Comparison of intranasal versus intravenous midazolam for management of status epilepticus in dogs : a multi‐center randomized parallel group clinical study

Background: The intranasal (IN) route for rapid drug administration in patients with brain disorders, including status epilepticus, has been investigated. Status epilepticus is an emergency, and the IN route offers a valuable alternative to other routes, especially when these fail. Objectives: To compare IN versus IV midazolam (MDZ) at the same dosage (0.2 mg/kg) for controlling status epilepticus in dogs. Animals Client-owned dogs (n = 44) with idiopathic epilepsy, structural epilepsy, or epilepsy of unknown origin manifesting as status epilepticus. Methods: Randomized parallel group clinical trial. Patients were randomly allocated to the IN-MDZ (n = 21) or IV-MDZ (n = 23) group. Number of successfully treated cases (defined as seizure cessation within 5 minutes and lasting for >= 10 minutes), seizure cessation time, and adverse effects were recorded. Comparisons were performed using the Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank sum tests with statistical significance set at alpha < .05. Results: IN-MDZ and IV-MDZ successfully stopped status epilepticus in 76% and 61% of cases, respectively (P = .34). The median seizure cessation time was 33 and 64 seconds for IN-MDZ and IV-MDZ, respectively (P = .63). When the time to place an IV catheter was taken into account, IN-MDZ (100 seconds) was superior (P = .04) to IV-MDZ (270 seconds). Sedation and ataxia were seen in 88% and 79% of the dogs treated with IN-MDZ and IV-MDZ, respectively. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Both routes are quick, safe, and effective for controlling status epilepticus. However, the IN route demonstrated superiority when the time needed to place an IV catheter was taken into account

Comparison of intranasal versus intravenous midazolam for management of status epilepticus in dogs: A multi-center randomized parallel group clinical study.

BACKGROUND: The intranasal (IN) route for rapid drug administration in patients with brain disorders, including status epilepticus, has been investigated. Status epilepticus is an emergency, and the IN route offers a valuable alternative to other routes, especially when these fail. OBJECTIVES: To compare IN versus IV midazolam (MDZ) at the same dosage (0.2 mg/kg) for controlling status epilepticus in dogs. ANIMALS: Client-owned dogs (n = 44) with idiopathic epilepsy, structural epilepsy, or epilepsy of unknown origin manifesting as status epilepticus. METHODS: Randomized parallel group clinical trial. Patients were randomly allocated to the IN-MDZ (n = 21) or IV-MDZ (n = 23) group. Number of successfully treated cases (defined as seizure cessation within 5 minutes and lasting for ≥10 minutes), seizure cessation time, and adverse effects were recorded. Comparisons were performed using the Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank sum tests with statistical significance set at α < .05. RESULTS: IN-MDZ and IV-MDZ successfully stopped status epilepticus in 76% and 61% of cases, respectively (P = .34). The median seizure cessation time was 33 and 64 seconds for IN-MDZ and IV-MDZ, respectively (P = .63). When the time to place an IV catheter was taken into account, IN-MDZ (100 seconds) was superior (P = .04) to IV-MDZ (270 seconds). Sedation and ataxia were seen in 88% and 79% of the dogs treated with IN-MDZ and IV-MDZ, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Both routes are quick, safe, and effective for controlling status epilepticus. However, the IN route demonstrated superiority when the time needed to place an IV catheter was taken into account

Acute kidney injury after in-hospital cardiac arrest in a predominant internal medicine and cardiology patient population: incidence, risk factors, and impact on survival

Introduction: Prognosis of survivors from cardiac arrest is generally poor. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common finding in these patients. In general, AKI is well characterized as a marker of adverse outcome. In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) represents a special subset of cardiac arrest scenarios with differential predisposing factors and courses after the event, compared to out-of-hospital resuscitations. Data about AKI in survivors after in-hospital cardiac arrest are scarce. Methods: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed patients after IHCA for incidence and risk factors of AKI and its prognostic impact on mortality. For inclusion in the analysis, patients had to survive at least 48 h after IHCA. Results: A total of 238 IHCA events with successful resuscitation and survival beyond 48 h after the initial event were recorded. Of those, 89.9% were patients of internal medicine, and 10.1% of patients from surgery, neurology or other departments. In 120/238 patients (50.4%), AKI was diagnosed. In 28 patients (23.3%), transient or permanent renal replacement therapy had to be initiated. Male gender, preexisting chronic kidney disease and a non-shockable first ECG rhythm during resuscitation were significantly associated with a higher incidence of AKI in IHCA-survivors. In-hospital mortality in survivors from IHCA without AKI was 29.7%, and 60.8% in patients after IHCA who developed AKI (p < 0.01 between groups). By multivariate analysis, AKI after IHCA persisted as an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (HR 3.7 (95% CI 2.14–6.33, p ≤ 0.01)). Conclusion: In this cohort of survivors from IHCA, AKI is a frequent finding, with adverse impact on outcome. Therefore, therapeutic strategies to prevent AKI in post-IHCA patients are warranted

The DIVE/DPV registries: evolution of empagliflozin use in clinical practice in Germany

Introduction Empagliflozin reduced morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in clinical trials. A registry study was undertaken to describe evolution of patient characteristics and assess the real-world effectiveness/safety of empagliflozin.Research design and methods Data from the Diabetes Patienten Verlaufsdokumentation (DPV)/Diabetes Versorgungsevaluation (DIVE) registries on 9571 adults with T2DM (registered in 2014–2019) receiving empagliflozin were used. Patients were grouped according to the following: early users (group 1; n=505) received empagliflozin before the EMPA-REG OUTCOME study publication (mid-September 2015); intermediate users (group 2; n=2961) started empagliflozin after the EMPA-REG OUTCOME publication but before the European Medicines Agency label change (from mid-September 2015 to mid-January 2017); and late users (group 3; n=6105) started empagliflozin after mid-January 2017. Data on clinical and treatment characteristics were collected.Results Over time, the proportion of recipients aged &lt;65 years decreased (71.1% vs 54.4% among early and late adopters), male patients increased (from 50.9% to 66.5%), body mass index (mean±SD) decreased (from 35.5±6.7 to 32.7±6.6 kg/m2), proportion with cardiovascular morbidities increased (from 20.4% to 26.4%), and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased (from 83.2±19.5 to 78.5±21.1 mL/min/1.73 m2) (all p&lt;0.001). Patients increasingly received empagliflozin in combination with metformin (60.8% vs 68.6% of early and late adopters; p&lt;0.001), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists (11.0 vs 14.1%; p&lt;0.001) or insulin (34.3% vs 49.9%; p&lt;0.001). Empagliflozin was generally added to existing antidiabetic regimens. Six months after empagliflozin initiation, the mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) decreased by 0.4%, the proportion of patients with HbA1c &lt;6.5% increased (19.2% vs 12.8%), and the mean fasting plasma glucose decreased (155.8±49.7 vs 168.0±55.1 mg/dL) (all p&lt;0.001). No significant changes in rates of severe hypoglycemia and no cases of diabetic ketoacidosis were seen.Conclusions Over time, empagliflozin is being prescribed to a broader patient range in routine practice, is usually added to existing antidiabetic regimens, and is increasingly used in combination with metformin, GLP-1 agonists and/or insulin. Empagliflozin had a beneficial effect on glycemic control, with no increase in hypoglycemia