Health technology assessment : HTA
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
ReviewDasatinib, nilotinib and standard-dose imatinib for the first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia: systematic reviews and economic analyses.
Nilotinib and dasatinib are now being considered as alternative treatments to imatinib as a first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). ⋯ The Health Technology Assessment Programme of the National Institute for Health Research.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
ReviewSystematic review of head cooling in adults after traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Brain injuries resulting from trauma and stroke are common and costly. Cooling therapy may reduce damage and potentially improve outcome. Head cooling targets the site of injury and may have fewer side effects than systemic cooling, but there has been no systematic review and the evidence base is unclear. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisAn evaluation of the feasibility, cost and value of information of a multicentre randomised controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin for sepsis (severe sepsis and septic shock): incorporating a systematic review, meta-analysis and value of information analysis.
Sepsis is a syndrome characterised by a systemic inflammatory response to infection that leads to rapid acute organ failure and potentially rapid decline to death. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a blood product derived from human donor blood, has been proposed as an adjuvant therapy for sepsis. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
ReviewSystematic review and validation of prediction rules for identifying children with serious infections in emergency departments and urgent-access primary care.
Although the vast majority of children with acute infections are managed at home, this is one of the most common problems encountered in children attending emergency departments (EDs) and primary care. Distinguishing children with serious infection from those with minor or self-limiting infection is difficult. This can result in misdiagnosis of children with serious infections, which results in a poorer health outcome, or a tendency to refer or admit children as a precaution; thus, inappropriately utilising secondary-care resources. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.
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Health Technol Assess · Jan 2012
Review Comparative StudyNon-invasive diagnostic assessment tools for the detection of liver fibrosis in patients with suspected alcohol-related liver disease: a systematic review and economic evaluation.
Excessive alcohol consumption may lead to the development of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). Liver biopsy may be used in patients with suspected ALD to confirm the diagnosis, exclude other or additional liver pathologies, and provide accurate staging of the degree of liver injury in order to enable the prediction of prognosis and inform treatment decisions. However, as it is an invasive procedure that carries the risk of morbidity and mortality, current UK guidance recommends that biopsy is not required to confirm the diagnosis in patients with a high clinical suspicion of ALD in whom blood tests have excluded other causes of liver disease, unless it is necessary to confirm a diagnosis of acute alcoholic hepatitis in order to inform specific treatment decisions. ⋯ The National Institute for Health Research Technology Assessment programme.