QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians
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Review Meta Analysis
Use of transbronchial cryobiopsy in the diagnosis of interstitial lung disease-a systematic review and cost analysis.
Histological diagnosis by surgical lung biopsy for interstitial lung disease (ILD) is currently limited. Transbronchial cryobiopsy via flexible bronchoscope may this for more patients. The relative costs, diagnostic yields and safety of this approach and more traditional approaches have not been determined. ⋯ Transbronchial cryobiopsy represents a potentially cost-saving approach to improve histological diagnosis in ILD, however is accompanied by a significant risk of moderate bleeding.
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Review Meta Analysis
Hypomagnesemia and mortality in patients admitted to intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Reports of mortality due to magnesium dysregulation in the critical care setting are controversial. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between hypomagnesemia and mortality in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. ⋯ The findings of this meta-analysis indicate hypomagnesemia is associated with higher mortality, the need of mechanical ventilation and also the length of ICU stay in patients admitted to ICU.
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Review Meta Analysis
Psoriasis and risk of venous thromboembolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Several chronic inflammatory disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, have been shown to increase venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk but the data on psoriasis is unclear. ⋯ Our study demonstrated a statistically significant increased VTE risk among patients with psoriasis.
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Meta Analysis
Adjusted indirect comparison of new oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.
Vit-K antagonists are the therapy of choice to prevent thromboembolic events due to atrial fibrillation since many years. New oral anticoagulants (NOA) showed encouraging results vs. warfarin but there are no data directly comparing different NOA. We performed an adjusted indirect meta-analysis. ⋯ Overall superiority of NOA over warfarin is largely influenced by the reduction of HS. Dabigatran 150 mg/twice daily seems to have the best risk/benefit profile.
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Meta Analysis
Predicting mortality with severity assessment tools in out-patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
In community-acquired pneumonia, severity assessment tools, such as CRB65, CURB65 and Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI), have been promoted to increase the proportion of patients treated in the community. The prognostic accuracy of these scores is established in hospitalized patients, but less is known about their use in out-patients. We aimed to study the accuracy of these severity tools to predict mortality in patients managed as out-patients. ⋯ The limited data available suggest that CRB65 and PSI can identify groups of patients at low risk of mortality that can be safely managed in the community.