Anticoagulation and antiplatelet therapy in urological practice: ICUD/AUA review paper.

PURPOSE: Given the lack of urology specific directives for the periprocedural management of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, the AUA (American Urological Association) and ICUD (International Consultation on Urological Disease) named an international multidisciplinary panel to develop consensus based recommendations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature review was queried by a methodologist for 3 questions. 1) When and in whom can anticoagulant/antiplatelet prophylaxis be stopped in preparation for surgery? 2) What procedures can be safely performed without discontinuing anticoagulant/antiplatelet prophylaxis? 3) What periprocedural strategies can adequately balance the risk of major surgical bleeding vs the risk of major thrombotic event? Hematology and cardiology guidelines, and 79 articles were selected for full review. RESULTS: Multidisciplinary management of anticoagulant/antiplatelet medications for patients with recent thromboembolic events, mechanical cardiac valves, atrial fibrillation and cardiac stents would reduce the high morbidity and mortality of inexpertly discontinuing or modifying these lifesaving therapies. No elective procedures requiring interruption of dual antiplatelet therapies should be performed with a recent bare metal or drug eluting stent. The risk of significant bleeding complications is low for patients who require continuation of aspirin for ureteroscopy, transrectal prostate biopsies, laser prostate outlet procedures and percutaneous renal biopsy. Open extirpative prostate and renal procedures can be performed with a low risk of significant hemorrhage for patients on aspirin and those requiring heparin based bridging strategies. The current literature does not give direction on the timing of the resumption of anticoagulant/antiplatelet prophylaxis other than that it be resumed as soon as the risk of bleeding has decreased. CONCLUSIONS: A total of 2,674 nonredundant article abstracts were obtained and assessed for relevance to key questions outlined by the panel. Overall 106 articles were selected for full text review and accepted or rejected based on the relation to the topic, quality of information and key questions. A total of 79 articles were accepted. Reasons for rejection (27 articles) included abstract only (12), insufficient information or unrelated to topic (13) and redundancy (2). We extracted study design, patient population, followup period and results from accepted articles, which serve as the evidence base.

Predictors of mortality and adverse outcome in elderly high-risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify predictors of in-hospital and long-term (> 1 year) mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in elderly patients referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Seventy-three patients (> or = 80 years) were included. Clinical and interventional characteristics were collected retrospectively. Primary end points were in-hospital and long-term mortality, and a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, urgent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and death (MACE). RESULTS: Eighty-three percent of the patients had acute coronary syndromes, 43% three-vessel disease, and 42% heart failure. In-hospital mortality and MACE were 16.4% and 19%, respectively. Long-term mortality and MACE were 11.3% and 16.4%, respectively. Univariate characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality and MACE were: Killip Class III-IV, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, TIMI 0-2 flow prior and after intervention, diabetes mellitus, contrast nephropathy, and presence of A-V block or atrial fibrillation (AF). Long term predictors for mortality were the presence of heart failure, cardiogenic shock, diabetes mellitus, TIMI flow 0-2 before and after intervention, and A-V block or AF. CONCLUSION: The identification of the factors previously mentioned may help to predict complications in elderly patients.

Predictors of mortality and adverse outcome in elderly high-risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention / Predictores de mortalidad y mal pronóstico en pacientes ancianos y de alto riesgo que van a ser sometidos a intervención coronaria percutánea

OBJECTIVES: We sought to identify predictors of in-hospital and long-term (> 1 year) mortality and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in elderly patients referred for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: Seventy-three patients (> or = 80 years) were included. Clinical and interventional characteristics were collected retrospectively. Primary end points were in-hospital and long-term mortality, and a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization, urgent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and death (MACE). RESULTS: Eighty-three percent of the patients had acute coronary syndromes, 43% three-vessel disease, and 42% heart failure. In-hospital mortality and MACE were 16.4% and 19%, respectively. Long-term mortality and MACE were 11.3% and 16.4%, respectively. Univariate characteristics associated with in-hospital mortality and MACE were: Killip Class III-IV, heart failure, cardiogenic shock, TIMI 0-2 flow prior and after intervention, diabetes mellitus, contrast nephropathy, and presence of A-V block or atrial fibrillation (AF). Long term predictors for mortality were the presence of heart failure, cardiogenic shock, diabetes mellitus, TIMI flow 0-2 before and after intervention, and A-V block or AF. CONCLUSION: The identification of the factors previously mentioned may help to predict complications in elderly patients.

Evaluating the optimal activated clotting time during carotid artery stenting.

Carotid artery stenting is an alternative to carotid endarterectomy for patients at high risk for surgery for carotid artery stenosis. Although unfractionated heparin is routinely used, there are no published data evaluating the optimal activated clotting time during carotid stenting. In a retrospective analysis of 605 patients who underwent carotid stenting using unfractionated heparin at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the optimal peak procedural activated clotting time associated with the lowest combined incidence of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction was 250 to 299 seconds.

Valoración comparativa del efecto antihipertensivo y metabólico de la combinación de hidroclorotiacida y amilorida, y de la clortalidona sola y con sales de potasio en pacientes con hipertensión arterial esencial / Antihypertesive and metabolic effect of hidrochlorothiazide-amiloride combination and chlorthalidone alone and with potassium salts in patients with essential hypertension

En 20 pacientes con hipertensión arterial esencial leve a moderada se valoró en forma comparativa el efecto antihipertensivo y metabólico de una combinación de 50 mg de hidroclorotiacida con 5 mg de amilorida con el obtenido tras la administración de clorotalidona sola y agregado sales de potasio por vía oral. Cada grupo se formó de 10 enfermos que recibieron indistintamente uno de los medicamentos durante tres meses. Al final del estudio se observó una disminución similar en la tensión arterial media en ambos grupos, con promedio de 25 mm Hg. Sin embargo, los pacientes que recibieron clorotalidona desarrollaron alcalosis y disminución sérica (4.6 + 0.1 a 3.5 + 0.1 mEg/L, p 0.01) e intraglobular de potasio (98 + 1 a 86 + 1.1 mEq/L, p 0.001). La administración oral de sales de potasio sólo originó incremento en la eliminación renal del electrólito, sin modificación del potasio en el suero o en el eritrocito. Los pacientes que recibieron hidroclorotiacida más amilorida no mostraron alteración electrolítica, lo que pone de manifiesto la eficiencia de la amilorida para prevenir esos efectos indeseables de los diuréticos tiacídicos