The New England journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Treatment of severe cardiogenic pulmonary edema with continuous positive airway pressure delivered by face mask.
Severe cardiogenic pulmonary edema is a frequent cause of respiratory failure, and many patients with this condition require endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. We investigated whether continuous positive airway pressure delivered by means of a face mask had physiologic benefit and would reduce the need for intubation and mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Continuous positive airway pressure delivered by face mask in patients with severe cardiogenic pulmonary edema can result in early physiologic improvement and reduce the need for intubation and mechanical ventilation. This short-term study could not establish whether continuous positive airway pressure has any long-term benefit or whether a larger study would have shown a difference in mortality between the treatment groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
A controlled trial of synthetic surfactant in infants weighing 1250 g or more with respiratory distress syndrome. The American Exosurf Neonatal Study Group I, and the Canadian Exosurf Neonatal Study Group.
Surfactant-replacement therapy is now recognized as a life-saving and safe intervention in small premature infants, but there is little evidence concerning its risks and benefits in larger premature infants. ⋯ In infants weighing at least 1250 g at birth who have respiratory distress syndrome, treatment with two doses of synthetic surfactant improves survival and reduces perinatal morbidity.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effect of oral milrinone on mortality in severe chronic heart failure. The PROMISE Study Research Group.
Milrinone, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, enhances cardiac contractility by increasing intracellular levels of cyclic AMP, but the long-term effect of this type of positive inotropic agent on the survival of patients with chronic heart failure has not been determined. ⋯ Our findings indicate that despite its beneficial hemodynamic actions, long-term therapy with oral milrinone increases the morbidity and mortality of patients with severe chronic heart failure. The mechanism by which the drug exerts its deleterious effects is unknown.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
A comparison of single-dose cefixime with ceftriaxone as treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhea. The Gonorrhea Treatment Study Group.
Because of the widespread existence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae resistant to penicillin or tetracycline, ceftriaxone is now recommended for the treatment of gonorrhea. There is, however, a need for effective antibiotics that can be administered orally as an alternative to ceftriaxone, which requires intramuscular administration. Cefixime is an orally absorbed cephalosporin that is active against resistant gonococci and has pharmacokinetic activity suitable for single-dose administration. ⋯ In the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea, a single dose of cefixime (400 or 800 mg) given orally appears to be as effective as the currently recommended regimen of ceftriaxone (250 mg given intramuscularly).
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A comparison of two doses of aspirin (30 mg vs. 283 mg a day) in patients after a transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke.
Aspirin is known to improve the outcome of patients who have had a cerebral transient ischemic attack, but the optimal dose of aspirin remains uncertain. Experimental evidence indicates that 30 mg of aspirin daily alters platelet aggregation more favorably than the 300-mg dose currently used in patients after transient ischemic attack or minor ischemic stroke. ⋯ Our data indicate that 30 mg of aspirin daily is no less effective in the prevention of vascular events than a 283-mg dose in patients with a transient ischemic attack or minor stroke, and has fewer adverse effects.