ABSTRACT
Background and purpose: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing CT angiography (CTA) and CT perfusion (CTP) for acute ischaemic stroke (AIS). Concerns over contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) often lead medical centres to mandate pre-imaging serum creatinine level assessments, causing unnecessary delays. We aim to confirm further the practice of conducting CTA/CTP without first testing creatinine. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central and Scopus from inception until March 2023 for studies reporting on AKI in patients with AIS receiving CTA/CTP. Outcomes of interest were (1) the odds of AKI in patients receiving CTA/CTP versus non-contrast CT and (2) the overall incidence of AKI and haemodialysis in patients with AIS undergoing CTA/CTP. Results: Results were pooled using a random effects model. 13 studies were included (5 cohort and 8 single-arm studies) with 5104 patients in total, out of which 4347 patients received CTA/CTP and 757 patients received no contrast. In case-control studies, 4.8% (OR=0.66, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.22, Z=1.32, p=0.19) of patients who received CTA/CTP developed AKI, compared with 7.7% of patients in the control group. Temporary haemodialysis was required for two patients in the analysed studies. Conclusions: Non-randomised evidence suggests that CTA/CTP is not associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of AKI in patients with stroke. Further well-designed prospective studies are required to explore potential risk factors of CIN in specific patient populations such as diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease.
ABSTRACT
Acute myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading global healthcare emergencies, contributing to over three million global deaths. The purpose of this study is to investigate further the efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan over angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in reducing the risk of heart failure (HF) in post-MI patients and providing a clear evidence-based medicine guideline for future use. An electronic database search was conducted on English databases. Eight articles were included, fulfilling our inclusion criteria, i.e., adult patients of ≥18 years with a recent diagnosis of acute MI. Pooled analysis was done using Review Manager version 5.4.1 (Cochrane Collaboration, London, England), and the data for each outcome were analyzed as dichotomous variables. A total of eight clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. Six studies analyzed the sacubitril/valsartan and ACEI combination. The pooled analysis reported a significant increase in the risk of hypotension (relative risk {RR}: 1.29 {1.18, 1.41}) in the sacubitril/valsartan compared to the ACEI alone group. In addition, a significant increase was observed in the left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) after using the sacubitril/valsartan combination compared to using ACEI alone (RR: 3.08 {2.68, 4.48}). Furthermore, no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of mortality rate (RR: 0.86 {0.73, 1.02}), the risk of heart failure (RR: 0.62 {0.39, 1.00}), the frequency of recurrent MI (RR: 0.86 {0.27, 2.76}), and the mean difference of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) (weighted mean difference {WMD}: -174.36 {-414.18, 65.46}) between both the groups. However, the sacubitril/valsartan combination proved to be beneficial in significantly reducing the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (RR: 0.64 {0.48, 0.84}) and rehospitalizations (RR: 0.53 {0.39, 0.71}) as compared to ACEI post MI. Additionally, sacubitril/valsartan and ARB's combination was reported in two studies. This led to a significant decrease in NT-proBNP concentration (WMD: -71.91 {-138.43, -5.39}) post MI in the sacubitril/valsartan combination group compared to the ARB usage alone. However, no significant difference was observed in the improvement of LVEF (WMD: 0.88 {-5.11, 6.87}) between both groups. Although the sacubitril/valsartan combination has no difference in mortality and outcomes compared to ACEI, there is evidence that using it proves to be more beneficial post MI compared to ACEI and ARB usage alone.
ABSTRACT
Background There is a lack of data about hypertension screening in low- to middle-income countries. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of blood pressure (BP) screening in Karachi, Pakistan. The secondary objective was to identify ways to improve effective BP screening practices among the population at risk. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to May 2017. The sample population consisted of 2039 residents of Karachi who were older than 18 years. A well-composed questionnaire was pilot tested and then used to assess their socio-demographic characteristics, personal attitude towards a healthy lifestyle, dietary habits, and BP screening practices. We used a chi-squared test as the primary statistical test. Results Of 2039 people, 1627 had their BP checked at least once in their lifetime. Approximately, half of the participants had their BP checked on a yearly basis. Women had a higher rate (83.6%, n = 989) of getting their BP checked than men (74.5%, n = 636). A significant relationship was observed between BP screening and lifestyle practices such as physical activity (p = 0.00), hours of sleep (p = 0.01), water intake (p = 0.01), and dining out (p = 0.03). Conclusion Current BP screening practices are inadequate amongst the urban population of Karachi. There is an urgent need for federal implementation of BP screening as well as awareness programs across the nation.