Postoperative Tachycardia: Clinically Meaningful or Benign Consequence of Orthopedic Surgery?

Objective

To determine the clinical significance of tachycardia in the postoperative period.

直接溶栓治疗急性下肢深静脉血栓的临床探讨

依临床表现及顺行性下肢静脉造影诊断的７３例急性下肢深静脉血栓，经病变远肢端静脉滴注蝮蛇抗酶行五接溶栓治疗，蝮蛇抗栓酶剂量为０．０２５ＩＵ／ｋｇ体重，每天１次，２周为１疗程，２２例治疗后经造影复查。该法安全、方便且有赦，无明显利作用，值得推广应用。     

Direct Oral Anticoagulants: New Drugs and New Concepts

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are approved for multiple thromboembolic disorders and provide advantages over existing agents. As with all anticoagulants, management protocols for the eventuality of bleeding are important. Randomized phase III studies generally show that DOACs have a similar risk of clinically relevant bleeding compared with standard anticoagulants, with reductions in major bleeding in some cases. This may be particularly important in patients with atrial fibrillation, for whom the rate of intracranial hemorrhage was approximately halved with DOACs compared with warfarin. Conversely, the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding may be increased. Specific patient characteristics, such as renal impairment, comedications, and particular aspects of each drug, including the proportion eliminated by the kidneys, must be taken into account when assessing the risk of bleeding. Although routine coagulation monitoring of DOACs is not required, it may be useful under some circumstances. Of the traditional clotting assays, a sensitive and calibrated prothrombin time may be useful for detecting the presence or absence of clinically relevant factor Xa inhibitor concentrations (rivaroxaban or apixaban), but specific anti–factor Xa assays can measure drug levels quantitatively. For dabigatran, the results of an activated partial thromboplastin time test may exclude a clinically relevant pharmacodynamic effect, but a calibrated dilute thrombin time assay can be used for quantification of drug levels. In the event of mild or moderate bleeding, normal hemostatic support measures are recommended. For life-threatening bleeding, use of nonspecific prohemostatic agents may be considered, although clinical evidence is scarce. Specific antidotes are in development.     

骨科大手术后下肢深静脉血栓形成的中医药临床研究概况

随着骨科大手术(包括人工全髋关节置换术THR,人工全膝关节置换术TKR和髋部周围骨折手术HFS)[1]的普遍开展,其术后并发症越来越受到临床医生的重视,下肢深静脉血栓(DVT)是骨科大手术后的严重并发症之一。据统计,国外骨科大手术后DVT发生率THR为42%～57%,TKR为41%～85%以及HFS 46%～60%[1]。一项亚洲7个国家19个骨科中心407例骨科大手术术后DVT发生率调查研究[2]表明,经静脉造影证实深静脉血栓形成发生率为43.2%(120/278)。近年来,中医药对骨科大手术后DVT的研究、预防和治疗,也日益重视,并取得了较好的临床效果[3]。     

失效模式与效应分析在髋关节置换术后下肢深静脉血栓形成预防中的应用

目的:探讨失效模式和效应分析(FMEA)在预防髋关节置换(THA)术后下肢深静脉血栓形成(DVT)中的应用效果。方法:将2010年1～12月在我院行THA的96例患者随机分为对照组和观察组各48例,对照组按骨科常规护理方法进行护理,观察组在此基础上应用FMEA预防人工髋关节置换术后下肢深静脉血栓形成。结果:实施FMEA后6个高危因子的RPN值显著低于实施前(P<0.01);两组患者对预防下肢DVT相关知识的掌握程度、住院时间、满意度比较差异均有统计学意义(P<0.01,P<0.05);观察组住院期间未发生下肢DVT,对照组发生3例下肢DVT。结论:应用FMEA预防人工髋关节置换术后下肢深静脉血栓形成,能够准确的把握相应流程中的重点工作,防范于未然,提高护理质量。     

Floating right heart thrombi: A pooled analysis of cases reported over the past 10 years

Introduction

Floating right heart thrombi (FRHTS) are a rare phenomenon associated with high mortality. Immediate treatment is mandatory, but optimal therapy is controversial.

Indirect treatment comparison of new oral anticoagulants for the treatment of acute venous thromboembolism

Background

Numerous new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been compared to a parenteral anticoagulant/oral vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for the treatment of acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). We aimed to conduct a systematic review and adjusted indirect comparison meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of NOACs for this indication.

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature search through November 2013 for randomized trials that evaluated treatment of acute VTE with a NOAC including rivaroxaban, apixaban, dabigatran and edoxaban. Trials had to report at least one of the following outcomes of interest: mortality, recurrent VTE, recurrent pulmonary embolism (PE), recurrent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or major bleeding. Included trials were evaluated for quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. We performed an adjusted indirect comparison meta-analysis to evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of NOACs, reporting relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals for each outcome.

Results

Six trials (n = 27,069) met inclusion criteria, one each evaluating apixaban and edoxaban and two trials each evaluating rivaroxaban and dabigatran. Risk of bias was low for all trials. NOACS did not differ significantly in the risk of mortality, recurrent VTE, recurrent PE or recurrent DVT. Dabigatran increased major bleeding risk compared to apixaban [RR 2.69 (1.19 to 6.07)] as did edoxaban compared to apixaban [RR 2.74 (1.40 to 5.39)].

Conclusion

Although NOACs do not appear to differ in the efficacy of treating acute VTE, data suggests apixaban to be the safer than some of its competitors.     

Activated protein C plasma levels in the fasting and postprandial states among patients with previous unprovoked venous thromboembolism

Introduction

The protein C anticoagulant system is of major importance in the regulation of thrombotic risk, but it is not known whether low plasma levels of activated protein C (APC) in vivo reflect a compromised anticoagulant situation with increased thrombotic risk. Previous studies have reported low, normal or increased plasma APC levels in unselected patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Materials and methods

We performed a population-based, case-control study in patients with a previous history of unprovoked VTE and subjected the participants to a standard fat tolerance test (1 g fat/kg body weight) in order to promote physiological coagulation activation.

Results

VTE patients had higher BMI (28.3 ± 4.4 kg/m² versus 26.3 ± 3.9 kg/m², p = 0.045) and greater waist circumference (98.2 ± 12.5 cm versus 93.4 ± 13.4 cm, p = 0.041) than age and sex matched controls. APC levels were equal in fasting plasma (3.00 ± 0.74 ng/ml and 2.99 ± 0.60 ng/ml, p = 0.66) but higher in postprandial plasma (3.18 ± 0.57 ng/ml and 2.81 ± 0.38 ng/ml, p = 0.008) collected from VTE patients and controls, respectively. Endogenous thrombin generation in plasma following a standardized meal, assessed by thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), increased similarly in both groups, whereas APC increased only among the VTE patients during the postprandial state. Plasma levels of APC increased linearly with TAT in the postprandial state (p for linear trend = 0.012).

Conclusions

Our findings fail to support the hypothesis that low APC levels are linked to increased thrombotic risk in unprovoked VTE, and they suggest that plasma APC is a biomarker of thrombin generation.     

The safety and usefulness of low molecular weight heparins and unfractionated heparins in patients with acute stroke

Stroke is a common cause for morbidity and mortality, causing substantial economic costs. Because thrombosis plays a key role in the pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke, heparins, platelet inhibitors and anticoagulants have been used in stroke management. There were high hopes that patients might benefit from the use of heparins. Unfortunately, these expectations have not been met. Instead, thrombolytics have been shown to result in an improvement of outcome in a considerable fraction of patients with ischaemic stroke. Yet, in other areas of stroke management, such as the prevention of venous thromboembolism after stroke, heparins have found their niche. In this review, we report on the currently available literature on heparins for the reduction of stroke-related morbidity and mortality, the prevention of recurrent stroke as well as the prevention of venous thromboembolism in both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke with respect to their risks, such as the haemorrhagic transformation of ischaemic strokes.     

Extended outpatient chemoprophylaxis reduces venous thromboembolism after radical cystectomy

Purpose

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, is a common cause of morbidity and mortality after radical cystectomy. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the utility of extended outpatient chemoprophylaxis against VTE after radical cystectomy—with a focus on any reduction in the incidence of VTE, including DVT and pulmonary embolism.