Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisAir versus oxygen for resuscitation of infants at birth.
100% oxygen is the commonly recommended gas for the resuscitation of infants at birth. There is growing evidence from both animal and human studies that room air is as effective as 100% oxygen and that 100% oxygen may have adverse effects on breathing physiology and cerebral circulation. There is also the theoretical risk of tissue damage due to free oxygen radicals when 100% oxygen is given. The use of room air has, therefore, been suggested as a safer and possibly more effective alternative. ⋯ There is insufficient evidence at present on which to recommend a policy of using room air over 100% oxygen, or vice versa, for newborn resuscitation. A reduction in mortality has been seen in infants resuscitated with room air, and no evidence of harm has been demonstrated. However, the small number of identified studies and their methodologic limitations dictate caution in interpreting and applying these results. We note the use of back-up 100% oxygen in more than a quarter of infants randomised to room air. Therefore, on the basis of currently available evidence, if one chooses room air as the initial gas for resuscitation, supplementary oxygen should continue to be made available.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisShort term ambulatory oxygen for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Ambulatory oxygen is defined as the use of supplemental oxygen during exercise and activities of daily living. Ambulatory oxygen therapy is often used for patients on long term oxygen therapy during exercise, or for non long term oxygen therapy users who achieve some subjective and/or objective benefit from oxygen during exercise. The evidence for the use of ambulatory oxygen therapy is extrapolated from two sources: longer term studies and single assessment studies. Longer term studies assess the impact of ambulatory oxygen therapy used at home during activities of daily living. Single assessment studies compare performance during an exercise test using oxygen with performance during an exercise test using placebo air. ⋯ This review provides some evidence from small, single assessment studies that ambulatory oxygen improves exercise performance in people with moderate to severe COPD. The results of the review may be affected by publication bias, and the small sample sizes in the studies. Although positive, the findings of the review require replication in larger trials with more distinct subgroups of participants. Maximal or endurance tests can be used in ambulatory oxygen assessment, but endurance tests may be more appropriate as they are more related to activities of daily living. Consideration should be given to the measurement of SaO2 and breathlessness at isotime as these provide important additional information. We recommend that these outcomes are included in the assessment for ambulatory oxygen. Future research needs to establish the level of benefit of ambulatory oxygen in specific subgroups of people with COPD.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisZuclopenthixol dihydrochloride for schizophrenia.
Zuclopenthixol dihydrochloride, given orally, is commonly used for managing the signs and symptoms of schizophrenia. ⋯ There is an indication that zuclopenthixol causes movement disorders, perhaps more so than the newer generation of drugs, though no more frequently than the older generation of antipsychotics. There is some suggestion from this review that oral zuclopenthixol may have some clinical advantage, at least in the short term, over other older drugs in terms of global state. If an older drug is going to be prescribed, zuclopenthixol dihydrochloride is a viable option but may be best taken with additional medication to offset movement disorders that occur in about half the people taking this drug. There is no information on service, functional, behavioural outcomes and important outcomes such as relapse, for such a widely used drug this would indicate the need for further studies. We feel that it should remain a choice in the treatment of those for whom older generation drugs are indicated.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisAcupuncture and dry-needling for low back pain.
Although low-back pain is usually a self-limiting and benign disease that tends to improve spontaneously over time, a large variety of therapeutic interventions are available for its treatment. ⋯ The data do not allow firm conclusions about the effectiveness of acupuncture for acute low-back pain. For chronic low-back pain, acupuncture is more effective for pain relief and functional improvement than no treatment or sham treatment immediately after treatment and in the short-term only. Acupuncture is not more effective than other conventional and "alternative" treatments. The data suggest that acupuncture and dry-needling may be useful adjuncts to other therapies for chronic low-back pain. Because most of the studies were of lower methodological quality, there certainly is a further need for higher quality trials in this area.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2005
Review Meta AnalysisEndometrial destruction techniques for heavy menstrual bleeding.
Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a significant health problem in premenopausal women; it can reduce their quality of life and cause anaemia. First-line therapy has traditionally been medical therapy but this is frequently ineffective. On the other hand, hysterectomy is obviously 100% effective in stopping bleeding but is more costly and can cause severe complications. Endometrial ablation is less invasive and preserves the uterus, although long-term studies have found that the costs of ablative surgery approach the cost of hysterectomy due to the requirement for repeat procedures. A large number of techniques have been developed to 'ablate' (remove) the lining of the endometrium. The gold standard techniques (laser, transcervical resection of the endometrium and rollerball) require visualisation of the uterus with a hysteroscope and, although safe, require skilled surgeons. A number of newer techniques have recently been developed, most of which are less time consuming. However, hysteroscopy may still be required as part of the ablative techniques and some of them must be considered to be still under development, requiring refinement and investigation. ⋯ Endometrial ablation techniques continue to play an important role in the management of HMB. The rapid development of a number of new methods of endometrial destruction has made systematic comparisons between methods and with the 'gold standard' of transcervical resection of the endometrium (TCRE) difficult. Most of the newer techniques are technically easier than hysteroscopy-based methods to perform. However, uterine perforation, which is the major complication of endometrial ablation, cannot be excluded without hysteroscopy. Overall, the existing evidence suggests that success rates and complication profiles of newer techniques of ablation compare favourably with TCRE, although technical difficulties with new equipment need to be ironed out.