Objective To describe the safety and efficacy of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in pregnant women treated in an integrated antenatal antiretroviral programme (ANC ARV). Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients attending the ANC ARV from August 2004 through February 2007. Results Data was collected on 689 treatment-na誰ve pregnant women initiated on HAART. The mean age was 29.2 years. The mean baseline CD4+ count was 154 cells/uL and mean baseline HIV viral load was 101,561 copies/ml. Tuberculosis was the most prevalent presenting opportunistic infection (7.7%). Stavudine, lamivudine, and nevirapine were initiated in 82% of women with the most frequent adverse drug reaction being nevirapine-associated skin rash (3.5%). Mean gestational age at HAART initiation was 27 weeks. Among women with follow-up data, 80% gained 50 or more CD4 cells/uL, and 80.5% achieved viral suppression to <1000 copies/ml. Of 302 mother/infant pairs who completed postnatal follow-up, the HIV transmission rate was 5%. In women who received more than seven weeks of HAART during pregnancy, transmission was 0.3%. Conclusions Within the ANC ARV programme, initiating pregnant women on HAART was feasible, safe, and effective. Advanced gestational age at treatment initiation and loss to follow-up emerge as important challenges in this population.
Background:The current standard followed for assessing central venous catheter (CVC) tip placement location is through radiological confirmation using chest X-ray (CXR). Placement of CVCs under electrocardiogram (ECG) guidance may save cost and time compared to CXR.Objective:The objective of this study is to compare the accurate placement of the CVC tip using anatomical landmark technique with ECG-guided technique. Another objective is to compare CVC placement time and postprocedural complications between the two techniques.Methods and Materials:A total of 144 adult individuals, who were critically ill and required CVC placement in the Emergency Department, were included for the study. Study duration was 6 months. Anatomical landmark and ECG-guided groups were assigned 72 participants each. Analyses were performed using t and Chi square-tests.Results:It was observed that 13 (18%) in the landmark technique were malpositioned as compared to none in the ECG-guided technique (P = 0.000). The landmark group had 22 (30.6%) participants with arrhythmias during the procedure, compared to none in the ECG-guided group (P = 0.000). The landmark group revealed that 30 (41.7%) of the CVC were overinserted and required immediate repositioning, compared to none in the ECG-guided group (P = 0.000).Conclusion:ECG-guided technique was found to be more accurate for CVC tip placement than the anatomical landmark technique. Furthermore, the ECG-guided technique was more time-effective and had less complications than the anatomical landmark technique. Hence, ECG-guided CVC placement is relatively accurate, efficient, and safe and can be considered as an alternative method to conventional radiography for confirmation of CVC tip placement.
OBJECTIVES Assessment of early outcomes in patients with normal preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in whom venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) was implanted for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock (PCCS) during the first postoperative 48 h. METHODS Retrospective single-centre analysis in adult patients with normal LVEF, who received VA-ECMO support for PCCS from May 1998 to May 2018. The primary outcome was 30-day perioperative mortality during the index hospitalization. RESULTS A total of 62 125 adult patients underwent cardiac surgery at our institution during the study period. Among them, 173 patients (0.3%) with normal preoperative LVEF required VA-ECMO for PCCS. Among them, 71 (41.1%) patients presented PCCS due to coronary malperfusion and in 102 (58.9%) patients, no evident cause was found for PCCS. Median duration of VA-ECMO support was 5 days (interquartile range 2–8 days). A total of 135 (78.0%) patients presented VA-ECMO-related complications and the overall 30-day perioperative mortality was 57.8%. Independent predictors of mortality were: lactate level just before VA-ECMO implantation [odds ratio (OR) 1.27; P < 0.001], major bleeding during VA-ECMO (OR 3.76; P = 0.001), prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass time (OR 1.01; P < 0.001) and female gender (OR 4.87; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Mortality rates of VA-ECMO in PCCS patients are high, even in those with preoperative normal LVEF. Coronary problems are an important cause of PCCS; however, the aetiology remains unknown in the vast majority of the cases. The implantation of VA-ECMO before development of tissue hypoperfusion and the control of VA-ECMO-associated complications are the most important prognostic factors in PCCS patients. Lactate levels may help guide timing of VA-ECMO implantation and define the extent of therapeutic effort.
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