Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · Jan 2021
ReviewThe case for adding eicosapentaenoic acid (icosapent ethyl) to the ABCs of cardiovascular disease prevention.
The high-purity eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) prescription fish oil-derived omega-3 fatty acid (omega-3), icosapent ethyl (IPE), was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in high-risk patients. This approval is based on the 25% CVD event risk reduction observed with IPE in the pre-specified primary composite endpoint (cardiovascular [CV] death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, coronary revascularization, or hospitalization for unstable angina) in the landmark Reduction of Cardiovascular Events with Icosapent Ethyl-Intervention Trial (REDUCE-IT). Notably, this reduction in CVD event risk with IPE was an incremental benefit to well-controlled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; patients in REDUCE-IT had elevated triglyceride (TG) levels (135-499 mg/dL) and either had a history of atherosclerotic CVD or diabetes with additional CV risk factors. ⋯ We offer our perspective and rationale for why this evidence-based EPA-only formulation, IPE, should be added to the 'E' in the ABCDEF methodology for CV prevention. We provide multiple lines of evidence regarding an unmet need for CVD prevention beyond statin therapy, IPE clinical trials, IPE cost-effectiveness analyses, and proposed pleiotropic (non-lipid) mechanisms of action of EPA, as well as other relevant clinical considerations. See Figure 1 for the graphical abstract.[Figure: see text].
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Postgraduate medicine · Jan 2021
ReviewMultisystem effects of COVID-19: A concise review for practitioners.
While COVID-19 has primarily been characterized by the respiratory impact of viral pneumonia, it affects every organ system and carries a high consequent risk of death in critically ill patients. Higher sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores have been associated with increased mortality in patients critically ill patients with COVID-19. It is important that clinicians managing critically ill COVID-19 patients be aware of the multisystem impact of the disease so that care can be focused on the prevention of end-organ injuries to potentially improve clinical outcomes. We review the multisystem complications of COVID-19 and associated treatment strategies to improve the care of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
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Postgraduate medicine · Jan 2021
Case ReportsPulmonary embolism complicated the course of anti-N-methyl-D aspartate receptor encephalitis in a pediatric intensive care unit setting: A case report.
Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, an autoimmune neurological disorder resultant from the autoantibodies directed to the NR1 subunit of the NMDAR, is mainly characterized by neuropsychiatric symptoms, including behavior changes, paranoia, delusions, epileptic seizures, movement disorders, aphasia, insomnia, dysautonomia, and altered consciousness. Pulmonary embolism (PE) presents with pleuritic chest pain, hemoptysis, and respiratory distress by obstruction of the pulmonary circulation. Unlike adults, pediatric PE usually related to obvious risk factors, including central venous line, malignancy, lupus erythematosus, renal disease, congenital thrombophilia, surgery, and major trauma. Besides, PE has rarely been encountered in adult patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis even in the absence of these risk factors. ⋯ Pulmonary embolism should be kept in mind as a possible cause of respiratory insufficiency in pediatric anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients along with altered consciousness, breathing instability, hypersalivation, status epilepticus or dystonia, and their treatment.
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Postgraduate medicine · Jan 2021
Lack of residual morning effects of lemborexant treatment for insomnia: summary of findings across 9 clinical trials.
Residual next-day effects of sleep-promoting drugs are common and an important safety issue. Lemborexant is a dual orexin receptor antagonist approved in the United States and Japan for treatment of insomnia in adults. We evaluated the potential of lemborexant for residual morning and next-day effects, including somnolence, based on lemborexant clinical study findings. ⋯ Across 9 clinical studies, lemborexant did not substantially impair next-day functioning among healthy subjects and subjects with insomnia.
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Postgraduate medicine · Jan 2021
Pain severity and healthcare resource utilization in patients with osteoarthritis in the United States.
To evaluate healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) by osteoarthritis (OA) pain severity. ⋯ Greater current pain was associated with more prior HCRU including imaging for monitoring progression, HCP visits including more specialty care, hospitalizations, surgery/planned surgery, and loss of independence due to functional disability. Yet rates of hospitalizations and X-ray use were still sizable even among patients with mild pain. These cross-sectional findings warrant longitudinal assessment to further elucidate the impact of pain on HCRU.