"I just didn't want to trust it at all": Atrial fibrillation patient's treatment experience of rivaroxaban and warfarin.

BACKGROUND: In the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), anticoagulant medications such as warfarin and rivaroxaban are commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of ischaemic strokes, and other thromboembolic events. Research has highlighted advantages and disadvantages of each of these medications, but there remains an absence of qualitative evidence regarding the lived experiences of AF patients. The present study helps address this gap and obtain a greater understanding of the patient experience and beliefs surrounding their anticoagulant medication. METHOD: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 20 participants (10 warfarin, 10 rivaroxaban). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS: Data analysis led to the generation of three key themes: positive perceptions of medication, distrust of alternatives, and inconsistencies in support experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Positive perceptions of one anticoagulant medication (ACM) and distrust of alternatives may influence patients' confidence in switching medications. This is potentially problematic where there is a lack of patient engagement in medication changes, as seen during the COVID pandemic. Gaps in patient understanding of anticoagulation, including lack of clarity around medications selection and misconceptions about treatment, were evident. By addressing these misconceptions, clinicians may be better positioned to support people with AF in self-management of their ACM.

Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the recovery of people with COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit: A narrative review.

The rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19 after prolonged treatment in the intensive care unit is often complex and challenging. Patients may develop a myriad of long-term multiorgan impairments, affecting the respiratory, cardiac, neurological, digestive and musculoskeletal systems. Skeletal muscle dysfunction of respiratory and limb muscles, commonly referred to as intensive care unit acquired weakness, occurs in approximately 40% of all patients admitted to intensive care. The impact on mobility and return to activities of daily living is severe. Furthermore, many patients experience ongoing symptoms of fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath, in what is being described as "long COVID". Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is a technique in which small electrical impulses are applied to skeletal muscle to cause contractions when voluntary muscle contraction is difficult or impossible. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation can prevent muscle atrophy, improve muscle strength and function, maintain blood flow and reduce oedema. This review examines the evidence, current guidelines, and proposed benefits of using neuromuscular electrical stimulation with patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Practical recommendations for using electrical muscle stimulation in patients with COVID-19 are provided, and suggestions for further research are proposed. Evidence suggests NMES may play a role in the weaning of patients from ventilators and can be continued in the post-acute and longer-term phases of recovery. As such, NMES may be a suitable treatment modality to implement within rehabilitation pathways for COVID-19, with consideration of the practical and safety issues highlighted within this review.

In essential thrombocythemia, multiple JAK2-V617F clones are present in most mutant-positive patients: a new disease paradigm.

In essential thrombocythemia (ET), the JAK2-V617F mutation is usually restricted to a subpopulation of neutrophils and platelets, and production of JAK2 wild-type (WT) platelets is not suppressed. Nonmutated precursor cells may, therefore, be susceptible to the acquisition of further JAK2 mutations. We used a common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the JAK2 coding sequence to genotype V617F alleles obtained either by allele-specific restriction enzyme digestion (RED) or by cloning. Both SNP alleles were detected in JAK2 mutant-positive alleles from neutrophils of 10 of 11 ET patients studied using RED compared with 0 of 5 with polycythemia vera. These results were confirmed in cloned products from 5 ET patients and indicate the occurrence of at least 2 separate JAK2 mutation events in the majority of ET patients investigated. In a further ET patient, JAK2 mutant-positive erythroid colonies with either X-allele inactivated were detected, demonstrating they could not have arisen from a common clonal precursor. These results indicate that at least 2 independent JAK2-V617F events occur commonly in ET patients, and they may arise on a polyclonal background. The presence of a JAK2 mutation in ET patients should not, therefore, be equated with a malignant disease.