Rediscovering community--reflections after Hurricane Sandy.

Hoboken, New Jersey, is a town of 50,000 residents located across the Hudson River from New York City. Most of Hoboken's infrastructure was compromised during Hurricane Sandy as a result of flooding and power outages that rendered many businesses inoperable, including all of the pharmacies in town. Despite a focus on emergency preparedness since Hurricane Katrina and 9/11, there were no contingencies in place to facilitate and assess the medication needs of the community in the event of a natural disaster. This essay describes how the author rediscovered the meaning of community, and through working with colleagues in other health care disciplines and non-health care volunteers, provided care to patients in suboptimal circumstances.

A Review of the Safety and Efficacy of Apixaban in Patients With Severe Renal Impairment.

Background Apixaban is a direct-acting oral anticoagulant (DOAC) used to treat or prevent thromboembolic events. Renal impairment limits DOAC use. Studies supporting Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approval for apixaban did not include patients with a creatinine clearance < 25 mL/min. Consequently, limited guidance for use in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) exists in the package insert. An in-depth literature search reveals substantial evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of apixaban in ESRD. Clinicians must have access to this evidence so that patients in need of apixaban therapy are appropriately managed. Objective To provide an up-to-date review of literature surrounding the safety and effectiveness of apixaban in patients with ESRD. Data Sources A PubMed search of research studies published through November 2021 was performed using a combination of the following terms: apixaban, severe renal impairment, end-stage renal disease, DOACs, safety, effectiveness, atrial fibrillation, anticoagulation. Study Selection/Data Extraction Relevant original research, review articles, and guidance recommendations were assessed for the use of apixaban in patients with ESRD. References from the above literature were also evaluated. Articles were selected for inclusion based on relevance to the topic, detailed methods, and complete results. Data Synthesis Numerous studies exist supporting the safety and effectiveness of apixaban in patients with ESRD who may or may not be on dialysis. Conclusion Multiple studies suggest that apixaban is possibly associated with a lower prevalence of bleeding and thromboembolic events compared with warfarin therapy in patients with ESRD and can be safely initiated in those within this sub-group who require anticoagulation with a DOAC. Clinicians should monitor for signs of bleeding throughout the duration of therapy.

Akathisia induced by gabapentin withdrawal.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of akathisia in a patient with type 2 diabetes after abrupt discontinuation of gabapentin. CASE SUMMARY: A 76-year-old female with type 2 diabetes was admitted for change in mental status, agitation, and restless limb movements. She had been taking gabapentin 3600 mg daily for approximately 1 month for diabetic neuropathy. Her other home medications were glyburide 10 mg twice daily, oxycodone/acetaminophen 5 mg/325 mg every 6 hours as needed for leg pain, and zolpidem 5 mg at bedtime. She had taken none of these drugs for 4 days prior to admission because she was unable to have the prescriptions refilled. Subsequently, the patient exhibited repeated arm and leg motions in response to an inner restlessness. Upon admission to the emergency department, she was agitated and restless; all vital signs and results of laboratory studies were within normal limits. Gabapentin was restarted at the original dosage and the symptoms resolved within 8 hours. Because the patient developed lethargy, the gabapentin dosage was reduced and titrated to the original level over 2 days. After 3 days, the patient was well oriented and experienced no further symptoms. She was discharged on the original dosage of gabapentin. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported cases of akathisia induced by gabapentin withdrawal. Available case reports suggest that gabapentin withdrawal can occur at doses ranging from 400-8000 mg/day. Patients experienced symptoms similar to those that develop with benzodiazepine withdrawal and were taking gabapentin for as little as 3 weeks to as long as 5 years. This is the first case report to describe akathisia induced by gabapentin withdrawal. The Naranjo probability scale revealed a probable relationship between akathisia and gabapentin withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: If gabapentin discontinuation is desired, it is prudent to gradually taper the dose to avoid withdrawal symptoms, which may occur after as little as 1 month of treatment. Should the patient experience withdrawal symptoms, the optimal treatment is to restart gabapentin.

Late-Onset Dystonia With Low-Dose Olanzapine in an Older Person: A Case Report.

Drug-induced dystonias are rare but can occur with second-generation antipsychotics. They are usually dose-related and occur soon after dose initiation. This case describes the development of dystonia after two years of olanzapine 5 mg daily in an older person with Alzheimer's dementia. The dystonia resolved after diphenhydramine treatment on day two of hospitalization, but then the patient became delirious, which was treated with lorazepam on day three. Six days after admission, she developed tremors and rigidity that self-resolved. Her dystonia resolved after 11 days. The recurrence of symptoms during the hospitalization may have been a result of the progression of her dementia. This is the first known case of a patient developing dystonia after chronic use of low-dose olanzapine. This was not characterized as tardive dystonia because the dystonia was resolved with anticholinergic medication. This case illustrates the difficulty of using anticholinergics to treat dystonias in older people, which can precipitate delirium. Choosing an alternative antipsychotic with less extrapyramidal symptom risk is challenging as she had previous trials with quetiapine and risperidone. Clozapine was deemed an unfavorable alternative, as laboratory monitoring would be burdensome. Olanzapine-induced dystonias can develop anytime during therapy. Families must balance the desire for mood stabilization with antipsychotics side effects.

Skeletal muscle relaxants.

Health care providers prescribe skeletal muscle relaxants for a variety of indications. However, the comparative efficacy of these drugs is not well known. Skeletal muscle relaxants consist of both antispasticity and antispasmodic agents, a distinction prescribers often overlook. The antispasticity agents-baclofen, tizanidine, dantrolene, and diazepam-aid in improving muscle hypertonicity and involuntary jerks. Antispasmodic agents, such as cyclobenzaprine, are primarily used to treat musculoskeletal conditions. Much of the evidence from clinical trials regarding skeletal muscle relaxants is limited because of poor methodologic design, insensitive assessment methods, and small numbers of patients. Although trial results seem to support the use of these agents for their respective indications, efficacy data from comparator trials did not particularly favor one skeletal muscle relaxant over another. Therefore, the choice of a skeletal muscle relaxant should be based on its adverse-effect profile, tolerability, and cost.

Transcultural self-efficacy perceptions of baccalaureate nursing students.

Addressing the health care needs of a 21st-century nation that is experiencing increased diversity and disparity will require new models of educating future providers. The cultural competence and confidence model was the guiding framework in a study evaluating the influence of cultural educational offerings on the transcultural self-efficacy (TSE) perceptions in baccalaureate nursing students. The Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool was used to measure perceived TSE in a pretest (N = 260), posttest (N = 236) study over an academic year. Significant changes were demonstrated in overall self-efficacy and on the cognitive, practical, and affective subscales. A classification and regression tree analysis identified social orientation as the demographic variable most predictive of the TSE level. This study supports previous research where positive changes were found in students' TSE based on the inclusion of cultural interventions in the nursing curriculum.

Digoxin increases mortality among women with congestive heart failure.

Digoxin increases mortality in women with congestive heart failure, compared with men; however, the clinical significance of this is unknown since gender is a nonmodifiable risk factor. More importantly, there is a suggestion of harm when looking at women treated with digoxin versus placebo. Since there are other therapies with definite benefit in congestive heart failure (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, spironolactone), it is prudent to reconsider the use of digoxin in women with ejection fractions less than 45%.

Choosing a skeletal muscle relaxant.

Skeletal muscle relaxants are widely used in treating musculoskeletal conditions. However, evidence of their effectiveness consists mainly of studies with poor methodologic design. In addition, these drugs have not been proven to be superior to acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for low back pain. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses support using skeletal muscle relaxants for short-term relief of acute low back pain when nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen are not effective or tolerated. Comparison studies have not shown one skeletal muscle relaxant to be superior to another. Cyclobenzaprine is the most heavily studied and has been shown to be effective for various musculoskeletal conditions. The sedative properties of tizanidine and cyclobenzaprine may benefit patients with insomnia caused by severe muscle spasms. Methocarbamol and metaxalone are less sedating, although effectiveness evidence is limited. Adverse effects, particularly dizziness and drowsiness, are consistently reported with all skeletal muscle relaxants. The potential adverse effects should be communicated clearly to the patient. Because of limited comparable effectiveness data, choice of agent should be based on side-effect profile, patient preference, abuse potential, and possible drug interactions.

Exenatide: a novel incretin mimetic agent for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Maintaining glycemic control is the primary goal for preventing macrovascular and microvascular complications associated with type 2 diabetes. Currently available antidiabetic drugs work in different ways to lower blood glucose levels; unfortunately, each of them has its tolerability and safety concerns. Exenatide is the first drug in a new class known as the incretin mimetic agents. It improves glucose control by mimicking the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1, a natural mammalian incretin hormone secreted during food intake. Exenatide was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in conjunction with metformin and/or sulfonylurea. The recommended dosage is 5 mug to 10 mug twice daily subcutaneously before breakfast and dinner. In randomized, placebo-controlled, 30-week clinical studies, exenatide improved glycemic control and promoted weight loss of up to 2.8 kg. The most common adverse effects were nausea (44%), vomiting (13%), diarrhea (13%), and hypoglycemia (5-36%). Hypoglycemia occurred in a dose-dependent fashion. Patients should be closely monitored for hypoglycemia, especially when exenatide is added to sulfonylurea therapy. Overall, exenatide provides a treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes who fail to obtain glycemic control while on a maximum dose of metformin and/or sulfonylurea therapy. It is also an alternative therapy for those patients who cannot tolerate other antidiabetic drugs.

Penicillin-induced Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction.

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (JHR) in a patient with presumed neurosyphilis and HIV. CASE SUMMARY: A 45-year-old HIV-positive man (CD4+ count 450 cells/mm(3) and history of AIDS-defining illness) presented with JHR after an initial intravenous dose of penicillin G for presumed neurosyphilis. The patient described feeling cold with worsening headache and chills approximately one hour after infusion of the first dose of penicillin. On examination, rigors, shallow inspirations, and chills were noted. He was afebrile, tachycardic, and tachypneic and had an oxygen saturation of 94% while breathing room air. His symptoms resolved within 10 minutes. Initially, this reaction was thought to be a result of a drug allergy, but upon further review, we determined that it was JHR. DISCUSSION: It is not uncommon to confuse drug allergy with JHR. An objective causality assessment suggests that the JHR in our patient was probably related to penicillin. JHR is a self-limiting condition that warrants the continuation of antibiotic treatment in syphilis patients. CONCLUSIONS: JHR should be an anticipated reaction to early doses of antibiotic treatment for treponemal diseases, such as syphilis. Treatment of JHR is largely supportive, such as administering antipyretic and antiinflammatory agents. Antibiotic treatment should be continued.