Why hearts fail when they do

May 13, 2008

Multicenter trial defines predictors of heart failure admission, death

Renal failure and pneumonia are the most deadly comorbidities for heart-failure patients, either in the hospital or within 3 months post-discharge. These results come from OPTIMIZE-HF, the first large multicenter trial to pre-define predictors and outcomes in heart failure

Pneumonia, ischemia and arrhythmia were the most frequent factors precipitating hospital admission. Uncontrolled hypertension and nonadherence to diet or medication were less adverse factors.

Practice Guidelines
The report bolsters national heart failure guidelines that call for detecting and addressing precipitating factors in acute decompensated heart failure.

Clinical Trials
A description of OPTIMIZE-HF (and a complete clickable list of its related publications), is available from the government Clinical Trials directory available on SearchMedica category.

Related searches:

renal failure HF

pneumonia heart failure

arrhythmia HF

ischemia HF

No Comments » | Cardiovascular, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
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BPD is a learning disorder. Really.

May 13, 2008

It helps to teach BPD patients how their actions affect others

A long-term randomized trial may herald the end of the era of denial and hopeless desperation surrounding borderline personality disorder (BPD).

One group of patients underwent the structured “mentalization” therapy pioneered by Bateman and Fonagy. The others had treatment as usual (psychiatric consultation, medication, and hospitalization).

Five years later, subjects in the first group were significantly less suicidal and more functional. They also were using fewer clinical resources and took less medication.

A different randomized trial published last month validates an adjunctive training system that boosts the results of structured therapies already shown effective for BPD.

Practical Articles/News
Has anyone looked for an actual association between BPD and cognitive deficits?

Research/Reviews
Which is the best approach to frank suicidality in a BPD patient?

Related searches

BPD DBT

schema-focused therapy

No Comments » | Adolescent, Family Medicine, Psychiatry | Tagged: , | Permalink
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