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Relative Contraindication (relative + contraindication)
Selected AbstractsBarriers to Treatment of Hepatitis C in HIV/HCV-Coinfected Adults with Alcohol ProblemsALCOHOLISM, Issue 9 2006David Nunes Background: Alcohol use and human immune deficiency virus (HIV) infection are both associated with accelerated progression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease and reduced response rates to interferon therapy. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of barriers to interferon treatment in a population of HIV/HCV-coinfected patients with current or past alcohol problems and the extent to which they received treatment to address the barriers. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive analysis of baseline data from a prospective study assessing the impact of HCV and alcohol use on HIV disease progression. Using consensus guidelines, subjects were categorized as having absolute, relative, or no contraindications to interferon therapy for HCV. Absolute contraindications to treatment included heavy alcohol use, decompensated liver disease, CD4 cell count <100 cells/,L, recent needle sharing, and suicidal ideation. Relative contraindications included moderate alcohol use, recent injection drug use, depressive symptoms, and CD4 cell count from 100 to 199 cells/,L. Results: Of 401 HIV-infected subjects, 200 were HCV RNA-positive. Fifty-three percent had an absolute contraindication to interferon therapy, 35% a relative but no absolute contraindication, and only 12% had no contraindication. Of those with an absolute contraindication, 61% reported heavy drinking and the majority (88%) had multiple contraindications. These contraindications were present despite the fact that over 50% were in receipt of substance abuse and mental health treatment. Conclusions: Continued alcohol and drug use as well as depressive symptoms are the major barriers to interferon therapy in HCV/HIV-coinfected subjects and these barriers persist despite high treatment rates for these problems. Therefore, more intensive treatments of alcohol, drug, and mental health issues are needed to improve HCV treatment eligibility in HCV/HIV-coinfected persons. [source] Natural history of Crohn's disease in patients who underwent intentional restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosisALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 7 2010B. SHEN Aliment Pharmacol Ther,31, 745,753 Summary Background, Crohn's disease is generally considered a relative contraindication for restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anastomosis (IPAA). The natural history of IPAA in these patients has not well been defined. Aim, To evaluate the natural history of IPAA in patients with a well-defined preoperative Crohn's disease. Methods, All patients from the Pouchitis Clinic who had a preoperative diagnosis of Crohn's disease were screened and 11 patients met the inclusion criteria. The control group (with a 1:4 ratio) consisted of IPAA patients with a preoperative diagnosis of UC. Results, During the follow-up period of 5.0 years, 7 of 11 (63.6%) with a preoperative diagnosis of Crohn's disease developed Crohn's disease of the pouch. Crohn's disease of the pouch developed 0.2,15 years after ileostomy closure. The remaining four patients with a preoperative diagnosis of Crohn's disease did not demonstrate signs of Crohn's disease in 2, 11, 11 and 24 years after pouch surgery, respectively. Conclusions, Post-operative development of Crohn's disease of the pouch was common in patients with a preoperative diagnosis of Crohn's disease who underwent IPAA. Long-term medical therapy was often required. Large multi-centre studies are warranted to delineate further the natural history of the disease, before Crohn's disease is considered an indication for IPAA. [source] Liver transplantation for malignancies in children,LIVER TRANSPLANTATION, Issue S2 2010Sue V. McDiarmid Key Points 1. Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common primary pediatric liver malignancy. The majority of children with HB are resection candidates. Determining which children should undergo resection or primary liver transplantation is essential to the prognosis. 2. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common pediatric primary liver malignancy. Most children with HCC are not resection candidates. Transplantation offers improved survival for appropriate candidates in comparison with nontransplant options. 3. Unlike children with HCC, children with HB and extrahepatic spread to the lungs have acceptable transplant outcomes if the disease has been eradicated by chemotherapy or surgical removal at the time of transplantation. 4. Chemotherapy is an important adjuvant for improving outcomes for children with HB, but its benefits for children with HCC are unproven. 5. Demonstrated extrahepatic spread at the time of transplantation is a contraindication to transplantation for patients with HCC or HB. Macroinvasion at the time of transplantation is a relative contraindication to transplantation. 6. Children with primary hepatic malignancies who are transplant candidates should be prioritized on the deceased donor waiting list. However, the criteria for prioritizing adult HCC patients have not been proven to be relevant for children. Liver Transpl 16:S13-S21, 2010. © 2010 AASLD. [source] Use of neurodevelopmental delay in pediatric solid organ transplant listing decisions: Inconsistencies in standards across major pediatric transplant centersPEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 7 2009Christopher T. Richards Abstract:, Children with NDD present for organ transplant evaluation, but the role of NDD as a listing criterion itself is poorly described. Therefore, we sought to investigate how major pediatric solid organ transplant programs use NDD as a criterion in their listing decisions. We developed a survey that was sent via post to active pediatric solid organ transplant programs across the United States investigating transplant listing decision-making for neurodevelopmentally delayed children. Respondents were medical/surgical directors and transplant coordinators. Descriptive statistics summarize the findings. Programs inconsistently use NDD in listing decisions. Thirty-nine percent of programs stated that they "rarely" or "never" consider NDD in their decisions, whereas 43% of programs "always" or "usually" do. Sixty-two percent of programs report that informal processes guide their use of NDD, and no programs describe their process as "formal, explicit, and uniform." The degree of delay is an additional source of discordance among programs, with 14% of programs reporting mild or moderate NDD as a relative contraindication to listing and 22% reporting that NDD was "irrelevant" to the listing decision. The use of NDD in pediatric solid organ transplant listing decisions is varied and inconsistent across active programs. [source] Successful Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Portomesenteric ThrombosisAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2010S. G. Iyer Chronic portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is often considered a relative contraindication for living donor liver transplantation due to the risks involved and higher morbidity. In this report, we describe a surgical strategy for living donor liver transplant in patient with complete PVT using venovenous bypass from the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) and then using a jump graft from the IMV for portal inflow into the graft. IMV is a potential source for portal inflow in orthotopic liver transplant. [source] Larval therapy as a palliative treatment for severe arteriosclerotic gangrene on the feetCLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL DERMATOLOGY, Issue 8 2009A. Nordström Summary Larval therapy (LT) is known to be a gentle and effective method for removing necrotic tissue and bacteria and reducing the accompanying unpleasant odour. Ischaemia has been considered a relative contraindication for LT. We report a patient with ischaemia treated with LT. Inguinal revascularization was performed on a 69-year-old man with critical limb ischaemia, diabetes mellitus, heart failure and end-stage renal disease. Areas of dry black malodorous gangrene remained on the distal areas of the feet after surgery and the patient's poor health did not allow any additional surgery. The patient was referred to the dermatology department for LT. Although patients are usually given this treatment as inpatients, the patient requested treatment at home. After the first LT, there was a marked reduction in odour. The gangrene needed repeated applications of larvae to remove the dead tissue. After eight treatments, the result was more positive than we had expected, with total lack of odour and initiation of healing. Larvae cannot penetrate eschar, thus free-range larvae were used because they can move beneath the hard necrotic tissue and dissolve it. [source] Balancing Risk and Benefit with Oral Hypoglycemic DrugsMOUNT SINAI JOURNAL OF MEDICINE: A JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2009Ole-Petter R. Hamnvik MB Abstract Clinicians are faced with an expansive array of treatment choices when caring for patients with type 2 diabetes. Because patient compliance may be affected when media sensationalism about controversial findings is misunderstood, we sought to clarify the recent controversy surrounding the cardiovascular and bone-health risks of thiazolidinediones, the risk of lactic acidosis with metformin, and the risk of hypoglycemia with oral therapies. The side effect profile of thiazolidinediones includes fluid retention, heart failure; and an increased risk of fracture. A recent controversial meta-analysis suggested that rosiglitazone increases the risk of myocardial infarction, which is possibly related to thiazolidinedione-induced lipid changes, weight gain, congestive heart failure, and anemia. Metformin is restricted to patients with normal renal function because of concerns that metformin may cause lactic acidosis. However, few cases of metformin-associated lactic acidosis have been reported, and most have occurred in patients with other reasons for developing lactic acidosis, such as sepsis or renal failure. Although the use of metformin continues to increase, observational studies have not been able to demonstrate an increased incidence of lactic acidosis in metformin-treated patients, even when it is used in populations with relative contraindications. Some oral hypoglycemic medications can cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is especially common in older patients, alcoholics, and patients with liver or renal disease. Patients on sulfonylureas and meglitinides have the highest incidence of hypoglycemia because of their pharmacological action of increasing insulin secretion. Of the sulfonylureas, glyburide presents the highest risk of hypoglycemia. Combination therapies, especially those regimens containing a sulfonylurea, increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Mt Sinai J Med 76:234,243, 2009. © 2009 Mount Sinai School of Medicine [source] The Impact of Obesity on Long-term Outcomes in Liver Transplant Recipients,Results of the NIDDK Liver Transplant DatabaseAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 3 2008J. Leonard The impact of obesity on outcomes following liver transplantation has been difficult to determine, in part due to the confounding effects of ascites on BMI. We evaluated the impact of pretransplant recipient obesity on outcomes following liver transplantation using the NIDDK Liver Transplantation Database. Pretransplant BMI, corrected for ascites, was categorized as underweight (BMI <18 kg/m2), normal weight (BMI 18,25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25.1,30 kg/m2), Class I obese (BMI 30.1,35 kg/m2), Class II obese (BMI 35.1,40 kg/m2) and Class III obese (BMI >40 kg/m2). Primary outcomes were patient and graft survival. Secondary outcomes included days in hospital and days in ICU. Data from 704 adult liver transplant recipients from the NIDDK LTD and a further 609 patients from the Mayo Clinic were analyzed. Early and late patient and graft survival was similar across all BMI categories. Correcting for ascites volume resulted in 11,20% of patients moving into a lower BMI classification. The relative risk for mortality increased by 7% for each liter of ascites removed. We conclude that corrected BMI is not independently predictive of patient or graft survival. Obesity, within the ranges observed in this study, should not be considered to be a contraindication to liver transplantation in the absence of other relative contraindications. [source] Beta-blocker Utilization and Outcomes in Patients Receiving Cardiac Resynchronization TherapyCLINICAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010Andrew Voigt MD Introduction Optimal pharmacologic therapy (OPT) is considered a prerequisite to consideration for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Hypothesis Medications such as beta-blockers (BB) with demonstrated benefit in heart failure (HF) are being under utilized in patients receiving CRT. Methods Consecutive patients receiving a CRT-capable defibrillator in 2004 at a tertiary care center for standard indications were studied. Clinical data and medications upon hospital discharge were recorded. Patients were followed for endpoints of death or transplantation. Results Of 177 patients receiving a CRT device, 129 (73%) received BB therapy (group 1). Of the 48 patients not on BBs (group 2), relative contraindications were documented in 21 (allergy in 3, hypotension or inotrope-dependent HF in 4, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] in 6, and amiodarone therapy in 8). The remaining 27 patients (group 3) did not receive BB therapy despite absence of documented justification. Compared to group 1, group 3 patients were similar in terms of clinical characteristics and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) use, but were less likely to be on statin therapy. Patients were followed for a mean of 19.9 ± 9.2 mo. After adjusting for age, QRS duration, creatinine, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), statin use, and presence of ischemic HF etiology, patients not receiving BB therapy in the absence of contraindication had increased risk of death or transplantation (odds ratio [OR]: 3.1, p = 0.043). Conclusions Absence of BB therapy appears to be independently associated with poor outcome in CRT recipients. These results suggest that a crucial component of OPT may be underutilized in a population of HF patients receiving CRT. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] |