European journal of internal medicine
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2021
Trends and outcomes of device-related 30-day readmissions after left ventricular assist device implantation.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) improve morbidity and mortality in end-stage heart failure patients, but high rates of readmissions remain a problem after implantation. We aimed to assess the incidence, trends, outcomes, and predictors of device-related 30-day readmissions after LVAD implantation. ⋯ Over one-fourth of LVAD recipients have 30-day readmissions, with most of them occurring within 15 days. Most frequent cause of readmission was gastrointestinal bleeding, which was associated with the lowest in-hospital mortality among other complications.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2021
Efficacy and safety of rituximab biosimilar (CT-P10) in IgG4-related disease: an observational prospective open-label cohort study.
Rituximab is increasingly used in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) but high costs limit its wide off-label administration. European and US regulatory agencies have recently approved rituximab biosimilars for the treatment of different rheumatologic and hematological conditions. No data are available, yet, on the efficacy and safety of rituximab biosimilars for the treatment of IgG4-RD. Scope of the present work is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the rituximab biosimilar CT-P10 (RTX-B) in patients with IgG4-RD. ⋯ The (TruximaTM) rituximab biosimilar CT-P10 represents a safe and effective alternative to rituximab originator for the treatment of IgG4-RD.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2021
Multicenter StudyNegligible HCC risk during stringently defined untreated immune-tolerant phase of chronic hepatitis B.
Whether chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients during immune-tolerant (IT) phase are at low risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still controversial. We performed a multicenter study to determine their long-term prognosis. ⋯ No actual HCC risk during untreated IT phase defined by age and HBV-DNA criteria of the AASLD guideline exists, supporting their diagnostic validity from the perspective of long-term prognosis. Further validation studies are required.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2021
Low Creatinine Potentially Overestimates Glomerular Filtration Rate in Older Fracture Patients: A Plea for an Extensive Use of Cystatin C?
Muscle mass is frequently reduced in older patients experiencing injurious falls and may further reduce during hospitalization for bone fracture. In these patients, renal function may be overestimated, because it is usually calculated using serum creatinine, which is strictly related to muscle mass. We evaluated if creatinine levels change during hospitalization in older patients with fracture. We also assessed the role of cystatin C as a more appropriate marker of renal function, comparing estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) according to different formulas based on creatinine and/or cystatin C levels. ⋯ In older fractured patients, creatinine levels decline during hospital stay and may possibly overestimate renal function, whereas cystatin C remains stable. Whether cystatin C is a more reliable marker of renal function in this specific population should be further investigated.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2021
Seventeen-year trend (2001-2017) in pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator utilization based on hospital discharge database data: An analysis by age groups.
To analyze temporal trends (2001 -2017) of Pacemakers (PM) and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICD) procedures in Italy, according to the national Hospital Discharge Database (HDD). ⋯ Since 2001, the increase of 1stPM in Italy was mainly due to the ultra-octogenarian population growth. No differences were observed for IR in each PM age group, while the absolute number and IR increased in all groups (especially ≥80 years old) for ICDs and CRT-Ds. An increase in comorbidities and a reduction in implants for secondary prevention were observed in the ICD population.