Lancet
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of acamprosate and placebo in long-term treatment of alcohol dependence.
About 50% of alcoholic patients relapse within 3 months of treatment. Previous studies have suggested that acamprosate may help to prevent such relapse. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of long-term acamprosate treatment in alcohol dependence. ⋯ Acamprosate is an effective and well-tolerated pharmacological adjunct to psychosocial and behavioural treatment programmes for treatment of alcohol-dependent patients.
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The evacuation of emergency cases by air, usually by helicopter, is controversial because of the cost of the programme, the possibility of an accident (especially in an urban area), and unproven benefit. But such evacuations cannot be studied by a random intervention (eg, air versus ground ambulance). We used an expert-panel approach to estimate the health outcome for patients transferred by emergency helicopter compared with the potential outcome if they had gone by surface ambulance. ⋯ We conclude that an emergency helicopter service can provide considerable health benefits for selected patients, at least in this rural setting. Given the costs and risks of such a service, the benefits for most patients are small.