JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Venous thrombosis is a common complication in patients with cancer, leading to additional morbidity and compromising quality of life. ⋯ Patients with cancer have a highly increased risk of venous thrombosis especially in the first few months after diagnosis and in the presence of distant metastases. Carriers of the factor V Leiden and prothrombin 20210A mutations appear to have an even higher risk.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Continuous positive airway pressure for treatment of postoperative hypoxemia: a randomized controlled trial.
Hypoxemia complicates the recovery of 30% to 50% of patients after abdominal surgery; endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation may be required in 8% to 10% of cases, increasing morbidity and mortality and prolonging intensive care unit and hospital stay. ⋯ Continuous positive airway pressure may decrease the incidence of endotracheal intubation and other severe complications in patients who develop hypoxemia after elective major abdominal surgery.
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Review
Pharmacological treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia: a review of the evidence.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia are common and associated with poor outcomes for patients and caregivers. Although nonpharmacological interventions should be the first line of treatment, a wide variety of pharmacological agents are used in the management of neuropsychiatric symptoms; therefore, concise, current, evidence-based recommendations are needed. ⋯ Pharmacological therapies are not particularly effective for management of neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. Of the agents reviewed, the atypical antipsychotics risperidone and olanzapine currently have the best evidence for efficacy. However, the effects are modest and further complicated by an increased risk of stroke. Additional trials of cholinesterase inhibitors enrolling patients with high levels of neuropsychiatric symptoms may be warranted.