A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials Comparing Renal Sympathetic Denervation Versus Sham Procedure for the Management of Uncontrolled Hypertension.

ABSTRACT: The efficacy of renal sympathetic denervation (RSD) in the treatment of uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) remains uncertain. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RSD for resistant HTN. PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Directory of Open Access Journals, CINAHL, and Google Scholar were searched from January 01, 2001, through July 30, 2020. Randomized controlled trials comparing RSD with the sham procedure for uncontrolled HTN were selected. The primary efficacy outcome was the reduction in ambulatory systolic blood pressure. We used random-effects models. Nine prospective clinical trials met the inclusion criteria. The ReSet and Symplicity HTN-3 Trial showed no significant changes because of discrepancies in complete circumferential ablation during RSD. The Relief study, The Radiance HTN solo, and the SPYRAL HTN OFF medical trials showed a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure in the group that had undergone the intervention compared with the sham group attributed to rigorous trial design. In conclusion, our systematic review suggests that efficacy of RSD seems to be superior to sham-controlled interventions provided circumferential denervation is performed. However, difference in efficacy is marginal.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety Profile of Caplacizumab for Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is usually defined as microangiopathy characterized by low platelet count and low red blood cell count, i.e., hemolytic anemia. It can either be acquired or immune-mediated. TTP requires quick diagnostic identification and emergent management. According to the evidence-based guidelines, the recommended therapy is plasma exchange and immunosuppression. Caplacizumab is used alongside the standard recommended therapy. Caplacizumab is a monoclonal antibody (Mab) that binds to von Willebrand factor (VWF). This prevents A1 VWF to bind platelet glycoprotein 1b receptor. The recommended dosage for this drug is 10mg. At the start, 10mg intravenous (IV) dose is given before plasma exchange, followed by daily 10mg subcutaneous (SC) dose after plasma exchange. Moreover, the SC dose is continued even after the daily plasma exchange is stopped. This review aims to consolidate findings related to the efficacy of this recently approved drug.

The Role of the Cardioversion Defibrillator in Post Myocardial Infarction Sudden Cardiac Death: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials and Observational Studies.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for approximately half of all the deaths attributed to cardiovascular disease in the United States. Survivors of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are at high risk of SCD, largely due to cardiac arrhythmias and severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or automated implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) is a device that is implantable inside the body, able to perform cardioversion, defibrillation, and (in modern versions) pacing of the heart. According to a study included in our review, patients who received an ICD contributed to an adjusted 44% reduction (hazard ratio [HR] 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-1.01; P = 0.053) of all-cause mortality compared to those with a comparable baseline. Patients with an ICD implant three months after a myocardial infarction (MI) demonstrated a non-significantly higher mortality than patients who did not receive an ICD. The factors favoring ICD implantation were multiple MIs, increased resting heart rate, occurrence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, QRS duration = 120 ms, syncope events, anti-arrhythmic drug treatment (mostly Class III), and an index MI of more than one year. The likelihood of receiving an ICD diminished with the patient's age. Increased periodic repolarization dynamics were a significant predictor of mortality. It can be concluded that cardioverter defibrillators help reduce not only all-cause mortality but also sudden cardiac death. It is important to note that ICDs are only significant if implanted after a sufficient time-gap post-MI.

The Role of Revefenacin in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease characterized by progressive and persistent airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. Revefenacin is an investigational long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), in late-stage development as a nebulized inhalation solution, which has been designed to produce long-acting bronchodilation, consistent with once-daily dosing, and with a high degree of lung-selectivity. It is more selective for muscarinic type 3 (M3) than muscarinic type 2 (M2) or muscarinic type 1 (M1) receptors. Its dissociation half-life for M3 is 82 minutes and 6.9 minutes for M1, respectively. The bronchoprotective effect is seen as early as five-minute post-dose and is sustained for up to 24 hours. The estimated 24-hour potency (expressed as the concentration of dosing solution) is 45.0 mg/ml. Once-daily dose of revefenacin provided long-term improvement in trough forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). It improved day 28 trough FEV1 over placebo significantly (p < 0.001). M3: M2 receptor half-life is 12 compared to the other antagonists that have M3: M2 receptor half-life around 6.0. A 24-hour serial spirometry, on day 84, showed that revefenacin 88 or 175 µg was associated with significant (p <0.01) improvements in trough FEV1 at all time points compared with placebo. Revefenacin is generally well-tolerated and unlike the other anti-muscarinics, it has no systemic anti-cholinergic adverse effects.

Quality of Life of Patients Using the Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow (HeRO) Graft in Hemodialysis.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is one of the most feared consequences of kidney disease. A large number of patients with ESRD require long-term hemodialysis. Vascular access options for hemodialysis include the placement of arteriovenous (AV) fistulas, AV grafts, and tunneled dialysis catheters (TDCs). An alternative to the TDC is the Hemodialysis Reliable Outflow (HeRO; Cryolife Inc., Eden Prairie, MN, USA) Graft. The HeRO Graft has been designed to overcome the development of central venous stenosis or occlusion. The objective is to evaluate the quality of life of patients using the HeRO Graft in end-stage renal disease for hemodialysis. We searched PubMed, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINHAL), Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Pubpsych, and Google Scholar on October 30, 2018. We included published articles in the English language that used the HeRO Graft for ESRD. The adequacy of dialysis and bacteremia rates proved to be equal to those of conventional AV grafts. It turned out that 2.21 interventions per year were needed to maintain the patency of the HeRO Graft while only 1.17 interventions were needed to maintain the patency of the lower extremity graft. Mortality, ischemia, and infection rates were similar for both groups. The tunneled dialysis catheters have a higher incidence of infection as compared to the HeRO Graft. The initial device and placement costs for the HeRO Graft were higher than those for TDCs but savings from the lower incidence of device complications and longer effective device patency make it cost-effective. Based on the limited evidence, it has been discerned that the HeRO Graft is an optimal option for hemodialysis in patients of ESRD who have exhausted all means of upper extremity access. Though almost similar to the AV grafts in terms of complications and less functional than femoral grafts, it still outclasses them in improving the quality of life of such patients.