Articles: function.
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The recent Atrial Fibrillation Management in Congestive Heart Failure With Ablation trial did not reveal any benefit of catheter ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), advanced heart failure (HF), and severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). We hypothesized that radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) could improve outcomes in HF patients with AF and impaired left ventricular systolic function (LVEF <50%) as compared with only medical therapy. ⋯ Compared with medical therapy, RFCA for AF in the setting of HF with impaired systolic function is associated with better clinical (HF hospitalization and all-cause mortality), structural (LVEF improvement), functional (VO 2max ), and quality of life outcomes. However, RFCA for AF failed to reduce all-cause mortality in RCTs that enrolled patients with LVEF ≤35% and thereby indicated the necessary stratification to identify patients who may benefit more from RFCA.
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Multicenter Study
"No Escalation of Treatment" Designations: A Multi-Institutional Exploratory Qualitative Study.
No Escalation of Treatment (NoET) designations are used in ICUs internationally to limit treatment for critically ill patients. However, they are the subject of debate in the literature and have not been qualitatively studied. ⋯ Despite ongoing debate, NoET designations are used in a varied sample of hospitals and are perceived as having multiple functions, suggesting they may fulfill an important need in the care of critically ill patients, especially at the end of life. The use of NoET designations can be improved through the implementation of a formal mechanism that encourages consistency across providers and clarifies the meaning of "escalation" for each patient.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Efficacy of Manual Therapy and Pressure Biofeedback-Guided Deep Cervical Flexor Muscle Strength Training on Pain and Functional Limitations in Individuals with Cervicogenic Headaches: A Randomized Comparative Study.
This study aimed to compare the efficacy of manual therapy and pressure biofeedback-guided DCFM strength training on pain intensity and functional limitations in individuals with CGH. Trial Design. A double-blinded, two-arm parallel group randomized comparative design. ⋯ Compared with manual therapy, pressure biofeedback-guided DCFM strength training showed a greater reduction in pain intensity (assessed using the VAS) at weeks two and three. However, both treatments were equally effective in lowering headache-related functional limitations in patients with CGH. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrial.gov PRS (Identifier ID: NCT05692232).
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Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) poses a considerable threat to physical, mental, and financial health worldwide. Beyond physical difficulties, CMP has a pronounced impact on pain behaviors and cognitive function. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the relationship between pain catastrophizing (PC) and cognitive function in CMP, identify gaps in the literature, and provide future directions for research on the topic. ⋯ Although evidence exists for the relationship between cognitive function and PC, there is a lack of rigorous research to indicate the strength of this relationship and the specific cognitive functions affected. The literature lacks appropriate populations needed to investigate clinically relevant PC and is limited by heterogeneous neuropsychological test batteries. Future research should include populations demonstrating the behaviors being studied, intentional analysis of outcomes, and appropriate cognitive tests.
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Chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) is a clinically common gynecological disease. Patients experience chronic pelvic pain and often accompany with emotional dysfunction. However, the impact and correlation of anxiety and depression on pain sensitization is not completely known. ⋯ Anxiety and depression can affect the PPT of some acupoints in CPID patients, which may provide a reference for acupoint selection for acupuncture treatment of CPID with emotional disorders. This trial is registered with ChiCTR2100052632.