Pharmacotherapy
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Review
Potential Role of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Management of Heparin-induced Thrombocytopenia.
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare, potentially life-threatening condition secondary to unfractionated heparin or low molecular weight heparin exposure. This immune-mediated drug reaction manifests as thrombocytopenia with a paradoxical hypercoagulable state that can result in life-threatening thrombosis. It is imperative to ensure cessation of heparin-based products as soon as HIT is identified. ⋯ Twenty-seven articles met inclusion criteria for review: 1 prospective trial, 5 retrospective cohort studies, and 21 case reports totaling 104 patients treated with a DOAC for HIT. The DOACs prevented new and recurrent thrombosis in 98% (n=102) of cases, and bleeding complications occurred in 3% (n=3). While current literature remains limited, it is suggestive of a potential role of DOACs for HIT, which has led to their integration into the 2018 American Society Hematology Guidelines with a conditional recommendation.
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Enoxaparin is a widely used anticoagulant to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). A fixed dose is recommended for VTE prophylaxis. However, fixed prophylactic doses of enoxaparin in low-weight patients may be close to the weight-based dosing recommended for VTE treatment. ⋯ A lower dose of enoxaparin may be reasonable in low-weight patients for VTE prophylaxis. There appears to be no safety concerns with reduced enoxaparin dosing in low-weight patients. More robust data are needed to confirm these findings.
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To compare the efficacy and safety of once-weekly and twice-weekly bortezomib therapy in patients with hematologic malignancies. ⋯ Compared with twice-weekly bortezomib, once-weekly bortezomib had a comparable ORR and a probable lower incidence of peripheral neuropathy. More clinical trials are needed to draw a conclusion regarding the difference in peripheral neuropathy between the two groups because of the insufficient evidence detected by TSA and the inconsistent results among subgroups.
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Oral azithromycin (AZM) has been shown to reduce airway inflammation and disrupt biofilm formation. However, chronic AZM therapy may result in QT interval (QTc) prolongation. ⋯ An association between chronic AZM therapy and longer QTc intervals or significant QTc prolongation was not shown.
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The impact of vasopressin and norepinephrine discontinuation order in the recovery phase of septic shock remains controversial. This systematic review and patient-level meta-analysis were performed to determine the impact of vasopressin and norepinephrine discontinuation order on clinically significant outcomes in the recovery phase of septic shock. ⋯ Discontinuation of norepinephrine prior to vasopressin during the recovery phase of septic shock resulted in less clinically significant hypotension but no difference in mortality or lengths of stay. Larger, prospective studies evaluating the impact of relative vasopressin deficiency and norepinephrine and vasopressin discontinuation order and timing on patient-centered outcomes are needed.