Chest
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Hemodynamic and renal effects of dopexamine and dobutamine in patients with reduced cardiac output following coronary artery bypass grafting.
Dopexamine hydrochloride is a novel synthetic adrenergic agonist that combines the renal effects of dopamine with the hemodynamic effects of dobutatmine. Our study is designed to compare the hemodynamic, diuretic, and natriuretic effects of dopexamine and dobutamine in patients with reduced cardiac index following heart surgery. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that dopexamine produces hemodynamic, diuretic, and natriuretic effects similar to dobutamine in patients with reduced cardiac index following CABG.
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Comment Comparative Study
Two trials of reduced bolus alteplase in the treatment of pulmonary embolism. An overview.
The Bolus Alteplase Pulmonary Embolism (BAPE) Group and a consortium of French investigators utilized essentially the same investigational protocol to test reduced dose bolus alteplase vs full dose 100 mg/2 h alteplase in the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE). The principal hypothesis was that reduced dose bolus alteplase (n = 96) would result in fewer bleeding complications than full dose 100 mg of 2 h alteplase (n = 44) administered as a continuous infusion to hemodynamically stable patients with PE. To provide data on bolus alteplase's safety profile in a larger sample size than would have been feasible in either trial alone, we present an overview of the BAPE and French trials. ⋯ Efficacy was similar in the two treatment groups. Interpretation of the results will vary because the increased convenience and cost savings from using a reduced dose of bolus alteplase may be offset by a higher mortality rate. However, a trial that compared the mortality rates of the two treatment regimens would have required more than 800 patients.
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The histopathologic diagnosis of sarcoidosis requires the presence of noncaseating granulomas. Transbronchoscopic lung biopsy (TBLB) has been considered the procedure of choice when less invasive tissue samples are unavailable. A total of 51 consecutive patients suspected of having sarcoidosis underwent combined TBLB and flexible transbronchial needle aspirate (TBNA). ⋯ The remaining 21 patients with stage II disease had their diagnosis confirmed in 16 (76 percent) cases by TBLB and 10 (48 percent) by TBNA with a combined diagnostic yield of 86 percent. Seven (23 percent) patients with stage I disease and 2 (10 percent) with stage II disease had their conditions diagnosed by TBNA. We conclude that combining TBNA with TBLB increases the diagnostic yield in pulmonary sarcoidosis; TBNA should complement TBLB in the diagnosis of this disease.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Reduced dose bolus alteplase vs conventional alteplase infusion for pulmonary embolism thrombolysis. An international multicenter randomized trial. The Bolus Alteplase Pulmonary Embolism Group.
To test the hypothesis that a reduced dose of bolus recombinant human tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) (0.6 mg/kg/15 min, maximum of 50 mg) would result in fewer bleeding complications than standard 100 mg of rt-PA administered as a continuous infusion over 2 h among hemodynamically stable patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Subsidiary objectives were to compare the two rt-PA regimens with respect to the following: (1) the rate of other adverse clinical events; (2) the magnitude of change from baseline on perfusion lung scans, pulmonary angiograms, or echocardiograms; and (3) the differences in coagulation parameters over time. ⋯ No significant differences were detected between the bolus rt-PA and 2-h rt-PA with respect to bleeding complications, adverse clinical events, or imaging studies. There was less fibrinogenolysis with the bolus dosing regimen.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effect of injectate temperature and thermistor position on reproducibility of thermodilution cardiac output determinations.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of thermistor position with varying injectate temperatures on the reproducibility of thermodilution cardiac output determination. The key hypothesis to be tested was that the positioning of the proximal thermistor at the right atrial port would improve the reproducibility of thermodilution cardiac output determination, independent of injectate temperature. ⋯ Reproducibility of thermodilution cardiac output determinations is improved when injectate temperature is measured internally, at the RA, as opposed to externally in the reservoir. This has clinical implications for determining significant changes in serial cardiac output determinations.