effects of tramadol have been reported. The aim of this study was to determine both the systemic analgesic and the local anesthetic effects of tramadol and to determine how it differs from bupivacaine when administered preincisionally. ⋯ Tramadol shows equal analgesic effect to bupivacaine and decreases additional analgesic requirement, when used for preincisional infiltration anesthesia in children undergoing inguinal herniorrhaphy.