Diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid NT-pro-BNP for pleural effusions of cardiac origin: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have been published in the literature on the diagnostic accuracy of NT-pro-BNP for pleural effusions from heart failure in the last decade. The purpose of our study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid NT-pro-BNP for pleural effusions of cardiac origin. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PapersFirst, and the Cochrane collaboration and the Cochrane Register of controlled trials were searched. All searches were inclusive as of March 2010. Studies were only included if the absolute number of true-positive, false-negative, true-negative, and false-positive observations were available, and the "reference standards" were described clearly. Two investigators independently reviewed articles and extracted data. Quality was assessed with the Quality Assessment for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS). The bivariate model for diagnostic meta-analysis was used to obtain a pooled sensitivity and a pooled specificity. RESULTS: Ten studies (total number of patients 1120) were included in the meta-analysis. The average pleural fluid NT-pro-BNP level in effusions of cardiac origin was 6140 pg/mL. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of all studies combined was 94% (95% CI: 90-97) and 94% (95% CI: 89-97) respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio was 15.2 (95% CI: 8.1-28.7) and the pooled negative likelihood ratio was 0.06 (95% CI: 0.03-0.11). The area under the ROC curve was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-0.99) and the diagnostic odds ratio was 246 (95% CI: 81-745). CONCLUSIONS: Pleural fluid NT-pro-BNP is a very useful biomarker with high diagnostic accuracy for distinguishing pleural effusions of cardiac origin.

The Role of TEE in Diagnosing Hepatopulmonary Syndrome and Cryptogenic Cirrhosis.

In the vast majority of cases, ongoing hypoxemia in a cirrhotic patient is usually hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) until proven otherwise; in this case, HPS was suspected prior to any known diagnosis of cirrhosis. This is the first reported case in the literature whereby HPS and cirrhosis were diagnosed after the fact, rather than with the preexisting knowledge of liver cirrhosis.

Intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy for treatment of adult parapneumonic effusions and empyemas: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials to date comparing fibrinolytics with placebo to clarify their current role in the management of parapneumonic effusions and empyemas. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PapersFirst, and the Cochrane Collaboration and the Cochrane Register of controlled trials were searched. All searches were inclusive as of October 2011. Two investigators independently reviewed articles and extracted data. Quality was assessed with the Cochrane concealment of allocation approach and the Jadad criteria. RESULTS: Seven randomized controlled studies (total number of patients, 801) comparing fibrinolytic therapy with placebo were included in the meta-analysis. Fibrinolytic therapy was beneficial for the outcomes of treatment failure (surgical intervention or death) (risk ratio [RR], 0.50; 95% CI, 0.28-0.87) and surgical intervention alone (RR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.45-0.82). There was no difference in mean duration of hospital stay (standard mean difference, -0.69; 95% CI, -1.54-0.16) or death (RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.74-1.74). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis does reveal that fibrinolytic therapy is potentially beneficial in the management of parapneumonic effusions and empyemas in the adult population. Although there is insufficient evidence to support the routine use of this therapy for all parapneumonic effusions/empyemas, fibrinolytic therapy may be considered in patients with loculated pleural effusions, because it may prevent the need for surgical intervention. Further randomized controlled trials with adequate power are needed to definitively address the effect of fibrinolytics and the combination of fibrinolytics and deoxyribonuclease on the clinical outcomes outlined in this analysis in patients with parapneumonic effusions/empyemas.

Diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography for pulmonary hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Right heart catheterisation is the gold standard for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension. However, echocardiography is frequently used to screen for this disease and monitor progression over time because it is non-invasive, widely available and relatively inexpensive. OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic review and quantitative meta-analysis to determine the correlation of pulmonary pressures obtained by echocardiography versus right heart catheterisation and to determine the diagnostic accuracy of echocardiography for pulmonary hypertension. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Papers First, the Cochrane collaboration and the Cochrane Register of controlled trials were searched and were inclusive as of February 2010. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were only included if a correlation coefficient or the absolute number of true-positive, false-negative, true-negative and false-positive observations was available, and the 'reference standards' were described clearly. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted the data from each study. Quality was assessed with the quality assessment for diagnostic accuracy studies. A random effects model was used to obtain a summary correlation coefficient and the bivariate model for diagnostic meta-analysis was used to obtain summary sensitivity and specificity values. Results 29 studies were included in the meta-analysis.The summary correlation coefficient between systolic pulmonary arterial pressure estimated from echocardiography versus measured by right heart catheterisation was 0.70 (95% CI 0.67 to 0.73; n=27).The summary sensitivity and specificity for echocardiography for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension was 83% (95% CI 73 to 90) and 72% (95% CI 53 to 85;n=12), respectively. The summary diagnostic OR was 13(95% CI 5 to 31).Conclusions Echocardiography is a useful and noninvasive modality for initial measurement of pulmonary pressures but due to limitations, right heart catheterisation should be used for diagnosing and monitoring pulmonary hypertension.

The effect of statins on mortality from severe infections and sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on the effect of statins on mortality in patients with infection and/or sepsis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PapersFirst, and the Cochrane collaboration and the Cochrane Register of controlled trials were searched and were current as of December 2009. Randomized, double-blind or single-blind, placebo-controlled studies; observational cohort studies (retrospective and prospective); and case-controlled studies were included. Types of participants included adult and pediatric subjects with sepsis or various other types of infection. Exposure was defined as the use of a statin for any indication. The primary outcome chosen was mortality from any cause, and secondary outcomes included 30-day mortality, in-hospital mortality, mortality from pneumonia, mortality from bacteremia, mortality from sepsis, and mortality from mixed infection. RESULTS: A total of 20 studies were included in the analysis, 18 being cohort studies (12 retrospective, 6 prospective), 1 matched cohort study with 2 case-control studies, and 1 randomized control trial. Meta-analysis for various infection-related outcomes revealed the following pooled odds ratios all in favor of statin use vs non: 0.61 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48-0.73) for 30-day mortality (n = 7), 0.38 (95% CI, 0.13-0.64) for in-hospital mortality (n = 7), 0.63 (95% CI, 0.55-0.71) for pneumonia-related mortality (n = 7), 0.33 (95% CI, 0.09-0.75) for bacteremia-related mortality (n = 4), 0.40 (95% CI, 0.23-0.57) for sepsis-related mortality (n = 4), and 0.50 (95% CI, 0.18-0.83) for mixed infection-related mortality (n = 4). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated a protective effect for statins in patients with sepsis and/or other infections compared to placebo for various infection-related outcomes. However, our results are limited by the cohort design of the selected studies and the degree of heterogeneity among them, and as a result, further randomized trials are needed to validate the use of statins for sepsis and/or other infections.

Statins in COPD: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The 3-hydroxy 3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (ie, statins) are widely used for the treatment of patients with hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease. Emerging evidence suggests a beneficial effect of statins on the morbidity and mortality of patients with COPD. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature evaluating the effect of statin therapy on outcomes in patients with COPD. METHODS: Medline, Excerpta Medica Database, PapersFirst, and the Cochrane collaboration and Cochrane Register of controlled trials were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs), observational cohort studies, case-control studies, and population-based analyses were considered for inclusion. RESULTS: Nine studies were identified for review (four retrospective cohorts, one nested case-control study of a retrospective cohort, one retrospective cohort and case series, two population-based analyses, and one RCT). All studies showed a benefit from statin therapy for various outcomes in COPD patients, including the number of COPD exacerbations (n = 3), the number of and time to COPD-related intubations (n = 1), pulmonary function (eg, FEV(1) and FVC) [n = 1], exercise capacity (n = 1), mortality from COPD (n = 2), and all-cause mortality (n = 3). No studies describing a negative or neutral effect from statin therapy on outcomes in COPD patients were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The current literature collectively suggests that statins may have a beneficial role in the treatment of COPD. However, the majority of published studies have inherent methodological limitations of retrospective studies and population-based analyses. There is a need for prospective interventional trials designed specifically to assess the impact of statins on clinically relevant outcomes in COPD.