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The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Apr 2023Aortic aneurysms occur when the aorta, the body's largest artery, grows in size, and can occur in the thoracic or abdominal aorta. The approaches to repair aortic... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Aortic aneurysms occur when the aorta, the body's largest artery, grows in size, and can occur in the thoracic or abdominal aorta. The approaches to repair aortic aneurysms include directly exposing the aorta and replacing the diseased segment via open repair, or endovascular repair. Endovascular repair uses fluoroscopic-guidance to access the aorta and deliver a device to exclude the aneurysmal aortic segment without requiring a large surgical incision. Endovascular repair can be performed under a general anesthetic, during which the unconscious patient is paralyzed and reliant on an anesthetic machine to maintain the airway and provide oxygen to the lungs, or a loco-regional anesethetic, for which medications are administered to provide the person with sufficient sedation and pain control without requiring a general anesthetic. While people undergoing general anesthesia are more likely to remain still during surgery and have a well-controlled airway in the event of unanticipated complications, loco-regional anesthesia is associated with fewer postoperative complications in some studies. It remains unclear which anesthetic technique is associated with better outcomes following the endovascular repair of aortic aneurysms.
OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the benefits and harms of general anesthesia compared to loco-regional anesthesia for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair.
SEARCH METHODS
We used standard, extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search was 11 March 2022.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We searched for all randomized controlled trials that assessed the effects of general anesthesia compared to loco-regional anesthesia for endovascular aortic aneurysm repairs.
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard Cochrane methods. Our primary outcomes were: all-cause mortality, length of hospital stay, length of intensive care unit stay. Our secondary outcomes were: incidence of endoleaks, requirement for re-intervention, incidence of myocardial infarction, quality of life, incidence of respiratory complications, incidence of pulmonary embolism, incidence of deep vein thrombosis, and length of procedure. We planned to use GRADE methodology to assess the certainty of evidence for each outcome.
MAIN RESULTS
We found no studies, published or ongoing, that met our inclusion criteria.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
We did not identify any randomized controlled trials that compared general versus loco-regional anesthesia for endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. There is currently insufficient high-quality evidence to determine the benefits or harms of either anesthetic approach during endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. Well-designed prospective randomized trials with relevant clinical outcomes are needed to adequately address this.
Topics: Humans; Anesthesia, Conduction; Anesthesia, General; Anesthetics, General; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; Endovascular Procedures; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life
PubMed: 37052421
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD013182.pub2 -
Translational Cancer Research Mar 2023This study sought to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of thromboembolism in multiple myeloma (MM).
BACKGROUND
This study sought to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of thromboembolism in multiple myeloma (MM).
METHODS
The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were systematically searched to retrieve relevant articles from the establishment of the databases to May 2022. This meta-analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between thromboembolism and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), event-free survival (EFS), and mortality in MM patients. The meta-analysis of the included studies was performed using Revman5.3 software after quality evaluation.
RESULTS
A total of 9 studies from 7 articles, which included 38,047 MM patients and 6,412 cases of thromboembolism in the analysis. The levels of β2 microglobulin affected the occurrence of thromboembolism in MM patients [standard mean difference (SMD) =-0.09, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.18 to -0.01, P=0.02]. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) predicted poorer OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.64-0.98, P=0.03] and higher early mortality (HR =2.27, 95% CI: 1.26-4.08, P=0.006) in MM. There was no significant difference in PFS/EFS (HR =0.81, 95% CI: 0.64-1.01, P=0.06) between thrombosis/embolism and non-thrombotic embolism. Arterial thrombosis was associated with significantly higher risk of death at 5 years (HR =1.89, 95% CI: 1.33-2.69, P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
β2 microglobulin levels were associated with VTE in MM. MM patients with VTE were more likely to have poorer prognosis and higher mortality rate than those without VTE. MM patients with arterial thromboembolism had higher 5-year mortality rate than those without arterial thromboembolism.
PubMed: 37033347
DOI: 10.21037/tcr-23-285 -
European Cardiology 2024Low-dose aspirin lowers cardiovascular event risk; dual-pathway inhibition (DPI) using low-dose aspirin with low-dose rivaroxaban may reduce this risk further. A... (Review)
Review
Dual-pathway Inhibition with Low-dose Aspirin and Rivaroxaban versus Aspirin Monotherapy in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Peripheral Artery Disease: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
Low-dose aspirin lowers cardiovascular event risk; dual-pathway inhibition (DPI) using low-dose aspirin with low-dose rivaroxaban may reduce this risk further. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis compared the efficacy, safety and net clinical benefit (NCB) of DPI with aspirin.
METHODS
PubMed and Embase were searched for randomised controlled trials reporting clinical efficacy, safety and NCB of DPI compared with aspirin alone in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or peripheral artery disease. Six articles representing four trials were included.
RESULTS
DPI versus aspirin alone significantly reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (HR 0.77; 95% CI [0.69-0.87]; p<0.01), increased International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis major bleeding events (HR 1.67; 95% CI [1.37-2.02]; p<0.01) and resulted in a significant NCB (HR 0.79; 95% CI [0.70-0.90]; p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
These results underscore the potential benefit of DPI in patients with CAD, including those in the immediate post-acute coronary syndrome stage and with established CAD, as well as patients with peripheral artery disease.
PubMed: 38708371
DOI: 10.15420/ecr.2023.40 -
Angiology Aug 2024Data on characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus (COVID)-19 patients complicated with arterial thrombosis (AT) are scarce. Therefore, we carried out a systematic...
Data on characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus (COVID)-19 patients complicated with arterial thrombosis (AT) are scarce. Therefore, we carried out a systematic review (PRISMA, PROSPERO statements; PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) to identify risk factors, clinical presentation, treatment, and outcomes. We included publications from December 2019 to October 2020. Groups: (a) ischemic stroke, (b) thrombotic storm, (c) peripheral vascular thrombosis, (d) myocardial infarction, and (e) left cardiac thrombus or in-transit thrombus (venous system thrombus floating or attaching to the right heart). We considered 131 studies. The most frequent cardiovascular risk factors were: hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. A high proportion presented with asymptomatic, mild, or moderate COVID-19 ( = 91, 41.4%). We identified a high percentage of isolated ischemic stroke and thrombotic storm. Groups with higher mortality rate: intracardiac thrombus (1/2, 50.0%), thrombotic storm (18/49, 36.7%), and ischemic stroke (48/131, 36.6%). A small number received thromboprophylaxis. Most patients received antithrombotic treatment. The most frequent bleeding complication was intracranial hemorrhage, primarily with isolated stroke. Overall mortality was 33.6% (74/220). Despite a wide range of COVID-19 severity, a high proportion had AT as a complication of non-severe disease. AT can affect different vascular territories; mortality is associated with stroke, intensive care unit stay, and severe COVID-19.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Fibrinolytic Agents; Risk Factors; SARS-CoV-2; Thrombosis
PubMed: 37005343
DOI: 10.1177/00033197231167055 -
Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Mar 2023Since publishing successful clinical trial results of mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in December 2020, multiple reports have arisen about... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Since publishing successful clinical trial results of mRNA coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in December 2020, multiple reports have arisen about cardiovascular complications following the mRNA vaccination. This study provides an in-depth account of various cardiovascular adverse events reported after the mRNA vaccines' first or second dose including pericarditis/myopericarditis, myocarditis, hypotension, hypertension, arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, stroke, myocardial infarction/STEMI, intracranial hemorrhage, thrombosis (deep vein thrombosis, cerebral venous thrombosis, arterial or venous thrombotic events, portal vein thrombosis, coronary thrombosis, microvascular small bowel thrombosis), and pulmonary embolism.
METHODS
A systematic review of original studies reporting confirmed cardiovascular manifestations post-mRNA COVID-19 vaccination was performed. Following the PRISMA guidelines, electronic databases (PubMed, PMC NCBI, and Cochrane Library) were searched until January 2022. Baseline characteristics of patients and disease outcomes were extracted from relevant studies.
RESULTS
A total of 81 articles analyzed confirmed cardiovascular complications post-COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in 17,636 individuals and reported 284 deaths with any mRNA vaccine. Of 17,636 cardiovascular events with any mRNA vaccine, 17,192 were observed with the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine, 444 events with mRNA-1273 (Moderna). Thrombosis was frequently reported with any mRNA vaccine (n = 13,936), followed by stroke (n = 758), myocarditis (n = 511), myocardial infarction (n = 377), pulmonary embolism (n = 301), and arrhythmia (n = 254). Stratifying the results by vaccine type showed that thrombosis (80.8%) was common in the BNT162b2 cohort, while stroke (39.9%) was common with mRNA-1273 for any dose. The time between the vaccination dosage and the first symptom onset averaged 5.6 and 4.8 days with the mRNA-1273 vaccine and BNT162b2, respectively. The mRNA-1273 cohort reported 56 deaths compared to the 228 with BNT162b2, while the rest were discharged or transferred to the ICU.
CONCLUSION
Available literature includes more studies with the BNT162b2 vaccine than mRNA-1273. Future studies must report mortality and adverse cardiovascular events by vaccine types.
Topics: Humans; 2019-nCoV Vaccine mRNA-1273; BNT162 Vaccine; COVID-19; COVID-19 Vaccines; Myocardial Infarction; Myocarditis; Pulmonary Embolism; Stroke; Thrombocytopenia; Thrombosis
PubMed: 36988252
DOI: 10.1002/iid3.807 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Mar 2023Critically ill COVID-19 patients have a high incidence of thromboembolic events, which significantly influence the risk of mortality. Anticoagulant therapy is generally... (Review)
Review
Critically ill COVID-19 patients have a high incidence of thromboembolic events, which significantly influence the risk of mortality. Anticoagulant therapy is generally recommended to these patients but the optimal dosing regimens require further investigations. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of prophylactic, intermediate and therapeutic dose anticoagulation in COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. A systematic search for original prospective observational studies and clinical trials was performed in online databases from 2020 to 2022. A total of 13 studies (3239 patients) were included. The type of anticoagulant dosing showed no significant influence on short-term mortality ( = 0.84), deep vein thrombosis ( = 0.66), arterial thrombosis ( = 0.44), major bleeding ( = 0.35) and minor bleeding incidence ( = 0.46). An anticoagulation regimen significantly influenced pulmonary embolism occurrence (16% for prophylactic dose vs. 4% for therapeutic dose, = 0.02), but the number of studies in the analysis was relatively low. In conclusion, the results of this meta-analysis suggest that critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted in the ICU have no benefit from therapeutic doses of anticoagulants and that all three thromboprophylaxis regimes have a comparable effect on short term mortality and venous thromboembolism incidence but for pulmonary embolism, for which the results were inconclusive.
PubMed: 36983222
DOI: 10.3390/jcm12062222 -
International Journal of Cardiology May 2023Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are known to be at increased risk for venous thrombosis, while their risk for arterial ischemic events is debated. The... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
AIMS
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are known to be at increased risk for venous thrombosis, while their risk for arterial ischemic events is debated. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the published literature on the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) in IBD patients and to identify any potential risk factors.
METHODS
The present study was performed according to PRISMA, with a systematic search on PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. Risk of MI was the primary end point, while all causes of death and stroke were secondary endpoints. Both univariate and multivariate pooled analysis were performed.
RESULTS
An overall population of 515,455 controls and 77,140 persons with IBD (26,852, 34.8% Crohn's disease, CD and 50,288, 65.2% ulcerative colitis, UC) was included. Mean age was similar across controls and IBD. Persons with CD and UC had lower rates of hypertension (14.5% vs. 14.6% vs. 25%), diabetes (2.9% vs. 5.2% vs. 9.2%) and dyslipidaemia (3.3% vs. 6.5% vs. 16.1%) compared to controls. Smoking did not significantly differ (17% vs. 17.5% vs. 10.6%). Pooled results of multivariate adjustment showed that, after a 5 years-follow-up, both CD and UC were at increased risk of MI (respectively HR 1.36 [1.12-1.64] and HR 1.24 [1.05-1.46]), of death (HR 1.55 [1.27-1.90] and HR 1.29 [1.01-1.64]), and of other CV disease as stroke (HR 1.22 [1.01-1.49] and HR 1.09 [1.03-1.15], all 95% CI).
CONCLUSIONS
Persons with IBD are at increased risk of MI, despite a lower prevalence of the classic risk factors for MI (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia).
Topics: Humans; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Myocardial Infarction; Risk Factors; Stroke; Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus
PubMed: 36863421
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2023.02.042 -
Biomedicines Jan 2023The impact of primary arterial hypertension (HTN) in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) remains unclear, with scant literature available, mostly focusing on... (Review)
Review
The impact of primary arterial hypertension (HTN) in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) remains unclear, with scant literature available, mostly focusing on cardiovascular risk factors as a singular entity or on organ-specific HTN. Furthermore, available studies reporting findings on drug-induced HTN in MPNs report varying and contradictory findings. In consideration of the above, this study set out to systematically review the available literature and shed light on the occurrence of HTN in MPNs, its association with thrombosis, as well as the drugs used in MPN management that could increase blood pressure. The literature search yielded 598 potentially relevant records of which 315 remained after the duplicates ( = 283) were removed. After we screened the titles and the abstracts of these publications, we removed irrelevant papers ( = 228) and evaluated the full texts of 87 papers. Furthermore, 13 records did not meet the inclusion criteria and were excluded from the systematic review. Finally, a total of 74 manuscripts were entered into the qualitative synthesis and included in the present systematic review. Our systematic review highlights that HTN is the most common comorbidity encountered in MPNs, with an impact on both the occurrence of thrombosis and survival. Moreover, drug-induced HTN remains a challenge in the management of MPNs. Further research should investigate the characteristics of patients with MPNs and HTN, as well as clarify the contribution of HTN to the development of thrombotic complications, survival and management in MPNs. In addition, the relationship between clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, HTN, cardiovascular disease and MPNs requires examination in upcoming assessments.
PubMed: 36830925
DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11020388 -
Ontario Health Technology Assessment... 2023A blockage to the blood vessels in the lower extremities may cause pain and discomfort. If left unmanaged, it may lead to amputation or chronic disability, such as in...
BACKGROUND
A blockage to the blood vessels in the lower extremities may cause pain and discomfort. If left unmanaged, it may lead to amputation or chronic disability, such as in the form of post-thrombotic syndrome. We conducted a health technology assessment of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) devices, which are proposed to remove a blood clot, which may form in the arteries or veins of the lower legs. This evaluation considered blockages in the veins and arteries separately, and included an evaluation of effectiveness, safety, cost-effectiveness, the budget impact of publicly funding MT for lower limb blockages, patient preferences and values, and clinical and health system stakeholders' perspectives.
METHOD
We performed a systematic literature search of the clinical evidence. We assessed the risk of bias of each included study using the Cochrane tool for randomized controlled trials or the risk of bias among non-randomized studies (RoBANS) tool for nonrandomized studies, and the quality of the body of evidence according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group criteria. We performed a systematic economic literature search. We did not conduct a primary economic evaluation since the clinical evidence is highly uncertain. We also analyzed the budget impact of publicly funding MT treatment for inpatients with arterial acute limb ischemia and acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the lower limb in Ontario. To contextualize the potential value of MT, we spoke with people with acute DVT. To understand the barriers and facilitators of accessing MT, we surveyed clinical and health system stakeholders to gain their perspectives.
RESULTS
We included 40 studies (3 randomized controlled trials and 37 observational studies) in the clinical evidence review. For patients who experience arterial acute limb ischemia, compared with catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) alone, MT has greater technical success and patency and reduced hospital length of stay, but the evidence for these outcomes is uncertain (GRADE: Very low). Mechanical thrombectomy may reduce the volume of thrombolytic medication required and CDT infusion time (a determinant for intensive care unit [ICU] need) in patients experiencing acute DVT, but it is uncertain if this is to a meaningful degree (GRADE: Moderate to Very low). It may also reduce the proportion of people who experience post-thrombotic syndrome and overall hospital length of stay, but it is uncertain (GRADE: Very low).We estimated that publicly funding MT for people with arterial acute limb ischemia in Ontario would lead to an annual cost savings of $0.17 million in year 1 to $0.14 million in year 5, for a total savings of $0.83 million over 5 years. This cost savings was mainly attributed to reduced ICU stays among people who received MT, but the results had considerable uncertainty. For the population with acute DVT, publicly funding MT would lead to an additional cost of $0.77 million in year 1 to $1.44 million in year 5, for a total additional cost of $5.5 million over 5 years.The people with acute DVT with whom we spoke reported that MT was generally seen as a positive option, and those who had undergone the procedure reported positively on its value as a treatment to quickly remove a clot. Accessing treatment for DVT could be a barrier, especially in more remote areas of Ontario.Clinicians using the technology advised that facilitators to accessing the technology included perceived improvements in patient outcomes, resourcing requirements, addressing unmet needs, and avoidance of ICU stay. The main barrier identified was cost. Clinicians who were not using the technology advised that barriers were low case-use volume, along with costs for the equipment and for health human resources.
CONCLUSIONS
Mechanical thrombectomy may have greater technical success and patency and reduce hospital length of stay for patients experiencing an arterial acute limb ischemia and, for patients with an acute DVT, it may reduce CDT volume and infusion time, the proportion of people who experience post-thrombotic syndrome, and hospital length of stay. Mechanical thrombectomy may reduce the associated ICU costs, but it has higher equipment costs compared with usual care. Publicly funding MT in Ontario for populations with arterial acute limb ischemia may not lead to a substantial budget increase to the province. Publicly funding MT for acute DVT would lead to an additional cost of $5.5 million over 5 years. For people with acute DVT, MT was seen as a potential positive treatment option to remove the clot quickly. Overall, the majority of clinical stakeholders we engaged with (including both those with and without experience with MT) were supportive of the use of the technology.
Topics: Humans; Arteries; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Lower Extremity; Pain; Technology Assessment, Biomedical; Thrombectomy
PubMed: 36818453
DOI: No ID Found -
Frontiers in Oncology 2023Sorafenib was the first drug approved for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is limited by poor efficacy for HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus... (Review)
Review
Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy versus sorafenib for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus: An updated meta-analysis and systematic review.
BACKGROUND
Sorafenib was the first drug approved for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is limited by poor efficacy for HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). Some studies suggested that hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) could provide survival benefits to patients with advanced HCC with PVTT.
AIM
The study aimed to compare the efficacy of HAIC versus sorafenib in patients with HCC accompanied by PVTT.
METHODS
The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies published until September 2022. Statistical analyses were performed using Stata SE 15 software.
RESULTS
Eight studies with 672 patients, 403 in the HAIC group and 269 in the sorafenib group, were included in the meta-analysis. The rates of complete response (RR=3.88, 95%CI:1.35-11.16, P=0.01), partial response (RR=3.46, 95%CI:1.94-6.18, P<0.0001), objective response rate (RR=4.21, 95%CI:2.44-7.28, P<0.00001) and disease control rate (RR=1.73, 95%CI:1.28-2.35, P=0.0004) were significantly higher in the HAIC group compared to the sorafenib group, whereas the progressive disease rate (RR=0.57, 95%CI:0.40-0.80, P=0.02) was significantly lower in the former. In contrast, the stable disease rate (RR=1.10, 95%CI (0.69-1.76), P=0.68) was similar in both groups. The overall survival (HR=0.50, 95%CI:0.40-0.63, P<0.05) and progression-free survival (HR=0.49, 95%CI:0.35-0.67, P<0.05) rates were significantly higher in the HAIC group compared to the sorafenib group.
CONCLUSION
HAIC has better efficacy against HCC with PVTT than sorafenib and may be considered an alternative to the latter. However, more high-quality randomized control trials and longer follow-ups are needed to verify our findings.
PubMed: 36776344
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1085166