Internal medicine journal
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2021
Subcutaneous ertapenem delivered by an Australian outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy service: a retrospective comparative efficacy study.
Subcutaneous (SC) administration of ertapenem in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) services may be a practical alternative to intravenous delivery for complicated infections. The clinical features and outcomes according to route of administration were compared from a large Australian OPAT service. Chronic renal impairment was more common in the SC group, reflecting an opportunity for route of administration as a vein preservation strategy. Adverse events were uncommon and successful outcomes were not different between the groups.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2021
Imaging of patients with multiple myeloma and associated plasma cell disorders: consensus practice statement by the Medical Scientific Advisory Group to Myeloma Australia.
Imaging modalities for multiple myeloma (MM) have evolved to enable earlier detection of disease. Furthermore, the diagnosis of MM requiring therapy has recently changed to include disease prior to bone destruction, specifically the detection of focal bone lesions. ⋯ The aim of this consensus practice statement is to review the evidence supporting these modalities. A more detailed Position Statement can be found on the Myeloma Australia website.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2021
Anticoagulation prescribing practice following ischaemic strokes in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
It is well established that anticoagulation following an ischaemic stroke in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation is an effective means of secondary prevention. However, there is a lack of a solid evidence base to guide both the agent choice and the optimal timing in which to initiate anticoagulation therapy. ⋯ We found apixaban was by far the anticoagulation of choice for non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The median time to anticoagulation initiation was Day 1 post transient ischaemic attack, Day 2 post small infarcts, Day 4 post moderate infarcts and Day 5 post large infarcts.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2021
Ten-year trends in prescribing of antiarrhythmic drugs in Australian primary care patients with atrial fibrillation.
Despite changes in antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) choice in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), trends in AAD prescribing remain not investigated. We aimed to examine these changes using a nationwide Australian general practice data from 2009 to 2018. Over the 10 years, AAD prescribing in patients with AF decreased, which was mainly due to a reduction in the use of amiodarone, sotalol and digoxin. In contrast, the use of beta-blockers and flecainide increased.
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Internal medicine journal · Oct 2021
Qualitative study of nuclear medicine physicians' perceptions of positron emission tomography/computed tomography in pregnant patients with cancer.
Staging using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is standard of care in many cancers that occur most frequently in pregnancy, particularly lymphoma. While expert guidelines generally recommend against PET/CT in pregnant women, there is emerging evidence that likely absorbed foetal doses in pregnancy are relatively low, and as such in certain circumstances PET/CT may be acceptable when balancing benefit and risk. We conducted a qualitative survey of nuclear medicine physicians in Australia and New Zealand to assess practice and attitudes with respect to PET/CT in pregnancy women, finding that most respondents considered PET/CT in pregnancy may be an appropriate modality in carefully selected clinical contexts with appropriate modifications. It is important to continue to define the role of PET/CT in pregnancy into the future, particularly as this imaging modality has emerged as the standard of care in staging and response assessment for many cancers.