Articles: treatment.
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Curr Treat Option Ne · Sep 2003
Potential Role of Neuroprotective Agents in the Treatment of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.
Currently, intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Although efficacious, its usefulness is limited, mainly because of the very limited time window for its administration. Neuroprotective treatments are therapies that block the cellular, biochemical, and metabolic elaboration of injury during or after exposure to ischemia, and have a potential role in ameliorating brain injury in patients with acute ischemic stroke. ⋯ Recent innovations in strategies of preclinical drug development and clinical trial design that rectify past defects hold great promise for neuroprotective investigation, including novel approaches to accelerating time to initiation of experimental treatment, use of outcome measures sensitive to treatment effects, and trial testing of combination therapies rather than single agents alone. Although no neuroprotective agent is of proven benefit for focal ischemic stroke, several currently available interventions have shown promising results in preliminary trials and may be considered for cautious, off-label use in acute stroke, including hypothermia, magnesium sulfate, citicoline, albumin, and erythropoietin. Overall, the prospects for safe and effective neuroprotective therapies to improve stroke outcome remain promising.
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Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is an uncommon orofacial pain syndrome. Primary GPN is idiopathic, whereas secondary GPN has identifiable causes: tonsillectomy, peritonsillar abscesses, invasive cancer, and trauma. ⋯ Pulsed mode radiofrequency lesioning is a safe, non-destructive treatment method and hence, useful in neuropathic pain conditions. We present the first case of chronic post-tonsillectomy pain (secondary glossopharyngeal neuralgia), that was successfully managed with pulsed radiofrequency lesioning.
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Hypokalemic periodic paralysis is a rare and dramatic complication of hyperthyroidism. This series summarizes the clinical and metabolic features of 10 patients who presented to the Western and Sunshine hospitals in Melbourne, Australia, between 1997 and 2002 with thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP). ⋯ Acute treatment with potassium supplements and long-term management is aimed at achieving an euthyroid state. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is more common in Asian populations; however, increasing immigration from Asia will lead to higher TPP prevalence in Western countries.
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Rev Bras Anestesiol · Aug 2003
[Comparison between pressure controlled and controlled mandatory ventilation in the treatment of postoperative hypoxemia after myocardial revascularization].
Pressure controlled ventilation (PCV) has been used as the ventilation mode of choice in coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients who develop severe hypoxemia in the immediate postoperative period. However, there are no evidences showing that pressure controlled ventilation is more effective in reversing postoperative hypoxemia than controlled mandatory ventilation (CMV). This study aimed at comparing the effects of both ventilation modes on systemic oxygenation in cardiac surgery patients who develop hypoxemia characterized by PaO2/FiO2 ratio lower than 200 in the immediate postoperative period. ⋯ Both ventilatory modes were equally effective in reversing hypoxemia observed in the immediate cardiac surgery postoperative period. Results show that inspiratory flow patterns are not relevant in the treatment of post cardiac surgery hypoxemia.
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Clinical trials suggest that cyclo-oxygenase-2 specific inhibitors (coxibs) are an effective treatment for acute postoperative pain. The aims of this systematic review were to examine the evidence for oral valdecoxib and injected parecoxib, and quantify efficacy and adverse effects. ⋯ Both oral valdecoxib and injected parecoxib are effective treatments for acute postoperative pain.