Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde
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Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd · Aug 2007
Review[Again new resuscitation guidelines (2006): justification, costs and potential confusion].
The last revision of the Dutch resuscitation guidelines, a translation of the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines 2005, is based on the recommendations of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR). The previous Dutch guidelines were issued in 2002. Most changes are based on laboratory studies and retrospective analyses. ⋯ It would be good to prospectively evaluate the effectiveness and costs of this revision. In the future, these data might help to decide when altered international recommendations should be translated into new Dutch resuscitation guidelines. Alternative strategies should be considered, for example only changing the guidelines for advanced life support.
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Erythrocytosis is a phenomenon with life-threatening complications and a broad differential diagnosis. Erythrocytosis is usually secondary to a cardiopulmonary condition leading to a low arterial oxygen tension. ⋯ The differential diagnosis can be narrowed down by a determination of the erythropoietin concentration and the JAK2 mutation. If the erythrocytosis is found to be non-physiological, then reduction of the haematocrit via bloodletting and, depending on the diagnosis, treatment with acetylsalicylic acid are indicated.