Thromboprophylaxis with dalteparin in medical patients: which patients benefit?

It is unclear whether thromboprophylaxis produces a consistent risk reduction in different subgroups of medical patients at risk from venous thromboembolism. We performed a retrospective, post hoc analysis of 3706 patients enrolled in the PREVENT study. Patients were at least 40 years old with an acute medical condition requiring hospitalization for at least 4 days and had no more than 3 days of immobilization prior to enrolment. Patients received either subcutaneous dalteparin (5000 IU) or placebo once daily. The primary end point was the composite of symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, asymptomatic proximal DVT, or sudden death. Primary diagnosis subgroups were acute congestive heart failure, acute respiratory failure, infectious disease, rheumatological disorders, or inflammatory bowel disease. All patients, except those with congestive heart or respiratory failure, had at least one additional risk factor for venous thromboembolism. A risk reduction was shown in patients receiving dalteparin versus placebo. The relative risk (RR) was 0.73 in patients with congestive heart failure, 0.72 for respiratory failure, 0.46 for infectious disease, and 0.97 for rheumatological disorders. The RR was 0.52 in patients aged > or = 75 years, 0.64 in obese patients, 0.34 for patients with varicose veins, and 0.71 in patients with chronic heart failure. No subgroup had a significantly different response from any other. Importantly, multivariate analysis showed that all patient groups benefited from thromboprophylaxis with dalteparin. Our findings, therefore, support the broad application of thromboprophylaxis in acutely ill hospitalized medical patients.     

Thrombolysis in elderly patients

The elderly population consists of those over age 75 years and appears to represent the fastest-growing segment of the population. Intravenous thrombolytic therapy (TT) is the most common strategy for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in many parts of the world. However, TT carries a higher risk of intra-cranial hemorrhage (ICH) in the elderly patients. Primary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty and stenting (PCI) represents an important alternative in these elderly individuals with contraindications to TT. In developing countries, or in areas without availability of primary PCI, TT remains the only therapeutic modality. Dedicated randomized trials are needed to provide a comprehensive understanding of AMI management in the elderly group.(J Geriatr Cardiol 2007;4:250-253.)     

Are older patients more satisfied with hospital care than younger patients?

OBJECTIVE: Determine relationships between age, self-reported health, and satisfaction in a large cohort of hospitalized patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Thirty-one hospitals in a large Midwestern metropolitan area. PATIENTS/PARTICIPATION: Randomly selected medical and surgical patients (N = 64,900; mean age, 61 years; 56% female; 84% white) discharged during specific time periods from July 1990 to March 1995 who responded to a mailed survey (overall response rate, 48%). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients' overall ratings of hospital quality and satisfaction with 5 aspects of care (physician care, nursing care, information provided, discharge instructions, and coordination of care) were measured by a validated survey, which was mailed to patients after discharge. Analyses compared satisfaction in 5 age groups (18 to 35, 36 to 50, 51 to 65, 66 to 80, and > 80 years). Scores for the 5 aspects of care initially increased with age (P <.001) and then declined (P <.001). A similar relationship was found in analyses of the proportion of patients who rated overall quality as "excellent" or "very good." Satisfaction was also higher in patients with better self-reported health (P <.001). In analyses of patients with poor to fair health, satisfaction scores peaked at age 65 before declining. However, for patients with good to excellent health, scores peaked at age 80. Moreover, declines in satisfaction in older patients were lower in patients with better health. These findings were consistent in multivariable analyses adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfaction exhibits a complex relationship with age, with scores increasing until age 65 to 80 and then declining. This relationship was consistent across individual satisfaction scales, but was modified by health status. The results suggest that age and health status should be taken into account when interpreting patient satisfaction data.     

Individualisation of active participation of dialysis patients: are patients satisfied?

In the Netherlands there are 52 dialysis units, where approximately 3,600 patients with end stage renal disease are being treated with renal replacement therapy. The dialysis department in Dordrecht is a medium to large-sized department, where about 85 patients have their renal replacement therapy.     

Radiomics in colorectal cancer patients

The main therapeutic options for colorectal cancer are surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy in non-metastatic disease. However,the evaluation of the overall adjuvant chemotherapy benefit in patients with a high risk of recurrence is challenging. Radiological images can represent a source of data that can be analyzed by using automated computer-based techniques,working on numerical information coded within Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine files: This image numerical analysis...     

Clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric carcinoma in elderly patients： A comparison with young patients

AIM: To examine the clinicopathologic features of elderly patients with gastric carcinoma and to investigate the relationship between prognosis and age. METHODS: We reviewed the hospital records of 2 014 patients with gastric carcinoma retrospectively to compare the clinicopathologic findings in elderly (age＞70 years) and young (age＜36 years) patients during the period from 1986 to 2000 in a tertiary referral center in Gwangju, Korea. Overall survival was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: Of the 2 014 patients, 194 (9.6%) were in the elderly group and 137 (6.8%) were in the young group. The elderly and young patients had similar distributions with respect to depth of invasion, nodal involvement, hepatic metastasis, peritoneal dissemination, tumor stage at the initial diagnosis, and type of surgery. Synchronous multiple carcinomas were found in 14/194 (7.2%) of the elderly group and 4/137 (2.9%) of the young group (P＜0.05). Using the Borrmann classification, type Ⅳ was more frequent in the young patients than in the elderly patients (P＜0.05). Significantly more elderly patients had a well or moderately differentiated histology, and more young patients had a poorly differentiated histology and signet ring cell carcinoma (P＜0.001). The 5-year survival rates of elderly and young patients did not differ statistically (52.8% vs 46.5%, P=0.5290). Multivariate analysis showed that the histologic type, nodal involvement and operative curability were significant prognostic factors, and age itself was not an independent prognostic factor of survival for elderly gastric carcinoma patients. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with gastric carcinoma do not have a worse prognosis than young patients. The important prognostic factor is whether the patients undergo a curative resection.     

Creativity with dementia patients. Can creativity and art stimulate dementia patients positively?

BACKGROUND: Creative activities could be stimulating for dementia patients. This article gives a review of practical forms of treating dementia patients with art therapeutic indications. It is also a ground for long-term research objective: in brief, I take exception to such a view, contrary to the common belief in the society and some professionals in the healthcare of dementia patients, on the ground that the patients do not have the capacity to improve their own creativity. METHODS: The theory of cognition tells us about the principle of being creative as a basis for human life. This specific principle is effective for the aged as well. In the long-term, the creative potential of old patients will be unblocked in individual and group therapy sessions. RESULTS: Creative activity has been shown to reduce depression and isolation, offering the power of choice and decisions. Towards the end of life, art and creativity offer a path of opening up the windows to people's emotional interiors. CONCLUSIONS: Creative- and art therapy provides possibilities that are mostly indicated to sharpen the capacity of the senses and the patients' propensity to act themselves. Nonverbal therapy methods, such as painting, music, etc., are able to influence the well-being of the patients positively, within the modern healthcare system in nursing homes. The elderly and some of the dementia patients take the initiative to combine creativity and arts and to define his/her feeling for aesthetical matters. Furthermore, group therapy sessions help against isolation and lack of life perspective and hope.     

Selecting patients for heart transplantation: which patients are too well for transplant?

In the context of contemporary medical and surgical therapy, the revolutionary procedure of cardiac transplantation should be redefined in its relative role. Based on the assumption that its goal is to prolong life while improving its quality, and in the absence of randomized clinical trial data testing its benefit, data from early breakthrough studies, more recent observational cohort studies, and studies testing other therapies in advanced heart failure must be analyzed to characterize clinical profiles of patients who should be considered too well for cardiac transplantation at specific stages of their disease processes. These profiles likely include advanced heart failure with (1) low risk according to the Heart Failure Survival Score, (2) peak oxygen consumption greater than 14 to 18 mL/kg/min without other indications, (3) left ventricular ejection fraction less than 20% alone, (4) history of New York Heart Association class III to IV symptoms alone, (5) history of ventricular arrhythmias alone, (6) no previous attempt at comprehensive neurohormonal blockade, and (7) no structured cardiac transplantation evaluation in a designated cardiac transplantation center. The evaluation may identify the potential transplant candidate, who could be placed on a national potential transplant candidate list, combining the psychologic benefit of acceptance by the program with an ongoing openness to the diversity of advanced heart failure treatment modalities.     

Biventricular pacing in patients with ICD: how many patients are possible candidates?

BACKGROUND: About 80 % of patients receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) due to life-threatening episodes of ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) have structural heart disease. ICD implantation reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death to less than 2 %. However, the major obstacle in these patients is chronic heart failure (CHF). Biventricular stimulation (BIV) has shown its efficiency as an alternative therapy in drug refractory CHF. METHODS: According to the InSync registry, we predefined possible indications for BIV as follows: complete branch bundle block (> 120 ms), left-ventricular ejection fraction (EF) < 35 % and NYHA class > II. We evaluated the number of patients presenting this indication at time of implant and during follow-up (FU) at our ICD clinic. RESULTS: Between 1992 and 1998, 360 patients were provided with an ICD (mean age 64.6 +/- 5.4 yrs, mean EF 37 +/- 14 % at implant, 82 % of patients with organic heart disease). Mean FU was 34 +/- 21 months. During FU 46 patients (13 %) died, 15 of these (33 %) presenting criteria for BIV. 33 patients died of heart failure, there was 1 sudden death and 12 patients died for non-cardiac reasons. 35 % of the patients who died of heart failure had an indication for BIV. CONCLUSIONS: About 10 % of ICD patients had an indication for BIV at time of implant. Over a mean FU period of 34 months, 16% of all patients presented an indication for BIV. Patients with an indication for BIV had a higher mortality rate and more frequent atrial fibrillation compared to patients without. With this data and the good clinical results after BIV-ICD implantation, we consider the implantation of a BIV-ICD system in every patient with appropriate indications.     

Discussing sexual concerns with chronic low back pain patients: barriers and patients’ expectations

This study aims to explore patient’s concerns when discussing sexual problems caused by chronic low back pain with their healthcare provider. It also aims to identify factors influencing and limiting such communication. A cross-sectional analysis of 100 consenting chronic low back pain sexually active patients was carried out. Patients answered questions on their disease characteristics and sex life. They also mentioned prohibitions of discussing sex with their healthcare provider and their expectations of such discussion. Factors influencing patient’s experiences were analyzed. Median of chronic low back pain duration was 36 (24–72)?months and back pain intensity using visual analogical scale (0–100 mm) was 50?±?10.7 mm. Eighty-one percent of our patients complained of sexual problems, 66 % have never discussed the subject with their healthcare provider. Barriers which prevent discussion on sex include the taboo character of the topic, inappropriateness of visit conditions, and patient disinterest in sex. Ninety-three percent of patients expressed the need of sexual problems’ management in chronic low back pain consulting. Seventy-four percent expected information and advice from their healthcare provider about recommended intercourse positions so as to avoid pain. Thirty-three percent of patients wanted their partner to be involved in the discussion and 81 % preferred talking with a healthcare provider of the same gender. Ability to communicate on the topic was associated with the decrease of patient sexual satisfaction and limited by patient illiteracy. Our study evidences that sex discussion between patient and healthcare provider is restricted by several barriers and that patients expect more involvement from their healthcare provider on the subject. Illiteracy and level of sexual satisfaction seem to be the strongest factors influencing this communication.     

Thrombosis prophylaxis in hospitalised medical patients: does prophylaxis in all patients make sense?

BACKGROUND: Most studies on thrombosis prophylaxis focus on postoperative venous thrombosis. In medical wards thrombosis prophylaxis is generally restricted to patients who are immobilised. Our primary aim was to investigate the incidence of venous thrombosis in a general internal ward, to assess whether more rigorous prophylaxis would be feasible. METHODS: We investigated the incidence of venous thrombosis in patients hospitalised from 1992 to 1996 and related our findings to literature reports. RESULTS: The incidence of symptomatic venous thrombosis in internal patients during hospitalisation was 39/6332 (0.6%). Among these 39 patients, 24 had a malignancy, whereas 876 out of all 6332 patients had a known malignancy. So, the incidence in this group with cancer was 2.7% compared with 0.3% (15/5456) in the non-cancer group (relative risk for venous thrombosis due to malignancy was 10.0 (95%C.I. 5.3-18.9). CONCLUSION: The incidence of venous thrombosis during hospitalisation in a department of general internal medicine is low and does not justify prophylaxis in all internal patients. Cancer is a strong risk factor for hospital-acquired thrombosis in the medical ward. Further studies may answer the question as to whether thrombosis prophylaxis in this subgroup is feasible.     

Catheter-related infection in gastrointestinal fistula patients

AIM:To study the incidence,bacterial spectrum and drugsensitivity of catheter-related infection (CRI) in gastrointestinalfistula patients.METHODS:A total of 216 patients with gastrointestinalfistulae during January 1998 to April 2001 were studiedretrospectively.Two hundred and sixteen catheters of the358 central venous catheters used in 216 gastrointestinalfistula patients were sent for microbiology analysis.RESULTS:Ninety-five bacteria were cultivated in 88catheters (24.6%).There were 54 Gram-negative bacteria(56.8%),35 Gram-positive bacteria (36.8%),and 6 fungi(6.4%).During the treatment of CRI,20 patients changedto use antibiotics or antifungal,and all patients were cured.The mean time of catheters used was 16.9±13.0 d.CONCLUSION:CRI is still the common complication duringtotal parenteral nutrition (TPN) treatment in patients withgastrointestinal fistulae,and Gram-negative bacteria arethe main pathogens,and bacterial translocation is consideredthe common reason for CRI.