Psychosocial Factors Predict Nonadherence to PD Treatment: A Hong Kong Survey.

♦ BACKGROUND: Nonadherence to hand hygiene and aseptic regimen, dialysis environment guidelines, and catheter and exit-site care guidelines are risk factors of peritonitis. However, little is known about the psychosocial factors that account for the nonadherent behavior of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). Applying the health belief model, this study seeks to enhance the understanding of psychosocial influences on patients' nonadherent behavior to the 3 regimen components. ♦ METHODS: Through referrals by 7 Hong Kong renal patient support groups, we surveyed patients undergoing PD treatment. ♦ RESULTS: A total of 244 Hong Kong PD patients completed the questionnaires. About 90% of the patients reported no deviation from catheter and exit-site care guidelines. However, the nonadherence rates of hand hygiene and aseptic regimen and of dialysis environment guidelines were 30.3% and 23%, respectively. Longer time on PD treatment and lower family monthly income were associated with nonadherence to dialysis environment guidelines. Employed patients tended toward nonadherence to catheter and exit-site care guidelines twice as much as unemployed patients. Of the 5 health beliefs, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and efficacy belief were significant predictors of nonadherence to the 3 regimen components. ♦ CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study inform the design of intervention to change patients' behavior in regimen nonadherence for preventing peritonitis. To identify the target audience for adherence intervention based on the 3 regimen components, the results suggest dividing patients into subgroups according to their sociodemographic background. To foster behavioral change, health communicators should address patients' health beliefs when formulating intervention strategies.

Consequences of radial artery harvest: results of a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial.

IMPORTANCE: To date, no study has defined the consequences of radial artery harvest based on a large number of patients in a prospective randomized trial. OBJECTIVE: To compare pain at the harvest site and functional changes associated with harvesting the radial artery vs saphenous vein for coronary artery bypass grafting. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This study compares the consequences of radial artery harvest with saphenous vein harvest in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting procedures in Veterans Affairs hospitals. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Eleven hospitals screened 6148 patients, of whom 751 were included in this trial. We analyzed 2 variables: pain at the harvest site as measured on a scale of 0 to 100 (least to most painful) and hand performance testing. Patients included in this analysis had radial artery only (n = 80) or saphenous vein only (n = 337) harvest. Pain score, grip strength, and dexterity were measured before surgery and at 3 and 12 months after surgery. We adjusted for pain scores of the nonharvested extremity, age, whether the patient underwent endoscopic vein harvesting, and comorbid health conditions (smoking history, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart failure). RESULTS: There was a significant difference in change of pain score at 3 months from the preoperative baseline between radial artery and saphenous vein groups after adjusting for covariates (P < .001) but not at 12 months (P = .07). No significant changes occurred in grip strength or dexterity from preoperative baseline to 3 and 12 months after surgery (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The radial artery group reported significantly more pain than the saphenous vein group 3 months after surgery; however, similar levels of pain were observed in both groups at 12 months after surgery. Grip strength and manual dexterity were not changed by radial artery harvesting at 3 and 12 months.

Pharmacokinetics and tolerability of oseltamivir combined with probenecid.

Oseltamivir is an inhibitor of influenza virus neuraminidase, which is approved for use for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza A and B virus infections. In the event of an influenza pandemic, oseltamivir supplies may be limited; thus, alternative dosing strategies for oseltamivir prophylaxis should be explored. Healthy volunteers were randomized to a three-arm, open-label study and given 75 mg oral oseltamivir every 24 h (group 1), 75 mg oseltamivir every 48 h (q48h) combined with 500 mg probenecid four times a day (group 2), or 75 mg oseltamivir q48h combined with 500 mg probenecid twice a day (group 3) for 15 days. Pharmacokinetic data, obtained by noncompartmental methods, and safety data are reported. Forty-eight subjects completed the pharmacokinetic analysis. The study drugs were generally well tolerated, except for one case of reversible grade 4 thrombocytopenia in a subject in group 2. The calculated 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for the geometric mean ratios between groups 2 and 3 and group 1 were outside the bioequivalence criteria boundary (0.80 to 1.25) at 0.63 to 0.89 for group 2 versus group 1 and 0.57 to 0.90 for group 3 versus group 1. The steady-state apparent oral clearance of oseltamivir carboxylate was significantly less in groups 2 (7.4 liters/h; 90% CI, 6.08 to 8.71) and 3 (7.19 liters/h; 90% CI, 6.41 to 7.98) than in group 1 (9.75 liters/h; 90% CI, 6.91 to 12.60) (P < 0.05 for both comparisons by analysis of variance). The (arithmetic) mean concentration at 48 h for group 2 was not significantly different from the mean concentration at 24 h for group 1 (42 +/- 76 and 81 +/- 54 ng/ml, respectively; P = 0.194), but the mean concentration at 48 h for group 3 was significantly less than the mean concentration at 24 h for group 1 (23 +/- 26 and 81 +/- 54 ng/ml, respectively; P = 0.012). Alternate-day dosing of oseltamivir plus dosing with probenecid four times daily achieved trough oseltamivir carboxylate concentrations adequate for neuraminidase inhibition in vitro, and this combination should be studied further.

Temporal patterns of postoperative complications.

HYPOTHESIS: A variety of major complications occur after intra-abdominal operations. Knowledge of when specific complications occur during the postoperative period would be useful in their diagnosis, prevention, and management. Our aim was to determine the incidence of major complications during specific postoperative intervals. DESIGN: One thousand twenty-one patients undergoing intra-abdominal operations were studied postoperatively as part of a randomized clinical trial. Thirteen defined major complications were sought at the following specific intervals: less than 1, 1 through 3, 4 through 7, and 8 through 30 days after the operation. SETTING: Cooperative trial from 15 Veterans Affairs medical centers. INTERVENTIONS: Intra-abdominal aortic, gastric, biliary, and colonic procedures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: Major postoperative complications. RESULTS: Four hundred thirty-five major complications were diagnosed within 30 days of the patients' being operated on. Seventy-four (17%) occurred within 1 day, 185 (43%) between 1 and 3 days, 72 (17%) between 4 and 7 days, and 104 (24%) between 8 and 30 days. Three deaths (8%) occurred within 1 day, 3 (8%) in 1 through 3 days, 4 (11%) in 4 through 7 days, and 27 (73%) in 8 through 30 days. The greatest risk of hypotension (43%), myocardial infarction (47%), and respiratory depression (55%) was within 1 day. The highest incidence of congestive heart failure (46%), pulmonary embolus (50%), and respiratory failure (76%) occurred at 1 through 3 days. Pneumonia (38%) was most common at 4 through 7 days. Cerebrovascular accident (53%) and sepsis (71%) occurred preponderantly at 8 through 30 days. Renal failure had a bimodal distribution with maxima at 1 through 3 days (31%) and 8 through 30 days (56%). The risk of cardiac arrhythmia and gastrointestinal tract bleeding was similar throughout all intervals. CONCLUSIONS: While major complications occur throughout the postoperative period, the highest incidence is 1 through 3 days after the operation. However, specific complications occur in the following distinct temporal patterns: early postoperative, several days after the operation, throughout the postoperative period, and in the late postoperative period. Knowledge of these patterns should aid clinical management.