Meeting the needs of patients with COPD: patients' preference for the Diskus inhaler compared with the Handihaler

This study assessed preference and ease of use of the Diskus and the Handihaler in symptomatic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. No patient had used either device before. Patients were given a questionnaire to assess the inhalers and to rank the most important feature of an inhaler. Patients in Germany (n = 125) and The Netherlands (n = 131) with a mean age of 60 participated. Fifty-eight percent of German patients and 69% of Dutch patients had no problems using the Diskus compared to only 11 and 32%, respectively, using the Handihaler (p < 0.001). Overall, 79% of patients would be happy to use the Diskus and 46% the Handihaler if their physician suggested it. However, 35% of Dutch patients and 72% of German patients stated they would not be happy to use the Handihaler. The Diskus was rated higher than the Handihaler for the top three features of an ideal inhaler. Overall the Diskus inhaler was preferred by 67% of patients.     

LINX■ reflux management system to bridge the “treatment gap” in gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review of 35 studies

BACKGROUND Gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD) occurs when the reflux of stomach contents causes troublesome symptoms and/or complications. When medical therapy is insufficient, surgical therapy is indicated and, until now, Laparoscopic fundoplication(LF) constitutes the gold-standard method. However, magnetic sphincter augmentation(MSA) using the LINX^® Reflux Management System has recently emerged and disputes the standard therapeutic approach.AIM To investigate the device’s safety and efficacy in resolving GERD symptoms.METHODS This is a systematic review conducted in accordance to the PRISMA guidelines.We searched MEDLINE, Clinicaltrials.gov, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL databases from inception until September 2019.RESULTS Overall, 35 studies with a total number of 2511 MSA patients were included and analyzed. Post-operative proton-pump inhibitor(PPI) cessation rates reached 100%, with less bloating symptoms and a better ability to belch or vomit in comparison to LF. Special patient groups(e.g., bariatric or large hiatal-hernias)had promising results too. The most common postoperative complication was dysphagia ranging between 6% and 83%. Dilation due to dysphagia occurred in 8% of patients with typical inclusion criteria. Esophageal erosion may occur in up to 0.03% of patients. Furthermore, a recent trial indicated MSA as an efficient alternative to double-dose PPIs in moderate-to-severe GERD.CONCLUSION The findings of our review suggest that MSA has the potential to bridge the treatment gap between maxed-out medical treatment and LF. However, further studies with longer follow-up are needed for a better elucidation of these results.     

Successful endovascular treatment in patients with acute thromboembolic ischemia of the lower limb including the crural arteries

AIM To examine the efficacy and safety of the 6 French(6F) Rotarex~S catheter system in patients with acute limb ischemia(ALI) involving thromboembolic occlusion of the proximal and mid-crural vessels.METHODS The files of patients in our department with ALI between 2015 and 2017 were examined. In seven patients, the Rotarex~S catheter was used in the proximal segment of the crural arteries. Data related to the clinical examination, Doppler sonography, angiography and followup from these patients were further used for analysis.RESULTS Two patients(29%) had thrombotic occlusion of the common femoral artery, and the remaining five exhibited thrombosis of the superficial femoral artery and popliteal artery. Mechanical thrombectomy was performed in all cases using a 6F Rotarex~S catheter. Additional Rotarex~S catheter thrombectomy due to remaining thrombus formation with no reflow was performed in the anterior tibial artery in two of seven cases(29%), in the tibiofibular tract and posterior tibial artery in two of seven cases(29%) and in the tibiofibular tract and fibular artery in the remaining three of seven cases(43%). Ischemic symptoms resolved promptly in all, and none of the patients experienced a procedural complication, such as crural vessel dissection, perforation or thrombus embolization.CONCLUSION Mechanical debulking using the 6F Rotarex~S catheter system may be a safe and effective treatment option in case of thrombotic or thromboembolic occlusion of the proximal and mid-portion of crural arteries.     

Clinical Evaluation of Human Papillomavirus Detection by careHPVTM Test on Physician-Samples and Self-Samples using The Indicating FTA Elute® Card

Objective: To make the clinical evaluation of a solid-state human papillomavirus (HPV) sampling medium in combination with an economical HPV testing method (careHPVTM) for cervical cancer screening. Methods: 396 women aged 25-65 years were enrolled for cervical cancer screening, and four samples were collected. Two samples were collected by woman themselves, among which one was stored in DCM preservative solution (called “liquid sample”) and the other was applied on the Whatman Indicating FTA Elute® card (FTA card). Another two samples were collected by physician and stored in DCM preservative solution and FTA card, respectively. All the samples were detected by careHPVTM test. All the women were administered a colposcopy examination, and biopsies were taken for pathological confirmation if necessary. Results: FTA card demonstrated a comparable sensitivity of detecting high grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) with the liquid sample carrier for self and physician-sampling, but showed a higher specificity than that of liquid sample carrier for self-sampling (FTA vs Liquid: 79.0% vs 71.6%, p=0.02). Generally, the FTA card had a comparable accuracy with that of Liquid-based medium by different sampling operators, with an area under the curve of 0.807 for physician&FTA, 0.781 for physician &Liquid, 0.728 for self & FTA, and 0.733 for self &Liquid (p>0.05). Conclusions: FTA card is a promising sample carrier for cervical cancer screening. With appropriate education programmes and further optimization of the experimental workflow, FTA card based self-collection in combination withcentralized careHPVTM testing can help expand the coverage of cervical cancer screening in low-resource areas.     

Histological Sampling of Endometrial Tissue: Comparison between the MedGyn® Endosampler and Formal Fractional Curettage in Patients with Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Background: Several methods have been used for evaluation of the endometrial pathology in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. Endometrial biopsy is one of the primary methods used for diagnostic evaluation, which is a minimally invasive approach. The aim of this study was to compare the adequacy yield of samples obtained by MedGyn® Endosampler with Formal Fractional Curettage. Objective: This study was designed to compare the endometrial tissue quality and diagnostic accuracy between MedGyn® Endosampler and Formal Fractional Curettage in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding. Methods: A total of 85 endometrial tissue samples were tested by the MedGyn® Endosampler, followed by Formal Fractional Curettage, from patients at Phrapokklao Hospital who were eligible for the study and met the inclusion criteria for uterine curettage. Samples were collected between August, 2018 and April, 2019. Both operations were performed by the same investigator. The samples were submitted separately and sent to the same pathologist. Results: The mean age of the patients was 46.92 ± 6.94 years. 91.76% (78/85) of the samples obtained by Formal Fractional Curettage and 89.41% (76/85) of the samples obtained by MedGyn® Endosampler device were adequate for histopathological examination. The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.317). The pathological results of endometrial tissue from both techniques were the same in 67 patients (78.82%) and different in 14 patients (16.47%). MedGyn® Endosampler was six times more cost effective when compared to Formal Fractional Curettage. Conclusions: Endometrial sampling using MedGyn® Endosampler is a safe, adequate, accurate, cost effective outpatient procedure which precludes general anesthesia. Therefore, it could be an alternative method for endometrial sampling.     

Metallosis following a clip breakage in a total knee arthroplasty implant: A case report

Background Metallosis describes the build-up of metal debris in the soft tissues after a period of metal on metal articulation. This debris can be asymptomatic or lead to catastrophic implant failure, which can present acutely, as in this case, or over a period of time. This report highlights how a metal clip used to hold the polyethylene liner to the tibial base plate broke 5 years after implantation, dislodged from its original position and went on to cause post-operative knee metallosis.case summary We present a case of a 63 year old lady admitted to our unit with an acute onset of right knee pain on top of a previous right total knee replacement. There was no associated trauma and examination revealed an erythematous, swollen and tender right knee. Blood investigations went on to display significantly raised inflammatory markers, raising the suspicion of a septic joint. This patient was taken to theatre for a knee arthrotomy and lavage of what was thought to be a septic joint when she was found to have extensive knee metallosis. On further inspection the metal clip, normally used to secure the polyethylene insert to the tibial base plate, had broken, dislodged, and had triggered this response. After the initial washout, this lady went back to theatre, once the appropriate implants were in stock, for an exchange of liner and metal clip.conclusion This case highlights this very rare complication which has never been reported in the literature and the success of this patient's management.