Cochrane Db Syst Rev
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2002
ReviewNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for treating lateral elbow pain in adults.
Lateral elbow pain, or tennis elbow, is a common condition causing pain in the elbow and forearm and lack of strength and function of the elbow and wrist. It is often treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), either orally or by topical application. ⋯ There is some support for the use of topical NSAIDs to relieve lateral elbow pain at least in the short term. There remains insufficient evidence to recommend or discourage the use of oral NSAID, although it appears injection may be more effective than oral NSAID in the short term. A direct comparison between topical and oral NSAID has not been made and so no conclusions can be drawn regarding the best method of administration.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2002
ReviewHeliox for treatment of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Due to its low density properties, helium-oxygen mixtures have the potential to decrease the work of breathing and possibly avoid the need for intubation and mechanical ventilation in patients with respiratory failure. ⋯ There is currently insufficient evidence to support the use of helium-oxygen mixtures to treat acute exacerbations of COPD in either ventilated or nonventilated patients. Suitably designed randomised controlled trials with the endpoint being the avoidance of mechanical ventilation may be justified.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2002
Review Meta AnalysisInterventions for replacing missing teeth: preprosthetic surgery versus dental implants.
Preprosthetic surgery refers to the surgical procedures that can modify the oral anatomy to facilitate the retention of conventional dentures. Osseointegrated implants offer an alternative treatment to improve denture retention. A denture may be connected by special attachments to implants placed into the jaw. ⋯ There is weak evidence from the results of one randomised controlled trial including 60 subjects that patients are generally less satisfied with preprosthetic surgery and a conventional denture than with an implant retained denture. There is a need for more well designed trials comparing the success and cost-effectiveness of preprosthetic surgery and implant supported dentures. Such trials should be reported according to the CONSORT guidelines (http://www.consort-statement.org/). However, since preprosthetic surgery is considered to be an obsolete treatment nowadays, almost completely replaced by dental implants, it may be that new RCTs on this topic will not be designed.
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2002
ReviewTissue adhesives for traumatic lacerations in children and adults.
Tissue adhesives have been used for many years to close simple lacerations as an alternative to standard wound closure (sutures, staples, adhesive strips). They offer many potential advantages over standard wound closure, including ease of use, decrease in pain and time to apply, as well as not requiring a follow-up visit for removal. Many studies have compared tissue adhesives and standard wound closure to determine the cosmetic outcome as well as these other secondary outcomes in their respective study populations. However, due to the wide variation in study parameters, there are no generalisable, definitive answers about the effectiveness of tissue adhesives. No study has been adequately powered to assess differences in complications, which are rare. ⋯ Tissue adhesives are an acceptable alternative to standard wound closure for repairing simple traumatic lacerations. There is no significant difference in cosmetic outcome between tissue adhesives and standard wound closure, or between different tissue adhesives. They offer the benefit of decreased procedure time and less pain, compared to standard wound closure. A small but statistically significant increased rate of dehiscence with tissue adhesives must be considered when choosing the closure method (NNH 25).
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Cochrane Db Syst Rev · Jan 2002
ReviewPerioperative fluid volume optimization following proximal femoral fracture.
Proximal Femoral Fracture (PFF) or 'hip fracture' is a frequent injury, and adverse outcomes are common. Many patients are elderly, with significant comorbidity. Several factors suggest the importance of developing appropriate techniques to optimize intravascular fluid volume. These may include protocols that enhance the efficacy of clinicians' assessments, invasive techniques such as oesophageal Doppler or central venous pressure monitoring, or advanced non-invasive techniques such as plethysmographic pulse volume determination. ⋯ Invasive methods of fluid optimization during surgery may shorten hospital stay, but their effects on other important, patient-centred, longer-term outcomes are uncertain. An adverse effect on fatality cannot be excluded. Other fluid optimization techniques have not been evaluated. The lack of randomized studies of adequate quality addressing this important question is disappointing given the high incidence and frequently adverse outcome of PFF. More research is needed.