There are a handful of studies that have been done investigating the effect of music on various vital signs, namely systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR). Many studies have also assessed effects of music on self-reported anxiety level, attributing some degree of music-induced anxiety relief to the beneficial impacts of music on vital signs. Several randomised studies have shown varying effects of music on these vital parameters and so a metaanalysis was done to compare the effect of music on them. The fixed effects model was used as studies were homogenous. A two-sided alpha error < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Compared to those who did not receive music therapy, those who did receive music therapy had a significantly greater decrease in SBP before and after (difference in means, −2.629, confidence interval (CI), −3.914 to −1.344, P < 0.001), a significantly greater decrease in DBP (difference in means, −1.112, CI, −1.692 to −0.532, P < 0.001), and a significantly greater decrease in HR (difference in means, −3.422, CI, −5.032 to −1.812, P < 0.001).
Advances in the fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over the last few years have resulted in the exploring the use of fetal MRI to detect congenital cardiac anomalies. Early detection of congenital cardiac anomalies can help more appropriately manage the infant's delivery and neonatal management. MRI offers anatomical and functional studies and is a safe adjunct that can help more fully understand a fetus’ cardiac anatomy. It is important for the obstetricians and pediatric cardiologists to be aware of the recent advancements in fetal MRI and it`s potential utility in diagnosing congenital cardiac anomalies.
A small number of nonrandomized and retrospective studies have compared outcomes of classical Norwood procedures for hypoplasticleft-heart syndrome and single ventricle lesions involving a Blalock-Taussig (BT) shunt to the modified procedure using a right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit. Some of these studies reported data for the same outcomes and a meta-analysis was done to analyze pooled outcomes comparing in-hospital mortality, interstage mortality, cardiopulmonary bypass time, systolic and diastolic blood pressures 24 h postoperatively, length of intensive care and hospital stay, and need for postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit was associated with an insignificant reduction of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.674, 95% confidence interval, 0.367 to 1.238), and in the length of hospital stay. There were significant reductions in cardiopulmonary bypass time, length of intensive care unit stay, and need for postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, postoperative ventilation times, and interstage mortality (odds ratio, 0.191, confidence interval, 0.0620 to 0.587). There was a significant increase in diastolic blood pressure and an insignificant increase in systolic blood pressure 24 h postoperatively. This pooled analysis demonstrates potential advantages associated with the right ventricle to pulmonary artery conduit when compared to the modified BT shunt in palliation and demonstrates the need for large randomized controlled trials that compare a number of outcomes in both procedures.
Deep vein thrombosis may be a complication of extended length hospital stays. Immobilized patients, such as patients in the postoperative period, are at particularly high risk of developing a deep vein thrombosis, which can be associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Due to this, prevention of deep vein thrombosis is of great importance in the inpatient setting. Compression stockings have proven to play an important role in prophylaxis and may be used in their knee-length or thigh-length variety. Although randomized trials have studied the efficacy of both varieties in prevention of deep vein thrombosis, selection is often made without regard to evidence. This meta-analysis pools the findings of current studies comparing knee-length and thigh-length compression stockings for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis. A fixed effects model was used for this study with a two-sided α-error less than 0.05 considered to be statistically significant. When both varieties of compression stockings are compared, thigh-length stockings offer a risk reduction in deep vein thrombosis development when compared with knee-length (odds ratio 1.197, confidence interval 0.983-1.458). This, however, is an insignificant finding. This analysis concludes that current data does not favor either thigh-length or knee-length compression stockings when it comes to prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.