Hospital practice (1995)
-
Hospital practice (1995) · Feb 2012
ReviewAntimicrobial prophylaxis in noncardiac prosthetic device recipients.
Secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis involves the use of ≥ 1 antimicrobial agent just prior to the time when a diagnostic/therapeutic procedure, which may induce infection, is to be performed. In the context of this article, antimicrobial agent(s) are administered to patients with ≥ 1 implanted prosthetic device in order to prevent metastatic seeding of the device(s) during bacteremia induced by a diagnostic/therapeutic procedure. Antimicrobial agents used in this context are only administered periprocedurally. Secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis of endocarditis in recipients of cardiac prosthetic materials (including valves, shunts, conduits, and patches) has been reasonably well established. However, secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis in recipients of other types of prosthetic devices has been the subject of much controversy, with a wide variety of recommendations being made. ⋯ Device-, procedure-, and patient characteristic-dependent factors elicited over many years have narrowed down the secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis recommendations for noncardiac prosthetic devices to a small number. Despite this, physician prescribers frequently do not follow prophylaxis guidelines established by their own professional organizations. Risk-benefit and cost-effectiveness studies have found that no prophylaxis is actually superior to universal prophylaxis, likely due to known antimicrobial toxicities, such as anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions and Clostridium difficile-associated disease. Much work remains in establishing and extending the scientific basis for secondary antimicrobial prophylaxis and transforming this knowledge into appropriate action by the clinician.
-
Hospital practice (1995) · Oct 2011
ReviewA review of recent clinical trials and guidelines on the prevention and management of delirium in hospitalized older patients.
Treatment of acute illness in older adults is frequently complicated by the presence of delirium. Delirium is characterized by the development of an altered mental status over the course of hours to days, and can have a fluctuating course. Patients with delirium have difficulty paying attention to their environment, have disorganized thinking, and usually have an altered level of consciousness. ⋯ Perioperative use of antipsychotics may further reduce the incidence of delirium, although hospital length of stay has not been routinely reduced. Appropriate management of analgesia, sedation, and delirium in the intensive care unit is also associated with reduced duration of mechanical ventilation, as well as intensive care unit and hospital length of stay. The use of dexmedetomidine, an α-adrenergic receptor agonist, for sedation may reduce intensive care unit length of stay when compared with use of benzodiazepines.
-
Hospital practice (1995) · Oct 2011
ReviewLung cancer screening: a review of available data and current guidelines.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. A lack of clinical symptoms in early-stage disease frequently leads to diagnosis at a late stage, and a 15% 5-year survival rate in all patients so diagnosed. This has led to significant interest in effective screening methods to detect early-stage cancers, particularly for high-risk groups, such as current or former smokers. ⋯ The most recent trials have focused on LDCT scans, including the National Lung Screening Trial. Data released from the National Lung Screening Trial demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in lung cancer deaths in patients screened with LDCT scans. When data from the study, including cost-effectiveness, are completely analyzed, they may lead to revision of current lung cancer screening recommendations to include LDCT scans in specific populations at high risk of developing lung cancer.
-
Hospital practice (1995) · Oct 2011
ReviewApixaban for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation: a review of the clinical trial evidence.
The objective of this review is to summarize data from the Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation (ARISTOTLE) and Apixaban Versus Acetylsalicylic Acid to Prevent Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Who Have Failed or Are Unsuitable for Vitamin K Antagonist Treatment (AVERROES) trials of apixaban for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The ARISTOTLE trial compared apixaban with warfarin in 18 201 patients with AF and ≥ 1 additional risk factor for stroke. The AVERROES trial compared apixaban with aspirin in 5599 patients with AF who were at increased risk of stroke and for whom vitamin K antagonists were unsuitable. ⋯ Discontinuation of study medication was significantly lower with apixaban than with either warfarin in ARISTOTLE or aspirin in AVERROES. Apixaban is the first new oral anticoagulant that has been shown to be superior to warfarin in reducing stroke or systemic embolism, all-cause mortality, and major bleeding in patients with AF. Moreover, in patients with AF who are considered unsuitable for warfarin therapy, apixaban was more effective than aspirin for stroke prevention and had a similar rate of major bleeding.
-
Hospital practice (1995) · Aug 2011
ReviewVenous thromboembolism prophylaxis after hospital discharge: transition to preventive care.
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, the common clinical manifestations of venous thromboembolism (VTE), are among the most preventable complications of hospitalized patients. However, survey data repeatedly show poor rates of compliance with guideline-based preventive strategies. This has led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to deny reimbursement for hospital readmission for thromboembolic complications in patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty. ⋯ Although there is clear consensus that most hospitalized patients should receive VTE prophylaxis, there is uncertainty about whether to continue VTE prophylaxis in the immediate post-hospital period or for an extended duration. The transition from inpatient to outpatient care is a key event in the coordination of continuity of care, but VTE-specific care transition guidance is limited. In this article, we review the evidence for both standard- and extended-duration VTE prophylaxis and discuss the difficulties in effectively maintaining VTE prophylaxis during the transition from inpatient to outpatient care.