Objectives
Multiple myeloma (MM) patients report high symptom burden and reduced health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) compared to patients with other haematological malignancies. The aim of this ...review was to analyse published longitudinal studies including MM patients according to a change in HRQoL scores, which is perceived as beneficial to the patient according to two published guidelines.
Methods
A literature search was performed May 2016. Publications with longitudinal follow‐up using the EORTC QLQ‐C30 instrument for HRQoL measurement of physical functioning, global quality of life, fatigue and/or pain were included. An analysis of mean change from baseline was carried out according to minimal important difference (MID).
Results
Large and medium HRQoL improvements were reported during first‐line treatments. No clinically beneficial change or deteriorations in scores of global QoL or fatigue were reported during relapse treatment. HRQoL data during maintenance therapy are sparse and inconclusive.
Conclusions
Guidelines for interpreting changes in HRQoL including definitions of MID have been developed; however, consensus is missing. Improvements in HRQoL are far more likely to occur during first‐line compared to relapsed treatment regimens. The background of these findings should be in focus in future studies, and HRQoL measurements should be integrated in maintenance studies.
Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is widely used in patients with cardiogenic shock following acute myocardial infarction (AMICS), but evidence to guide practice remains sparse. We sought to ...evaluate trends in the rate of IMV utilization, applied settings, and short term-outcome of a contemporary cohort of AMICS patients treated with IMV according to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) at admission.
Consecutive AMICS patients receiving IMV in an intensive care unit (ICU) at two tertiary centres between 2010 and 2017. Data were analysed in relation to OHCA.
A total of 1274 mechanically ventilated AMICS patients were identified, 682 (54%) with OHCA. Frequency of IMV increased during the study period, primarily due to higher occurrence of OHCA admissions. Among 566 patients with complete ventilator data, positive-end-expiratory pressure, inspired oxygen fraction, and minute ventilation during the initial 24 h in ICU were monitored. No differences were observed between 30-day survivors and non-survivors with OHCA. In non-OHCA, these ventilator requirements were significantly higher among 30-day non-survivors (P for all<0.05), accompanied by a lower PaO2/FiO2 ratio (median 143 vs. 230, P < 0.001) and higher arterial lactate levels (median 3.5 vs. 1.5 mmol/L, P < 0.001) than survivors. Physiologically normal PaO2 and pCO2 levels were achieved in all patients irrespective of 30-day survival and OHCA status.
In the present contemporary cohort of AMICS patients, physiologically normal blood gas values were achieved both in OHCA and non-OHCA in the early phase of admission. However, increased demand of ventilatory support was associated with poorer survival only in non-OHCA patients.
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•Invasive mechanical ventilation is frequently used in patients with AMICS, but clinical data remain sparse.•The increasing proportion of AMICS patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation was primarily driven by OHCA admissions.•Only among AMICS patients presenting without OHCA, ventilator settings were significantly increased in 30-day non-survivors.
Most studies in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMICS) include patients presenting with and without out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). The aim was to compare OHCA ...and non-OHCA AMICS patients in terms of hemodynamics, management in the intensive care unit (ICU) and outcome.
From a cohort corresponding to two thirds of the Danish population, all patients with AMICS admitted from 2010-2017 were individually identified through patient records.
A total of 1716 AMICS patients were identified of which 723 (42%) presented with OHCA. A total of 1532 patients survived to ICU admission. At the time of ICU arrival, there were no differences between OHCA and non-OHCA AMICS patients in variables commonly used in the AMICS definition (mean arterial pressure (MAP) (72mmHg vs 70mmHg, p = 0.12), lactate (4.3mmol/L vs 4.0mmol/L, p = 0.09) and cardiac output (CO) (4.6L/min vs 4.4L/min, p = 0.30)) were observed. However, during the initial days of ICU treatment OHCA patients had a higher MAP despite a lower need for vasoactive drugs, higher CO, SVO2 and lactate clearance compared to non-OHCA patients (p<0.05 for all). In multivariable analysis outcome was similar but cause of death differed significantly with hypoxic brain injury being leading cause in OHCA and cardiac failure in non-OHCA AMICS patients.
OHCA and non-OHCA AMICS patients initially have comparable metabolic and hemodynamic profiles, but marked differences develop between the groups during the first days of ICU treatment. Thus, pooling of OHCA and non-OHCA patients as one clinical entity in studies should be done with caution.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Optimal treatment strategy for the oldest patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial, as this group often is precluded from clinical trials, and population-based ...studies are limited.
All Danish DLBCL-patients ≥75 years diagnosed from 2003 to 2012 were identified, using the Danish National Lymphoma Registry (LYFO). Information regarding baseline characteristics, treatment, comorbidities and outcomes was retrieved from LYFO, the Danish National health registries and medical records. Patients were stratified by age (75–79; 80–84 and 85 + years), comorbidity score and treatment modality (standard treatment R-CHOP/CHOP-like, less intensive regimens or palliative treatment).
A total of 1011 patients were included. Standard treatment was initiated in 64%, ranging from 83% among patients aged 75–79 years to 32% among patient aged 85 + years. With standard treatment, median overall survival (OS) estimates were 4·6, 2·6, and 1·9 years for the age groups 75–79, 80–84 and 85+ years. Among patient aged 75–79 and 80–84 years, OS was superior with standard treatment, although high comorbidity scores attenuated this association. Among patients aged 85+ years, survival was not influenced by treatment intensity. Patients ≥80 years had similar OS regardless of intended (R-)CHOP dosing, whereas patients of 75–79 years scheduled for full dose had higher OS. Standard treatment was not associated with increased hospitalisation.
Standard treatment is feasible with good outcomes in a large proportion of elderly DLBCL-patients. Planned dose reduction in patients aged ≥80 years had no negative impact on OS.
•Outside clinical trials, R-CHOP provides durable remissions among old DLBCL-patients.•Age ≥85 years or age ≥80 years with high comorbidity score impairs outcome.•No excess hospitalisation with R-CHOP.•No adverse impact on OS with planned dose reduction in patients above 80 years.•Less intensive regimens may be preferred among the oldest and most comorbid patients.
Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region gene (IGHV) have inferior survival from time of treatment in clinical studies. We assessed ...real-world outcomes based on mutational status and treatment regimen in a nationwide population-based cohort, comprising all 4,135 patients from the Danish chronic lymphocytic leukemia registry diagnosed between 2008 and 2017. In total, 850 patients with known mutational status received treatment: 42% of patients received intensive chemoimmunotherapy consisting of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide plus rituximab, or bendamustine plus rituximab; 27% received chlorambucil in combination with anti-CD20 antibodies or as monotherapy, and 31% received other, less common treatments. No difference in overall survival from time of first treatment according to mutational status was observed, while treatment-free survival from start of first treatment was inferior for patients with unmutated IGHV. The median treatment-free survival was 2.5 years for patients treated with chlorambucil plus anti-CD20, and 1 year for those who received chlorambucil monotherapy. The 3-year treatment-free survival rates for patients treated with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide plus rituximab, and bendamustine plus rituximab were 90% and 91% for those with mutated IGHV, and 76% and 53% for those with unmutated IGHV, respectively, and the 3-year overall survival rates were similar for the two regimens (86-88%). Thus, it appears that, in the real-world setting, patients progressing after intensive chemoimmunotherapy as first-line therapy can be rescued by subsequent treatment, without jeopardizing their long overall survival. Intensive chemoimmunotherapy remains a legitimate option alongside targeted agents, and part of a personalized treatment landscape in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, while improved supportive care and treatment options are warranted for unfit patients.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors remaining comatose are often circulatory unstable with high mortality in the first days following resuscitation. Elevated lactate will reflect the ...severity and duration of hypoperfusion in cardiac arrest. Further, the severity of hypoperfusion could modify the effect on survival of different mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) targets.
In this sub-study of the BOX trial, adult successfully resuscitated comatose OHCA patients (n = 789) with a presumed cardiac cause were randomized to a MAP target of 63 mmHg vs. 77 mmHg. Patients were arbitrarily grouped in low-lactate: <25% of sample, medium-lactate: 25%–75%, and high >75 percentile according to blood lactate levels at hospital arrival as a surrogate of the severity of hypoperfusion. Invasive hemodynamic evaluations were performed using an arterial catheter and pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), and data from admission to 48 hours (h) were recorded. Logistic regression analysis evaluated whether lactate levels (as continuous and categorical) modify the effect of MAP targets on mortality at 365 days.
The three lactate groups had initial lactate levels of low-lactate: <2.9 mmol/L, medium-lactate: 2.9–7.9 mmol/L, and high-lactate > 7.9 mmol/L. All patients were randomized to a 63 mmHg or 77 mmHg MAP target. The proportion of patients in the high-MAP target group was 100/201 (50%), 178/388 (46%), and 114/197 (58%) for low, medium, and high-lactate groups respectively. At admission, the high-lactate groups had a lower MAP compared to the medium-lactate (2.6 mmHg (95% CI: 0.1–5.0 mmHg, p = 0.02), and the low-lactate group, (3.6 mmHg (95% CI: 0.8–6.5 mmHg, p < 0.01). Accordingly, the vasoactive inotropic score was 79% (95%CI: 42%–124%%) higher with increasing initial lactate level (High-lactate vs. low-lactate) with the largest difference at 6 hours (110.6% (95%CI: 54.4%–187.2%) higher in high-lactate patients). No difference in the cardiac index or systemic vascular resistance was observed between lactate groups. The initial lactate level (continuous) modified the effect of the two MAP targets (p = 0.04). In the highest lactate group, the mortality was 100/197 (51%), and with an odds ratio (OR): 1.7 (95%CI: 0.9–3.0) if randomized to MAP 77 mmHg compared to MAP 63 mmHg. In the lowest lactate group, the mortality was 35/201(17%) and similar if randomized to a MAP target of 77 mmHg (OR: 1.1 (95% CI: 0.5–2.3)).
Comatose OHCA patients with high initial lactate levels required more vasoactive drugs on the first two days of ICU admission to meet the blood pressure target and had a poorer prognosis. No indication that aiming for a higher MAP target is beneficial in patients with an initial high lactate level was found, however, given the post-hoc nature of this study, these results should be considered hypothesis-generating
BACKGROUND: To assess the effect of targeting higher or lower blood pressure during postresucitation intensive care among comatose patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with a history of heart ...failure. METHODS: The BOX trial (Blood Pressure and Oxygenation Targets After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest) was a randomized, controlled, double-blinded, multicenter study comparing titration of vasopressors toward a mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 63 versus 77 mm Hg during postresuscitation intensive care. Patients with a history of heart failure were included in this substudy. Pulmonary artery catheters were inserted shortly after admission. History of heart failure was assessed through chart review of all included patients. The primary outcome was cardiac index during the first 72 hours. Secondary outcomes were left ventricular ejection fraction, heart rate, stroke volume, renal replacement therapy and all-cause mortality at 365 days. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients (17% of the BOX cohort) had a history of heart failure (patients with left ventricular ejection fraction, ≤40%: 103 77%) of which 71 (53%) were allocated to a MAP of 77 mm Hg. Cardiac index at intensive care unit arrival was 1.77±0.11 L/min·m −2 in the MAP63-group and 1.78±0.17 L/min·m −2 in the MAP77, P =0.92. During the next 72 hours, the mean difference was 0.15 (95% CI, −0.04 to 0.35) L/min·m −2 ; P group =0.22. Left ventricular ejection fraction and stroke volume was similar between the groups. Patients allocated to MAP77 had significantly elevated heart rate (mean difference 6 1–12 beats/min, P group =0.03). Vasopressor usage was also significantly increased ( P =0.006). At 365 days, 69 (51%) of the patients had died. The adjusted hazard ratio for 365 day mortality was 1.38 (0.84–2.27), P =0.20 and adjusted odds ratio for renal replacement therapy was 2.73 (0.84–8.89; P =0.09). CONCLUSIONS: In resuscitated patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with a history of heart failure, allocation to a higher blood pressure target resulted in significantly increased heart rate in the higher blood pressure-target group. However, no certain differences was found for cardiac index, left ventricular ejection fraction or stroke volume. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03141099.
Warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (wAIHA) is a haemolytic disorder, most commonly seen among adults and is classified as either primary or secondary to an underlying disease. We describe the age and ...sex distribution and the proportion of secondary wAIHA.
We retrieved 2635 published articles, screened abstracts and titles, and identified 27 articles eligible for full-text review. From these studies, we extracted data regarding number of patients, sex distribution, age at diagnosis, number of patients with secondary wAIHA, and whether the patients were diagnosed through local or referral centres. All data were weighted according to the number of included patients in each study.
27 studies including a total of 4311 patients with wAIHA, of which 66% were females, were included. The median age at diagnosis was 68.7 years, however, wAIHA affected all ages. The mean proportion of secondary wAIHA was 49%, most frequently secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus. The proportions of secondary wAIHA reported from primary vs. referral centres were 35% vs. 59%, respectively.
This review consolidates previously reported gender distribution. The higher proportion of secondary wAIHA in referral centres suggests that the most severely affected patients are disproportionally more frequent in such facilities.