Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials - Volume 15, Issue 4, 2020

Background: Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) is increasingly being used to treat episodes of acute respiratory failure not only in critical care and respiratory wards, but also in emergency departments. Aim: Aim of this review is to summarize the current indications for the management of NIV for respiratory failure. Methods: Current literature about the topic was reviewed and critically reported to describe the rationale and phy Read More

Background: In symptomatic patients, admitted in emergency department for acute chest pain and dyspnea, who require an urgent treatment, a rapid diagnosis and prompt management of massive pleural effusion or hemothorax can be lifesaving. Aim: The aim of this review was to summarize the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the management of the main types of pleural effusions that physician Read More

Background: In the last years, ultrasound technology has entered clinical practice as a tank and today, it has also allowed no-cardiologists to extend their medical examination without needing to call the consultant and having a good profile of diagnostic accuracy. The ultrasound bedside does not replace the consultant, but it allows not to perform inappropriate consultations with more savings for hospitals. Objective: The aim was t Read More

Background: Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) is one of the most commonly encountered diabetic complication emergencies. It typically affects people with type 1 diabetes at the onset of the disease. It can also affect people with type 2 diabetes, although this is uncommon. Methods: Research and online content related to diabetes online activity is reviewed. DKA is caused by a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin and elevated le Read More

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction with high mortality and morbidity rate and with the disease progression many alterations are observed in different organs. The gastrointestinal tract is often damaged during sepsis and septic shock and main symptoms are related to increased permeability, bacterial translocation and malabsorption. These intestinal alterations can be both cause and effect of sepsis. O Read More

Background: Infectious diarrhea is the most common cause of diarrhea worldwide and is responsible for more deaths than other gastrointestinal tract diseases such as gastrointestinal cancers, peptic ulcer disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Diarrheal disease still represents the 8th leading cause of death worldwide, with more than 1,6 million attributed fatalities in 2016 alone. The majority of cases can be divided int Read More

Background: Major bleeding is a life-threatening condition and a medical emergency with high mortality risk. It is often the complication of anticoagulant’s intake. Anticoagulants are commonly used for the prevention and treatment of thrombotic events. The standard therapy with vitamin K antagonist (warfarin) has been frequently replaced by direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). The latter agents (rivaroxaban, apix Read More

Background: Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT, or Rendu-Osler-Weber disease) is a rare inherited syndrome, characterized by artero-venous malformations (AVMs or telangiectasia) with autosomal dominant transmission. AVMs can occur in any organ of the body but most commonly it occurs in the nose, pulmonary, hepatic and cerebral circulations. In patients with HHT, we report teleangectasia of mucosa Read More

Introduction: Disk Battery Ingestion (DBI) is a cause of access to the emergency department (ED), especially in pediatric age. This problem, if not well managed, may lead to serious injuries, with several complications involving the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract. Objective: The aim of this review is to analyze the literature of the last 25 years to make a decisional flow-chart that may help the emergency physician. Methods: Read More

Background and Aims: Liver cirrhosis (LC) of any origin has always been a source of several emergencies for physicians working at the Emergency Department (ER). LC patients can present with several complications that are sometimes difficult to recognize and treat. Thus, we reviewed the literature evidence for the diagnosis and management of several LC related emergencies. Methods: We conducted a search on the mai Read More

Background: The widespread use of immunotherapy drugs in the oncological field has led to the spread of new toxicities compared to the more common chemotherapy treatments. This is because immunotherapy with anti-CTLA-4 (Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes-Associated Antigen 4), anti- PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies has become the standard-of-care in a growing number of indications. Any organ or tissue can be i Read More

Background: Critical hypoxia in this COVID-19 pandemic results in high mortality and economic loss worldwide. Initially, this disease’ pathophysiology was poorly understood and interpreted as a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pneumonia. The severe atypical lung CAT scan images alerted all countries, including the poorest, to purchase lacking sophisticated ventilators. However, up to 88% of the patient Read More

Backround: Oral mucositis (OM) consists of a major side effect of radiotherapy (RT) in head and neck (H-N) cancer patients and natural honey is gaining more and more scientific interest due to its beneficial effects in tissue repair. Objective: The aim of this review is to better clarify the preventive/therapeutic role of honey in the management of OM in patients with H-N cancer undergoing RT with or without chemotherap Read More