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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Bumetanide and furosemide were compared for efficacy in reducing edema due to congestive heart failure in 28 patients (21 receiving bumetanide and seven receiving furosemide) in a long-term study for periods from one week to 18 months. In both groups the patients showed decreases in body weight, abdominal girth, edema, hepatomegaly, blood pressure, and heart rate. Commonly observed decreases frequently achieved statistical significance, more often with bumetanide, but the differences between treatments were rarely statistically significant. Both drugs were generally well tolerated. A breast nodule and gynecomastia were each reported once in the bumetanide group as was gynecomastia in one patient who had been on furosemide, all remotely related to test drugs. Soft stools, flatulence, mild constipation, and diminished vision each reported once in the bumetanide group were judged to be unrelated or remotely related to the drug therapy. Tendencies toward hypokalemia, hypochloremia, alkalosis, and hyperuricemia without clinical gout were deemed the result of the pharmacologic action of the diuretics. Others were attributable to the underlying disease state of these patients. Both diuretics proved to be effective in the treatment of cardiac edema and other manifestations of heart failure. Bumetanide treatment beyond six months in 11 patients indicated continued safety as well as efficacy.
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PMID:Comparative efficacy and safety of bumetanide and furosemide in long-term treatment of edema due to congestive heart failure. 733 79

The objective of this study was to describe the health problems of a group dementia patients on admission and during residence in a Dutch nursing home and to compare these with figures of patients of 75 years and over from general practice. In 890 nursing home patients suffering from dementia prevalence of health problems on admission and the incidence during the residence were classified by means of the ICHPPC-2-defined. The differences between men and women were studied as was the influence of the season on the incidence during the stay. Results were compared with figures of patients of seventy five year and over from the continuous morbidity registration (CMR) from 'Nijmegen'. The most frequently occurring health problems on admission were: varicose veins of legs, acquired deformation of the spine, presbyacusis, hypertension, arthrosis, COPD, cerebrovascular disorders, heart murmur, cataract and chronic ischemic heart disease. During the residence the following health problems were frequently diagnosed: urinary tract infection, side effect of medicine, constipation, pneumonia, pressure sore, feeding problem, contusion, heart failure, cold and conjunctivitis. There were clear differences between men and women. Especially the incidence of intercurrent diseases showed great differences from the patterns in general practice. Prevalence of health problems on admission to the nursing home home agreed mor with figures from general practice. Respiratory tract infections frequently occurred in winter and urinary tract infections, pressure sores and conjunctivitis seemed to occur more in the summer. Nursing home patients with dementia have a lot of chronic and intercurrent health problems. They differ clearly from patients in general practice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:[Incidence and prevalence of health problems in a group of nursing home patients with dementia. A comparison with family practice]. 780 16

We have made a prospective study of 23 patients diagnosed of subclinical hypothyroidism and 45 of overt hypothyroidism, aged 68.3-70.3 years and with a mean illness of 4.5 and 6.5 years respectively. It has been proved a higher prevalence of females in both groups. The most frequent clinical symptoms, similar in both groups, were fatigue, constipation and dyspnea. The most repeated initial diagnosis at the entry were prymary hypothyroidism, heart failure, hypertensive urgencies and stroke. We have found differences of statistical significance between the Free Thyroxine (fT4), triiodothyronine (T3), total serum cholesterol (CT), triglycerides (TG), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and thyrotropin (TSH) initial and ending serum levels in patients with overt hypothyroidism (p < 0.05). We only have found significant differences in TSH serum levels in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. The antithyroglobulin and antimicrobial antibodies, have been both positive in two and one patient respectively. Both are more useful as a predictor than their diagnostic value. The levothyroxine (L-T4) daily dose needed to normalize the TSH serum concentration, was lesser in subclinical hypothyroidism (71.8 micrograms opposite 107 micrograms-p < 0.001). We didn't find significant differences between the different groups in the time necessary for normalizing TSH. It seems that the L-T4 therapy should be started in all patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and TSH > or = 10 microU/ml or with TSH > 5 and goiter or with thyroid antibodies. The aim to reach is to normalize the TSH serum levels. The mean daily necessary L-T4 dose is 50-100 micrograms.
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PMID:[Clinical and subclinical hyperthyroidism: two faces of the coin?]. 892 46

Recent reports commissioned by the Australian Government have highlighted the need to improve medication use in both community and hospital settings. Nurses are placed ideally to promote safe and effective drug use. The aim of this project was to develop and evaluate a computer-assisted instruction package, to help undergraduate nursing students improve their knowledge of clinical pharmacology, and to enhance their ability to contribute to the quality use of medications. In a collaborative project, staff of the Tasmanian Schools of Pharmacy and Nursing have produced the program PharmaCAL, using HyperCard 2.2 for the Apple Macintosh. A wide range of clinical pharmacology units are covered extensively, concentrating on drugs in common use and based on body systems: cardiovascular pharmacology (including hypertension, cardiac failure and angina); respiratory pharmacology; alimentary tract pharmacology (including peptic ulcer, diarrhea, and constipation); central nervous system pharmacology (analgesia, anxiety and insomnia, depression, psychoses, and epilepsy); antibiotic chemotherapy; and diabetes mellitus. Many color illustrations have been included. Each unit has a set of multiple choice questions to provide feedback to students. The package was evaluated in two ways. First, a questionnaire was used to assess users' opinions of the package. Second, a validated multiple choice test on clinical pharmacology and therapeutics was administered to 24 third-year nursing students before and after a set of sessions using the package and to a control group of 28 nursing students who were not exposed to the PharmaCAL package. The package generally was well received by the nursing students. Clinical pharmacology test scores significantly improved after using the package and were significantly higher than for the control group of students. The program is a useful adjunct to the existing nursing curriculum. It also could be used in postgraduate nursing education and other health sciences.
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PMID:Development and evaluation of a computer-assisted instruction package in clinical pharmacology for nursing students. 945 93

Calcium antagonists are potent vasodilators and are widely used in the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris. The currently available compounds belong to three classes: (1) dihydropyridines (e.g. nifedipine, amlodipine and felodipine), (2) phenylalkylamines (e.g. verapamil) and (3) benzothiazepines (e.g. diltiazem). The three classes differ in their pharmacological profile and safety. For example, verapamil and diltiazem lower heart rate, while dihydropyridines increase it or leave it unchanged. With most of the latter compounds, a marked activation of the sympathetic nervous system has been noted. Most compounds exhibit negative inotropic effects, particularly the first-generation molecules, which is disadvantageous in patients with impaired left-ventricular function. The most common side effects of these drugs are flushing, headache and edema. With verapamil, constipation may represent a problem in certain patients. Hence, in spite of a large number of calcium antagonists available, there remains a need for new compounds with enhanced efficacy and improved tolerability. A new compound should lack any negative inotropism, avoid any increase in sympathetic outflow or heart rate and exhibit a high degree of vascular selectivity. Furthermore, a low incidence of side effects, particularly ankle edema and optimal pharmacokinetics allowing once-daily dosing would be desirable. Mibefradil is a new calcium antagonist with promising pharmacological and clinical properties. The compound has a high bioavailability, lacks negative inotropic effects at therapeutic concentrations, does not exhibit reflex tachycardia during vasodilation and actually slightly decreases heart rate. It is a potent direct vasodilator efficacious in hypertension and chronic angina pectoris, elicits endothelium-dependent relaxations and facilitates the effects of nitric oxide in vascular smooth muscle. The drug is a particularly efficacious vasodilator in intramyocardial coronary arteries which may be important for its anti-ischemic effects and the lack of steal in the coronary circulation. Furthermore, mibefradil has antiproliferative properties in human vascular smooth muscle cells in culture. As a unique property, mibefradil blocks T-type calcium channels and hence represents a new class of calcium channel blockers. In patients with hypertension, mibefradil has a high efficacy in controlling blood pressure. The drug does not cause constipation and has a low incidence of ankle edema. A large trial is under way to further delineate the properties of this new calcium antagonist in patients with heart failure.
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PMID:Comparative pharmacological properties among calcium channel blockers: T-channel versus L-channel blockade. 957 Apr 24

In this study, insomnia in 80-year-olds was related to medical, psychological and social factors. The data were based on examinations every year in people aged between 80 and 89 years. Of 333 people living in the city of Lund and born in 1908, 67% participated. Increased severity of insomnia was significantly associated with use of diuretics, other cardiovascular drugs, hypnotics and laxatives, and with nervousness, difficulty relaxing, anorexia, nausea, constipation, backache, feeling cold, sweating, loss of weight, dizziness, depression, general fatigue, exhaustion, angina pectoris, cardiac insufficiency, worsened objective and subjective health, presence of negative T-waves on ECG, anxiety, total life satisfaction, neuroticism, disbelief in a just world, feeling lonely and lower survival rates. Thus insomnia has widespread associations with different aspects of life in 80-year-olds.
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PMID:Insomnia in an 80-year-old population: relationship to medical, psychological and social factors. 978 73

Although midazolam has been proposed for the treatment of a variety of conditions such as anxiety, dyspnoea, hiccups and status epilepticus, terminal agitation is the only condition where its use is based on a reasonably large number of published clinical studies. A causal approach is generally recommended. Whenever possible, the aetiological condition (pain, fever, constipation, etc.) should be corrected. Such general measures as ensuring a peaceful, familiar environment, and the use of a night light, fluid therapy to counteract dehydration, and antipyretics for fever are beneficial. When symptomatic treatment is needed, drugs with little anticholinergic effect are to be recommended. The use of benzodiazepines as single drug treatment may exacerbate the condition. Haloperidol or risperidone (which has fewer side effects) are recommended. If the agitation is marked, a common strategy is to add lorazepam. Chlormethiazole is an alternative. Subcutaneous midazolam should be reserved for refractory cases. Attention should be paid to dosage, reduced doses being given to the elderly, patients on opioid medication, and patients with impaired liver or renal function. Overdosage may induce deep sedation, and result in carbon dioxide retention and subsequently heart failure and pulmonary oedema which may be fatal.
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PMID:[Midazolam (Dormicum) in terminal anxiety and agitation. The last choice alternative in palliative care]. 1035 70

In well designed studies in patients with mild to moderate hypertension, combinations of the sustained-release (SR) formulation of the nondihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist verapamil 120 to 240 mg/day and the ACE inhibitor trandolapril 0.5 to 8 mg/day were significantly more effective in reducing sitting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) from baseline than placebo. In most randomised studies, combinations of verapamil SR 120 to 240 mg/day and trandolapril 0.5 to 8 mg/day were significantly more effective in lowering sitting DBP and SBP than the corresponding monotherapies administered at the same dosage. Trandolapril/verapamil SR 2/180 mg/day provided significantly more effective 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure (BP) control than of the corresponding monotherapies. Moreover, trandolapril/verapamil SR reduced BP in patients inadequately controlled with either of the corresponding monotherapies. The antihypertensive efficacy of trandolapril/verapamil SR 2/180 mg/day was generally similar to that of other combinations of antihypertensive agents (metoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide, atenolol/chlorthalidone, lisinopril/hydrochlorothiazide, enalapril/hydrochlorothiazide) in patients with hypertension, including those with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Trandolapril/verapamil SR reduced BP in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes or primary renal disease, Black patients and elderly patients. Trandolapril/verapamil SR was more effective than the individual components administered as monotherapy in reducing proteinuria in patients with type 2 diabetes or primary renal disease. Trandolapril/verapamil SR had a neutral or beneficial effect on metabolic parameters (glucose, insulin, lipids) in patients with hypertension, including those with type 2 diabetes. Trandolapril/verapamil SR preserved left ventricular function in patients with heart failure. Fewer cardiac events occurred after therapy with trandolapril/verapamil SR than after trandolapril alone in post-myocardial infarction patients with congestive heart failure. The incidence of adverse events in recipients of trandolapril/verapamil SR was similar to that of the individual components, and that of other combination therapies. In placebo-controlled trials conducted in the US, headache, upper respiratory tract infections, cough, constipation, atrioventricular block (first degree) and dizziness were the most commonly reported adverse events in recipients of combinations of verapamil SR (120 to 240 mg/day) and trandolapril (0.5 to 8 mg/day). In conclusion, the fixed-dose combination of trandolapril/verapamil SR is an effective treatment for patients with hypertension, including those with type 2 diabetes. Trandolapril/verapamil SR tended to be more effective than monotherapy with either verapamil SR or trandolapril, and generally showed antihypertensive efficacy similar to that of other combination antihypertensive therapies. Current data support the use of trandolapril/verapamil SR as an alternative treatment when monotherapy with either agent is not effective. Data from large clinical trials currently being conducted will assist in fully defining the role of trandolapril/verapamil SR as a cardio- and renoprotective agent.
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PMID:Fixed combination trandolapril/verapamil sustained-release: a review of its use in essential hypertension. 1242 Nov 12

A phase II study was conducted to assess the toxicity and response rate of vinorelbine (NavelbineR) combined with epirubicin and fluorouracil (NEF) in metastatic breast cancer. Vinorelbine was delivered at a dose of 25 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, epirubicin at 60 mg/m2 on day 1 and fluorouracil at 600 mg/m2 on day 1, at 3-week intervals. Forty consecutive ambulant patients with breast cancer with measurable metastases were treated with a total of 310 cycles (median 8) as first-line therapy. The objective response rate was 83% (95% CI 71-95) (6/40 CR 15%, 27140 PR 68%). In 3 patients, CNS metastases were detected during NEF therapy those who had a partial response in their visceral metastases. Median time to progression was 13 months (95% CI 7-19) and estimated median survival time was 32 months. The main dose-limiting adverse effect, grade III-IV haematological toxicity, was reported in 92% of patients. One patient died of neutropenic sepsis. Grade III infections requiring hospitalization were observed in 8 patients (20%). Half of the patients complained of mild constipation, nausea or stomatitis, which were easily managed. Almost all patients had grade III alopecia. One patient with previous adjuvant anthracycline therapy (CEF x 9 two years earlier) developed fatal grade IV cardiac failure associated with pulmonary emboli 2 months after completion of NEF therapy (PR with 6 cycles). In line with the observations of others conducting phase II first-line trials combining vinorelbine and epirubicin, it is concluded that the NEF regimen is effective in metastatic breast cancer. Haematological toxicity, however, requires dose reductions in many patients. Furthermore, careful monitoring of cardiac function is necessary, particularly in patients who received prior adjuvant anthracycline therapy.
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PMID:Vinorelbine, epirubicin and fluorouracil as first-line therapy in metastatic breast cancer--a phase II trial. 1289 2

Amongst the principal metabolic situations that can require emergency attention in the oncology patient we find: hypercalcaemia, hyponatraemia, tumoural lysis syndrome, lactic acidosis, hyperuricaemia, renal failure, hyperammonaemia, hypermpotasaemia, etc. Hypercalcaemia is the most frequent metabolic complication in oncology, appearing in 10-30% of these patients. It has two main mechanisms, tumoural lysis and humoural hypercalcaemia mediated by PTHrP (a protein related to parathormone). The principal factor for its diagnosis is suspicion, since some symptoms are non-specific and can be attributed to other causes such as somnolence, constipation, etc. Treatment will be based on intensity and is started with calciuretic measures with an intense hydration with physiological serum and on some occasions with furosemide. Anti-reabsorptive measures include calcitonin, bisphosphonates, mithramycin, gallium nitrate and on occasions corticoids. Bisphosphonates such as pamidronate and zoledronate seem to be highly useful in these cases. Hyponatraemia is classified depending on plasmatic osmorality; when this is low we find ourselves facing an authentic hyponatraemia that can develop with an extra-cellular volume that is high (cardiac insufficiency, cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome and renal insufficiency), low (renal and extra-renal sodium losses) and normal (principally SIADH, related to a high elimination of sodium in the urine with high urinary osmolarity in spite of this being low in blood). Several types of tumour and different chemotherapy drugs can produce this SIADH. Treatment will vary according to the type and intensity, but in general this is based on hydric restriction and the replacement of the sodium deficit, either through physiological serum or through hypertonic saline serums depending on the case, and on occasions furosemide for the elimination of excess water.
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PMID:[Metabolic emergencies in the oncology patient]. 1572 5


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