Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2022
Development of a risk score to predict peripherally inserted central catheter thrombosis in active cancer.
Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) thrombosis is common. ⋯ Cancer patients had longer PICC durations and higher PICC thrombosis rates than those without (7% vs 0.7%). mMRS more accurately classified low PICC thrombosis risk than KRS <1(47% vs 22%). Prospective validation of mMRS is warranted.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2022
Australian recommendations on tapering of biologic and targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in inflammatory arthritis.
Biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARD) have been an important advance in the management of inflammatory arthritis, but are expensive medications, carry a risk of infection and other adverse effects, and are often perceived as a burden by patients. We used GRADE methodology to develop recommendations for dose reduction and discontinuation of b/tsDMARD in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have achieved a low disease activity state or remission. ⋯ Conditional recommendations were made in favour of dose reduction in RA and AxSpA but not in PsA. Abrupt discontinuation of b/tsDMARD is not recommended in any of the three diseases.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2022
A novel non-invasive index of oxygenation and prediction of outcomes for patients on high-flow nasal cannula: a pilot study.
Predicting success of a therapy in acute respiratory failure is clinically important. The FOx index (high-flow rate × FiO2 )/SpO2 was retrospectively applied to 70 patients who required high-flow nasal prongs for hypoxaemic and hypercapnic respiratory failure. The FOx index could predict between success and failure of high-flow nasal prongs at 6 hours, using non-invasive markers. This adds to the clinician's toolbox in managing respiratory failure and represents important proof of concept for a prospective study.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2022
The Clinical and Financial Burden of Spinal Infections in People who Inject Drugs.
People who inject drugs (PWID) are known to be at increased risk of infectious diseases including bacterial and blood-borne viral infections. However, there is limited literature surrounding the burden of spinal infections as a complication of injecting drug use (IDU). ⋯ Spinal infections in PWID are an underreported serious medical complication of IDU. Although mortality is low, there is significant morbidity with prolonged admissions, large antimicrobial requirements and surgical interventions generating a substantial cost to the health system.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2022
Opioids in advanced lung malignancy: A clinical audit of opioid prescription, patient education and safeguarding.
Opioids have an important role in symptom management for people with advanced cancer. Clinical guidelines recommend patient education to ensure the safe use of opioids; however, no Australian studies have explored current education and safeguarding practices when opioids are initiated to advanced cancer patients. ⋯ Guideline-recommended risk assessment, safeguards and patient education were infrequently documented when opioids were initiated. Clinician training, decision-assist prompts in electronic prescribing software and written education resources for patients may address these gaps in care.