The management of pulmonary hypertension secondary to chronic thromboembolic disease.
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Chronic Disease↗
Biomedical subjects
G T Ford
Publications and source records attributed to G T Ford.
Effects of donor recruitment methods on population responses.
It is important to know the preferences of blood donors and nondonors as to 1) the method of contact of the prospective donor by the recruiter, 2) the character of the relationship between the recruiter and the recruit, 3) the recruitment message used by the recruiter, and 4) the logistics of the collection. Interviews with almost 2,000 blood donors and nondonors in the Buffalo region were done to provide information on these preferences. Results of the studies include evidence that face-to-face recruiting is over three times as effective as is recruiting by the telephone. the relationship between recruiter and recruit is important primarily to first-time donors. The recruitment message should include all of the reasons for donating. Replacement donors are a good source of future volunteers, and the logistics of blood collection, particularly selection of donor sites and overall time required to donate, are crucial in determining donor responses.
Blood Donors↗
Comparison of intramuscular betamethasone and oral prednisone in the prevention of relapse of acute asthma.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the relapse rate after a single intramuscular injection of a long acting corticosteroid, betamethasone, with oral prednisone in patients discharged from the emergency department (ED) for acute exacerbations of asthma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with acute exacerbations of asthma who were suitable for discharge from the ED were enrolled in a double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled pilot study. At discharge, patients were randomly assigned to receive either intramuscular betamethasone 12 mg and placebo capsules, or a placebo intramuscular injection and prednisone 50 mg daily for seven days. At days 7 and 21, patients were contacted by telephone to determine relapse. Relapse was defined as an unscheduled visit to a physician for treatment of continuing or worsening symptoms of asthma. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-one patients were enrolled, of whom 87 were randomly assigned to the betamethasone group and 84 to the prednisone group. Baseline characteristics were matched evenly between the groups, with the exception of asthma duration (15.5 versus 21.2 years, respectively) and use of inhaled corticosteroids (46% versus 64.3% respectively) (P<0.05). Using intention-to-treat analysis, the relapse rates for betamethasone and prednisone at day 7 were 14.9% (13 of 87 patients) and 25% (21 of 84 patients), respectively (P=0.1), and at day 21, the rates were 36.8% (32 of 87 patients) and 31% (26 of 84 patients), respectively (P=0.4). There were no differences in symptom score, peak flows and adverse effects between the two groups at days 7 and 21. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of intramuscular betamethasone 12 mg was safe and as efficacious as prednisone in preventing the relapse of acute asthma. There was a trend toward a reduced relapse rate at seven days. In select ED patients discharged for acute asthma, intramuscular betamethasone may be an effective alternative to prednisone.
Acute Disease↗
Alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency: a position statement of the Canadian Thoracic Society.
OBJECTIVE: To prepare new guidelines for the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) regarding severe alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and AAT replacement therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Previously published guidelines and the medical literature about AAT deficiency and AAT replacement were reviewed. The prepared statement was reviewed and approved by the CTS Standards and Executive Committees. RESULTS: Three studies evaluated AAT replacement. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's AAT Registry was a nonrandomized comparison of patients receiving and not receiving AAT replacement, and evaluated the decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in 927 subjects. The rate of FEV1 decline was significantly less in those receiving AAT treatment (66 +/- SE 5 mL/year versus 93 +/- SE 11 mL/year; P=0.03) only in the subgroup with FEV1 35% to 49% predicted. In another study comparing 198 German patients receiving weekly AAT infusions and 97 untreated Danish patients, the mean annual decline in FEV1 was significantly less in treated patients only in the subgroup with FEV1 31% to 65% predicted (62 mL versus 83 mL, P=0.04). Neither of these studies was a randomized, controlled study and, thus, cannot be taken as proof of efficacy. A randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial of monthly replacement therapy over three years in 56 exsmokers with severe AAT deficiency and moderate emphysema showed a trend (P=0.07) favouring slower progression of emphysema by computed tomography scan in the group receiving AAT replacement. CONCLUSIONS: AAT replacement therapy has not been proven definitively to be clinically effective in reducing the progression of disease in AAT-deficient patients, but there is a possible benefit to selected patients. A placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial of AAT replacement therapy is required. The authors recommend reserving AAT replacement therapy for AAT-deficient patients with impaired FEV1 of 35% to 50% predicted who have quit smoking and are on optimal medical therapy but continue to show a rapid decline in FEV1, and participation of all AAT-deficient subjects in the Canadian AAT Registry.
Canada↗