Effect of adalimumab interventions on general infection among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the safety of adalimumab in different dosages and durations of treatment. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to explore the infection risk in people who received adalimumab. We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE from inception to December 8, 2020. Summary estimates were obtained  using meta-analysis with a random-effects model. RESULTS: Twenty-one RCTs, considered to be of high quality, were analyzed. We found that there was a risk of infection (RR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.18). In the stratified analysis, we found an increase in infection among those that received normal dosage (RR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04-1.23), and in patients with psoriasis (RR: 1.13, 95% CI: 1.00-1.35) and rheumatoid arthritis (RR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.06-1.41), but not in those that received high doses and other criteria. In the meta-regressions, intervention duration was not related to changes in incidence risk. CONCLUSIONS: Trials that have a longer treatment duration and higher doses are needed to clarify whether patients that received adalimumab had an elevated risk of general infection.

Incidence of low back pain and potential risk factors among pharmacists: A population-based cohort study in Taiwan.

ABSTRACT: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common symptoms of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in pharmacists. This can impede the physical functions of the body and lead to incapacitation, resulting in significant social and economic burden. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors that correlate with LBP in Taiwanese pharmacists.A retrospective cohort study was conducted among all registered pharmacists aged 20 to 40 years using the National Health Insurance Research Database (2000-2013) in Taiwan. The LBP diagnosis was confirmed with one episode of hospitalization or at least three claimed outpatient visits for LBP. Data on workplace characteristics as well as comorbidities were also collected for the analyses. A Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the risk factors for LBP.The incidence rate of LBP among pharmacists was 16.60% in this study. Older pharmacists (28.49%; P < .01) and those who worked at district hospitals (23.51%; P < .01) showed a higher proportion of LBP. Furthermore, after adjustment for selected potential confounding factors, female pharmacists [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 1.12, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.01-1.24, P = .0354] and pharmacists with diabetes (aHR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.20-2.01; P = .0008) and gout (aHR: 1.70; 95% CI: 1.37-2.09; P < .0001) had significantly higher risks of LBP.In conclusion, age was positively correlated with LBP, and the workplace was an important factor in the development of LBP in pharmacists. We suggest that pharmacists who work in district hospitals should pay more attention to the development of LBP.

Incidence and relative risk factors in posttransplant diabetes mellitus patients: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) has a long-term impact on kidney transplantation outcomes, such as graft and patient survival. The incidence and risk factors of PTDM are well studied, but long-term follow-up results remain unavailable. We examined the long-term incidence and relative risk factors of PTDM. Methods: A hospital information system database for kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) for a transplantation center between 1983 and 2018 was used to perform this retrospective cohort study. KTRs with DM diagnosis and continuous use of hypoglycemic agents for more than 3 months were defined as having PTDM. Demographics and comorbidities before transplantation were also collected. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to determine the cumulative incidence and relative risk factors. Results: A total of 296 PTDM cases were confirmed (28.46%) in this study. An increased cumulative incidence associated with age was noted, which was significantly increased in those aged ≥40 years. Male sex, hypertension, hyperlipidemia before transplantation, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, and tacrolimus-based regimens were also risk factors. No significant correlation was found between the development of PTDM and the increase of human leukocyte antigen mismatches, the primary causes of end-stage renal disease, and acute rejection. Conclusions: PTDM incidence was high in this cohort study. Characteristics such as age ≥40 years, tacrolimus use, comorbidity of hypertension and hyperlipidemia before transplantation, and CMV infection were associated with a high risk of PTDM. Monitoring and adjusting preventable risk factors such as CMV infection might be useful to prevent PTDM.

Establish a perioperative check forum for peripheral intravenous access to prevent the occurrence of phlebitis.

The prevalence of intravenous (IV) catheter-related infections is 0.5 per 1000 device days, and these infections cause tenderness, erythema, swelling and phlebitis. Catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) may independently increase hospital costs and length of stay; the aim of the study was to set up a standard operating procedure (SOP) for the maintenance of peripheral vein catheter patency and the prevention of IV catheter-related complications. This is a retrospective study, enrolling patients who received anesthesia between April 2010 and January 2011. The study included 1 month of pretest phase, and 3 months each of "notification" phase, "observation" phase and "end" phase, respectively. The cannulations were set up by surgical ward nurses following the SOP on establishing peripheral intravenous catheter in our hospital. The cannulation sites were then examined before surgery and postoperatively by registered nurse anesthetists using the Baxter Scale. We also tried to set up a feedback circuit to let ward nurses know about the IV patency rate. As a result, 14,682 patients were enrolled in the study. The incidence of IV therapy-related adverse events was 0.78% in the notification phase, 0.43% in the observation phase, and 0.13% in the end phase. Overall IV therapy-related events declined significantly (p < 0.01), and the presence of phlebitis was associated with age (p < 0.05). An SOP established to assess IV patency through a checklist can reduce phlebitis and improve quality. The checklist increases ward nurses' and nurse anesthetists' awareness of IV patency, and the feedback circuit substantially reduces IV event rate.

A comparison of propofol target controlled infusion-based and sevoflurane-based anesthesia in adults undergoing elective anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

The target controlled infusion (TCI) of propofol with fentanyl facilitates easy titration of the depth of anesthesia, and thereby may improve the quality of anesthesia. The aim of this study is to investigate if propofol TCI-based anesthesia is practical for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), one of the most common surgical interventions in spine procedures, when compared with sevoflurane-based anesthesia with respect to the quality of anesthesia. Patients were classified into two groups according to the anesthesia regimen of maintenance of anesthesia with fentanyl and either propofol TCI (group FP) or inhalational sevoflurane (group FS), respectively. The primary endpoint was to evaluate quality of anesthesia and extubation time. Secondary endpoints were hemodynamic stability during the operation, operative fentanyl consumption, and postoperative complications. The study results revealed there were comparable results on time to extubation, changes in intraoperative hemodynamic parameters, and the occurrence of postoperative complications between the groups. No differences in average length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and hospital stay were noticed. However, opioid consumption and blood loss during the operation for patients in group FP were significantly higher than those of patients in group FS (551.28 ± 193.98 vs. 446.86 ± 177.15 µg, p = 0.005; 52.06 ± 58.25 vs. 28.33 ± 40.74 mL, p = 0.019, respectively). In these adult patients undergoing ACDF, propofol TCI-based anesthesia appears to be as efficacious as sevoflurane-based anesthesia but consumed more fentanyl and experienced higher blood loss.

Effectiveness of mechanical chest compression for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in an emergency department.

BACKGROUND: To increase the chance of restoring spontaneous circulation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with high-quality chest compressions is needed. We hypothesized that, in a municipal hospital emergency department, the outcome in nontraumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with standard CPR followed by mechanical chest compression (MeCC) was not inferior to that followed by manual chest compression (MaCC). The purposes of the study were to test our hypothesis and investigate whether the use of MeCC decreased human power demands for CPR. METHODS: A total of 455 consecutive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients of presumed cardiac etiology were divided into two groups according to the chest compressions they received (MaCC or MeCC) in this retrospective review study. Human power demand for CPR was described according to the Basic Life Support/Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support guidelines and the device handbook. The primary endpoint was recovery of spontaneous circulation during resuscitation, and the secondary endpoints were survival to hospital admission and medical human power demands. RESULTS: In this study, recovery of spontaneous circulation was achieved in 33.3% of patients in the MeCC group and in 27.1% in the MaCC group (p = 0.154), and the percentages of patients who survived hospitalization were 22.2% and 17.6%, respectively (p = 0.229). A ratio of 2:4 for the human power demand for CPR between the groups was found. Independent predictors of survival to hospitalization were ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia as initial rhythm and recovery of spontaneous circulation. CONCLUSION: No difference was found in early survival between standard CPR performed with MeCC and that performed with MaCC. However, the use of the MeCC device appears to promote staff availability without waiving patient care in the human power-demanding emergency departments of Taiwan hospitals.

Dose-dependent attenuation of intravenous nalbuphine on epidural morphine-induced pruritus and analgesia after cesarean delivery.

Epidural morphine in patient-controlled analgesia regimens controls postoperative pain well but easily induces pruritus and other epidural morphine-related side effects. With 90 pregnant American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status II females scheduled for elective cesarean delivery, the present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of patient-controlled antipruritus (PCP) use of intravenous nalbuphine-based regimens for attenuation of postoperative pruritus and related side effects in combination with epidural morphine patient-controlled analgesia with regard to the quality of postoperative pain management. Patients were randomly assigned to two nalbuphine groups (5 µg/kg/hour, Group N5 or 10 µg/kg/hour, Group N10) and bolus dose of 1.6 µg/kg for PCP or the control (normal saline) group. Comparable visual analog scale scores for rest pain at each measured time interval among the three groups demonstrated that adequate pain relief was offered; however, the cumulative dose of nalbuphine administered to the patients in Group N10 attenuated the analgesic effect of epidural morphine in moving pain at POh24 only. Fewer episodes and milder severity of pruritus were observed in patients in Groups N5 and N10 at all postoperative time intervals. Epidural morphine provided good postoperative pain relief but with incommodious side effects. In addition, intravenous nalbuphine not only attenuated the incidence of pruritus but also decreased total morphine consumption. In conclusion, intravenous administration of low-dose nalbuphine (5 µg/kg/hour) for PCP maintained analgesia produced by epidural morphine and offered low pruritus incidence.

Economic burden of routine hematologic tests and intensive care unit observation for elective anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

BACKGROUND: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is one of the most common surgical interventions performed by spine surgeons. As efforts are made to control healthcare spending because of the limited or capped resources offered by the National Health Insurance, surgeons are faced with the challenge of offering high-level patient care while minimizing associated healthcare expenditures. Routine ordering of postoperative hematologic tests and observational intensive care unit (ICU) stay might be areas of potential cost containment. This study was designed to determine the necessity of routine postoperative hematologic tests and ICU stay for patients undergoing elective anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and to investigate whether the elimination of unnecessary postoperative laboratory blood studies and ICU stay inhibits patient care. METHODS: The necessity for postoperative blood tests was determined if there were needs for a postoperative blood transfusion and hospital readmission within 1 month after surgery. The necessity for postoperative ICU observation was decided if immediate surgical intervention was required when any kind of complications occurred during the ICU stay. RESULTS: There were 168 patients collected in the study. Among them, all had routine preoperative and postoperative blood tests and were transferred to ICU for observation. No need for blood transfusion was observed, and no patient required immediate surgical intervention when the complications occurred during the ICU stay. CONCLUSION: Cost savings per admission amounted to approximately 10% of the hospitalization cost by the elimination of unnecessary postoperative routine laboratory blood studies and observational ICU stay without waiving patient care in the current volatile, cost-conscious healthcare environment in Taiwan.

Safety and resource utilization of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

Degenerative cervical spondylosis (DCS) is part of the aging process and is the most common reason for degenerative changes with the spinal column. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a major option for operative management of DCS in our institution. This retrospective study investigated the frequency of postoperative complications and resource utilization in 145 patients who underwent ACDF procedures from January 2009 to December 2011. Patients with degenerative changes that involved cervical intervertebral levels C1-C2, spinal injury of traumatic origin, spinal tumors, or previous cervical fusion were excluded. Patients were then further classified into two groups: (1) level 1 or 2 disease (Group M) and (2) level 3 or 4 disease (Group S). Measures of mortality, complications after surgery as well as immediate reoperation for any reason were evaluated. Operation time, length of hospital stay, and hospitalization cost were defined as resource utilization. Ninety seven patients met the inclusion criteria and were further reviewed to characterize the sample better. There were no hematomas, airway complications or deaths, except in one patient who developed postoperative hemorrhage that required immediate surgical intervention, and resolved without any neurological deficit or casualty. Resource utilization indicated that the average operation time for Group S was significantly higher than for Group M (4.31±1.25 vs. 2.88±0.90 hours, p<0.0001). There were no significant differences in length of hospital stay and hospitalization cost between the two groups (p=0.265 and p=0.649). Our results indicate that neurosurgical intervention is safe for patients with DSC. Postoperative complication rates associated with these procedures are low. When surgery is considered appropriate for patients with multilevel diseases, these data suggest that ACDF is a safe surgical option.

Unilateral borderzone infarction in a young polytrauma patient.

Although post-traumatic cerebral infarction is a known complication of craniocerebral trauma, borderzone infarction (BZI) after multiple traumas in young adults are uncommon and published data on this are extremely scant. We present an unusual occurrence of unilateral borderzone infarction in a 21-year-old male who sustained multiple traumas in a traffic accident, which included mild head injury, blunt cardiac injury, right traumatic hemopneumothorax, and three long bone open fractures. Initial head scan revealed mild brain edema, and the BZI was uncovered by a repeated brain CT scan since the patient had a delayed neurological deficit which was incompatible for the injury severity of the head. Comprehensive work-up was performed and a narrowed right internal carotid artery was disclosed by CT angiography. Although unilateral BZI is extremely rare in young patients, emergency physicians should still keep in mind to warrant serial examinations for BZI and early recognition to provide appropriate treatment.

Equal volumes of undiluted nalbuphine and lidocaine and normal diluted saline prevents nalbuphine-induced injection pain.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if the intravenous co-administration of equal volumes of lidocaine and nalbuphine, with undiluted normal saline, prevents injection pain caused by nalbuphine. METHODS: Eighty adult patients who were scheduled for minor surgeries under general anesthesia delivered via a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, single-blind clinical trial. In the saline group (control) (n = 40), 1 mL (10 mg) nalbuphine was diluted with 9 mL normal saline. In the lidocaine group (experimental) (n = 40), 1 mL (10 mg) nalbuphine was diluted with 1 mL lidocaine (20 mg). The two respective nalbuphine solutions were injected into the cephalic vein at a rate of 20 mL/minute (0.33 mL/second). Pain scores were categorized into five grades. Pain responses upon intravenous injection of nalbuphine, site of cannulation, size of the catheter, and hemodynamic responses to nalbuphine were also recorded. RESULTS: Overall, the median pain score of patients in the lidocaine group was lower than that of the saline group (p < 0.001). In addition, the incidence of injection pain was lower in the lidocaine group than the saline group (2.5% vs. 30%, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: A solution of equal volumes of lidocaine and nalbuphine can decrease intravenous nalbuphine-induced injection pain.

Intravenous thiamylal and local anesthetic infiltration for pediatric facial repair procedures performed in emergency departments.

Thiamylal is widely used for procedural sedation in emergency departments (ED); however, there are limited safety data for doses of thiamylal > 5 mg/kg in children. We investigated whether intravenous thiamylal in combination with local anesthetics is safe and effective for pediatric procedural sedation in the ED and to identify the association between increasing doses thiamylal and adverse events. Between July 2004 and June 2008, 227 children who underwent procedural sedation met the inclusion criteria, including 105 males (46.3%) and 122 females (53.7%). Facial laceration was the most common indication for procedural sedation. All children received an intravenous injection of thiamylal, with a loading dose of 5 mg/kg. Eighty-one children (35.7%) received a supplemental dose of 2.5 mg/kg thiamylal because of inadequate sedation. Of these, 27 (11.9%) received a second supplemental dose of 2.5 mg/kg because of inadequate sedation. Sixty-six patients (29.1%) experienced 75 mild and self-resolving adverse events, and most of which (15/75; 20%) were drowsiness. Four (1.8%) patients experienced oxygen saturation below 96%, which was related to the supplemental dose of thiamylal (p = 0.002). No children suffered from any lasting or potentially serious complications. Our results indicate that intravenous thiamylal in combination with local anesthetic infiltration is a well tolerated for therapeutic procedures in the ED. Thiamylal offers rapid onset of sedation without compromising the patient's cardiorespiratory function during pediatric procedural sedation.