Experience of Subcutaneous Levetiracetam in Palliative Care.

BACKGROUND: Seizures are common in palliative care patients and its control is essential in the management of these patients as it helps to reduce suffering at the end of life. Subcutaneous levetiracetam has been used off-license for seizure control in palliative care. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to describe our experience with subcutaneous levetiracetam in two hospitals in Bogota, Colombia. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients treated with subcutaneous levetiracetam in two hospitals in Colombia during 2019-2021. Data were extracted from medical records, and participants were followed up as outpatients. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were included into the study. No severe adverse effects or rise in ictal frequency were documented. Twelve patients died during hospitalization and nine continued treatments as outpatients. The principal diagnosis was structural focal epilepsy. The daily dose of levetiracetam ranged from 1,000 mg to 3,000 mg, and the duration of treatment varied among subjects between 1 and 360 days. CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous levetiracetam was well tolerated and effective in controlling seizures in palliative care when oral administration or intravenous access was not an option. Randomized controlled trials are needed to elucidate the efficacy and tolerability of subcutaneous levetiracetam in clinical practice.

Polycystic ovary syndrome and the new antiepileptic drugs: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presence of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women of reproductive age with the use of antiepileptic drugs. METHODS: A systematic literature review of observational analytical studies (cohort, cross-sectional and case-control), from January 1966 to January 2021 on PCOS in women of reproductive age with the use of the antiepileptics. The search covered the Cochrane, MEDLINE, Embase and LILACS databases. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Studies reporting the frequency of PCOS with the antiepileptic drugs in women of reproductive age. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: studies that did not have categorically relevant measurements, those published as abstracts only, and studies of investigational treatment. Data extraction was performed based on the PECOT strategy, considering the method of intervention, methodological quality, and presence of PCOS with the antiepileptic drugs. RESULTS: A total of 2043 references were obtained from which 22 articles were selected by title and abstract. Four articles met the inclusion criteria. No articles were found describing the risk of PCOS upon exposure to levetiracetam, felbamate, gabapentin, lacosamide, pregabalin, rufinamide, tiagabine, topiramate, vigabatrin, or zonisamide. Only articles related to oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine were found, in which the frequency of PCOS was like that found in women without epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: The anticonvulsants are probably safer, but the risk of developing PCOS associated with the antiepileptics cannot be established, since there are insufficient studies.

Gender and Polysomnographic Profiles Findings in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Patients Living in High Altitude.

PURPOSE: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder which prevalence is 22% in men and 17% in women. It is well described that females presented different clinical and polysomnographic characteristics compared with men. Those studies were performed in plain areas. We described the analysis by gender and clinical profiles of a sample of patients with diagnostic of OSA and living at high altitude. PATIENTS AND METHODS: It is an observational study that describes differences between clinical and polysomnographic characteristics by gender in patients with OSA. Additionally, an unsupervised cluster algorithm was used to find groups of patients with similar clinical and polysomnographic characteristics. RESULTS: We included 709 patients, 51.6% were females and 48.3% were males with mean age of 64 and 62 years old, respectively, in which 90.97% presented OSA. Men presented a higher apnea and hypopnea index than women (p=0.002), besides presented more sleep polysomnographic alterations. Meanwhile, women evidenced better sleep quality based on parameters. Additionally, in the sample of patients, we found four separated clinical profiles characterized mainly by differences in the severity of polysomnographic parameters. CONCLUSION: The patients were more obese, older, and had lower SpO2 values than most of those previously reported. Men had greater severity in most of the parameters measured by polysomnography. Polysomnographic variables were different both in the OSA patient profiles and in the gender comparison. However, the REM sleep apnea hypopnea index did not differ between sexes, indicating the importance of this variable in the evaluation of OSA severity in women. In contrast to previous reports, clinical and demographic characteristics showed few differences in both analyses. This result suggests that the behavior of OSA at high altitudes may have particularities with respect to low altitudes.

Safety liver profile of teriflunomide versus interferon ß in multiple sclerosis: Systematic review and indirect comparison meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the liver safety profile of interferon ß (IFN ß) and teriflunomide in patients with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: A network meta-analysis was carried out following the Cochrane Collaboration methodology. All trials comparing all types of IFN ß with teriflunomide, or disease-modifying drugs, or placebo in RRMS were included. An indirect comparison network meta-analysis within a Bayesian framework with STATA (version 13.0) was done for this study. RESULTS: The database searches yielded 284 titles, with 15 records as duplicates. One study was identified by manually searching. Thirteen articles were included in the systematic review. Twelve studies compared IFN ß (4203 patients) vs another DMT. Four studies evaluated the effectiveness and safety of teriflunomide (906 patients) vs another DMT. Six studies reported drug-induced liver injury as per the Hy's Law. However, only one study had a direct comparison and reported no cases of liver toxicity in either group, so it was not possible to estimate the OR. The indirect comparisons metanalysis shows that there was no statistically-significant difference between teriflunomide and IFN ß (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.02-2.16). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant difference when comparing IFN ß and teriflunomide in terms of liver failure or elevation of transaminases.

Minimización de costos: inmunoglobulina IV vs. plasmaféresis en síndrome de Guillain Barré / Cost minimization: intravenous inmunoglobulin vs. plasmapheresis in Guillain Barré syndrome

Introducción: el síndrome de Guillain Barré es considerada una de las principales causas de parálisis neuromuscular aguda. Actualmente existen dos alternativas igual de efectivas clínicamente en el tratamiento de esta enfermedad: la inmunoglobulina intravenosa y la plasmaféresis. Objetivo: estimar cuál de los dos tratamientos es menos costoso en la atención hospitalaria de pacientes con diagnóstico de síndrome de Guillain Barré en estadios moderados a severos en la Fundación Cardioinfantil en Bogotá, Colombia. Materiales y métodos: se incluyeron todos los pacientes que egresaron entre enero y diciembre de 2014 con síndrome de Guillain Barré según el sistema de información clínica de la Fundación Cardioinfantil. La información de los costos por cada paciente fue provista por el Departamento de Cuentas Médicas de la Fundación Cardioinfantil y se estableció el costo total de la atención desde el ingreso hasta el egreso del paciente. La comparación del costo total de la atención de los pacientes tratados con inmunoglobulina intravenosa (IGIV) vs., los pacientes tratados con plasmaféresis, se realizó por medio de la prueba de Mann-Whitney. Resultados: la atención de los pacientes con IGIV tuvo un costo total de 9.976 USD, mientras el costo de los pacientes tratados con plasmaféresis fue de 23.354 USD. El costo de atención en este último grupo de pacientes se ve afectado por el mayor número de complicaciones derivadas del mismo tratamiento. Conclusión: entre los dos tratamientos considerados en el síndrome de Guillain Barré en estadios avanzados, la IGIV ofrece una buena alternativa para minimizar costos en la atención hospitalaria del paciente con diagnóstico de síndrome de Gullian Barré en la Fundación Cardioinfantil de Bogotá.

Introduction: Guillain Barre Syndrome is considered one of the most important causes of acute neuromuscular paralysis. Currently there are two clinically effective therapies for the treatment of disease: IVIG and plasmapheresis. Objective: To estimate which therapy is less expensive for the in-hospital care of patients diagnosed with moderate to severe Guillain Barre in the Fundación Cardioinfantil of Bogotá, Colombia. Materials and Methods: All patients that were discharged between January and December 2014 with GuillainBarre syndrome diagnosis were included. The cost information for each patient was provided by department of medical bills and the total cost of care was established from admission to patient discharge. The comparison of the total costs of care of patients treated with IVIG vs. patients treated with plasmapheresis was performed by means of the Mann-Whitney analysis. Results: The cost of care of patients with intravenous immunoglobulin was 9,976 USD while the total cost of patients with plasmapheresis was 23,354 USD. The higher cost of care in this last group of patients was driven by the increased number of complications arising from the same treatment. Conclusion:Between the two treatments considered in the advanced states of Guillain Barre Syndrome, IVIG offers an adequate strategy to minimize the cost of hospital patient care in patients with a diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome in the Fundación Cardioinfantil of Bogotá.

Trombosis venosa cerebral, descripción clínica de una serie de casos en adultos de Bogotá-Colombia: a case series from Bogotá / Cerebral venous thrombosis

INTRODUCCIÓN: aunque la trombosis venosa cerebral representa una pequeña proporción de la enfermedad cere-brovascular, su incidencia y prevalencia se han incrementado en los últimos años. Este fenómeno se puede explicar por la mejoría en los métodos diagnósticos no invasivos y por el desarrollo de técnicas especializadas de resonancia magnética. Por las razones anteriores es necesario conocer las características demográficas y el comportamiento clínico de esta entidad en nuestro medio. OBJETIVO: describir las características clínicas y demográficas de pacientes con trombosis venosa cerebral y sus complicaciones en una población clínica de un hospital de IV nivel de Bogotá, Colombia y determinar los de factores de riesgo para complicaciones en la fase aguda. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: se analizaron historias clínicas de pacientes con trombosis venosa cerebral y se obtuvieron datos sobre aspectos demográficos, condición clínica y complicaciones. RESULTADOS: se encontraron 38 historias clínicas, 29 mujeres, 60,4% de ellas menores de 40 años. La trombofilia fue el factor de riesgo más común, con el síndrome antifosfolípido como causa principal, otras causas importantes fueron el embarazo y el puerperio. CONCLUSIÓN: la trombosis venosa cerebral es una enfermedad frecuente en la práctica clínica que afecta más a mujeres en edad fértil. Aunque no se encontró una relación estadísticamente significativa, las mujeres con síndrome antifosfolípido representaron el grupo con mayor riesgo de complicaciones. Se necesitan más estudios a futuro con una muestra de mayor tamaño.

INTRODUCTION: although cerebral venous thrombosis represents a small proportion of cerebrovascular disease, its incidence and prevalence has increased in recent years. This phenomenon can be explained by the improved access to noninvasive diagnostic methods and the development of more specialized techniques in magnetic resonance image (MRI). Also, it is convenient to know demographic and clinical aspects of this entity in our environment. OBJECTIVE: the aim of this study was to describe demographic and clinical features in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis and its complications in a cases series from a high complexity hospital in Bogotá, Colombia, and determine the association between risk factors and clinical complications in the acute phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: clinical records belonging to patients with cerebral venous thrombosis were analyzed in order to obtain data regarding to demographic information, clinical condition and complications. RESULTS: 38 clinical records were analyzed, among which 76.3% were of female patients, 60.5% of which were under 40. Thrombophilia was the most frequent risk factor in which antiphospolipid syndrome represented the most common condition. Other important conditions were pregnancy and post partum period. CONCLUSION: cerebral venous thrombosis is frequent in clinical practice. In this cases series: female gender at childbearing age was the most affected group. Although we did not find statistical correlation, women with anti-phospolipid syndrome represented the group with most chance of complications. Further studies with a larger sample or big population are necessary.

Estatus epiléptico estado del arte / Status epilepticus: state of the art

El estatus epiléptico (EE) es una emergencianeurológica relativamente frecuente; es importantepara el neurólogo y el cuerpo médico en general,tener un conocimiento adecuado de esta entidadtanto en su reconocimiento como en el manejomédico interdisciplinario. Es esta la razón por lacual se realizó una revisión actualizada y novedosasobre estatus epiléptico.