Background: Amantadine has been used off-label to improve alertness after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The goal of this study is to assess the mean change at 72 hours and in course of therapy (COT) Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score after amantadine initiation and to correlate the change in GCS score with participation in physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) among patients with TBI receiving amantadine during the first hospitalization. Methods: This single-center, retrospective, cohort study included patients ≥18 years old hospitalized for a TBI from August 2012 to February 2018 and received ≥1 dose of amantadine to increase alertness. The primary endpoint is the mean change in 72-hour GCS score after amantadine initiation. The secondary endpoint is the mean change in COT GCS score after amantadine initiation and the correlation between the change in GCS score and percent PT and OT participation at 72 hours and during the COT. Results: Seventy-nine patients were included. The mean age of patients was 41 years, and 79.8% of the patients were men. The mean change in 72-hour GCS score was +0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.09-1.42, P = .027), and the mean change in COT GCS score was +2.29 (95% CI = 1.68-2.90, P < .001). There was no significant correlation between the increase in GCS score and percent PT/OT session participation at 72 hours and during the COT, r = −0.15 ( P = .24) and r = −0.02 ( P = .74), respectively. The percent PT/OT session participation at 72-hour post-amantadine initiation was 61.3% compared with 65.9% during the COT. Conclusion: There were small but statistically significant increases in the mean change at 72 hours and in COT GCS score; however, they were not correlated with percent PT/OT participation. Other studies are needed to determine the appropriate time and GCS score to initiate amantadine along with the optimal dose in the inpatient setting.

Background: Thiazide diuretics are often utilized to overcome loop diuretic resistance when treating acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). In addition to a large cost advantage, several pharmacokinetic advantages exist when administering oral metolazone (MTZ) compared with intravenous (IV) chlorothiazide (CTZ), yet many providers are reluctant to utilize an oral formulation to treat ADHF. The purpose of this study was to compare the increase in 24-hour total urine output (UOP) after adding MTZ or CTZ to IV loop diuretics (LD) in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods and Results: From September 2013 to August 2016, 1002 patients admitted for ADHF received either MTZ or CTZ in addition to LD. Patients were excluded for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) (n = 469), <24-hour LD or UOP data prior to drug initiation (n = 129), or low dose MTZ/CTZ (n = 91). A total of 168 patients were included with 64% receiving CTZ. No significant difference was observed between the increase in 24-hour total UOP after MTZ or CTZ initiation (1458 [514, 2401] mL vs 1820 [890, 2750] mL, P = .251). Conclusions: Both MTZ and CTZ similarly increased UOP when utilized as an adjunct to IV LD. These results suggest that while thiazide agents can substantially increase UOP in ADHF patients with HFrEF, MTZ and CTZ have comparable effects.

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