Cochrane Db Syst Rev
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2015
Review Meta AnalysisNon-pharmacological interventions for assisting the induction of anaesthesia in children.
Induction of general anaesthesia can be distressing for children. Non-pharmacological methods for reducing anxiety and improving co-operation may avoid the adverse effects of preoperative sedation. ⋯ This review shows that the presence of parents during induction of general anaesthesia does not diminish their child's anxiety. Potentially promising non-pharmacological interventions such as parental acupuncture; clowns/clown doctors; playing videos of the child's choice during induction; low sensory stimulation; and hand-held video games need further investigation in larger studies.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2015
Review Meta AnalysisSupplementation with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) to breastfeeding mothers for improving child growth and development.
Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are the most abundant fatty acids in the brain and are necessary for growth and maturation of an infant's brain and retina. LCPUFAs are named "essential" because they cannot be synthesised efficiently by the human body and come from maternal diet. It remains controversial whether LCPUFA supplementation to breastfeeding mothers is beneficial for the development of their infants. ⋯ Based on the available evidence, LCPUFA supplementation did not appear to improve children's neurodevelopment, visual acuity or growth. In child attention at five years of age, weak evidence was found (one study) favouring the supplementation. Currently, there is inconclusive evidence to support or refute the practice of giving LCPUFA supplementation to breastfeeding mothers in order to improve neurodevelopment or visual acuity.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2015
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for preventing the progression of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common inherited disorder causing kidney disease. Current clinical management of ADPKD focuses primarily on symptom control and reducing associated complications, particularly hypertension. In recent years, improved understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in kidney cyst growth and disease progression has resulted in new pharmaceutical agents to target disease pathogenesis to prevent progressive disease. ⋯ Although several interventions are available for patients with ADPKD, at present there is little or no evidence that treatment improves patient outcomes in this population and is associated with frequent adverse effects. Additional large randomised studies focused on patient-centred outcomes are needed.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2015
ReviewSingle dose oral ibuprofen plus caffeine for acute postoperative pain in adults.
There is good evidence that combining two different analgesics in fixed doses in a single tablet can provide better pain relief in acute pain and headache than either drug alone, and that the drug-specific benefits are essentially additive. This appears to be broadly true in postoperative pain and migraine headache across a range of different drug combinations, and when tested in the same and different trials. Adding caffeine to analgesics also increases the number of people obtaining good pain relief. Combinations of ibuprofen and caffeine are available without prescription in some parts of the world. ⋯ For ibuprofen 200 mg + caffeine 100 mg particularly, the low NNT value is among the lowest (best) values for analgesics in this pain model. The combination is not commonly available, but can be probably be achieved by taking a single 200 mg ibuprofen tablet with a cup of modestly strong coffee or caffeine tablets. In principle, this can deliver good analgesia at lower doses of ibuprofen.
-
Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jul 2015
ReviewProlonged storage of packed red blood cells for blood transfusion.
A blood transfusion is an acute intervention, used to address life- and health-threatening conditions on a short-term basis. Packed red blood cells are most often used for blood transfusion. Sometimes blood is transfused after prolonged storage but there is continuing debate as to whether transfusion of 'older' blood is as beneficial as transfusion of 'fresher' blood. ⋯ Recognising the limitations of the review, relating to the size and nature of the included trials, this Cochrane Review provides no evidence to support or reject the use of packed red blood cells for blood transfusion which have been stored for ≥ 21 days ('prolonged' or 'older') compared with those stored for < 21 days ('fresh'). These results are based on three small single centre trials with high risks of bias. There is insufficient evidence to determine the effects of fresh or older packed red blood cells for blood transfusion. Therefore, we urge readers to interpret the trial results with caution. The results from four large ongoing trials will help to inform future updates of this review.