Prevalencia y caracterización de la sobrecarga del cuidador primario de pacientes al final de la vida / Prevalence and characterization of overload of the primary caregiver of patients at the end of life

Introducción: El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la prevalencia de la sobrecarga del cuidador primario de pacientes al final de la vida que acuden al servicio de urgencias de este hospital y determinar sus características sociodemográficas. Pacientes y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de tipo observacional, descriptivo y prospectivo; se incluyeron 264 cuidadores principales de pacientes que se encontraban en la fase final de la vida, quienes recibieron atención médica por complicaciones de su patología de base en el servicio de urgencias del Hospital General de México “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga”, en un periodo de 6 meses, del 1 de abril de 2021 al 31 de septiembre de 2021, con los siguientes criterios de inclusión: ser el cuidador principal, tener un lazo familiar con un enfermo, con participación voluntaria, tener más de 18 años de edad. Los participantes, previa firma del consentimiento informado, contestaron los cuestionarios de datos demográficos, escala de Zarit abreviada, escala de Katz. Dentro de la valoración multidimensional del paciente con enfermedad terminal, la valoración biológica es fundamentada por la situación funcional del enfermo; para valorar la dependencia para las actividades de la vida diaria se puede emplear el índice de Katz. Resultados: Se incluyeron 264 cuidadores primarios, 187 (70,8 %) fueron del género femenino y 77 (29,2 %) del género masculino; la edad mínima fue de 18 años y máxima de 80 años, con una mediana de 44 años. Del total de cuidadores analizados 219 (83 %) presentaban sobrecarga del cuidador en el momento de la entrevista. De los sujetos estudiados, 138 (52,3 %) eran cuidadores únicos, de los cuales más de la mitad (57 %) padecían sobrecarga del cuidador. (AU)

Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of overload among the primary caregivers of patients at the end of life who attended the emergency department of this hospital, and to determine their sociodemographic characteristics. Patients and methods: An observational, descriptive and prospective study was carried out, including 264 main caregivers of patients who were in the final phase of life, who received medical care for complications of their underlying condition in the emergency department of the General Hospital of Mexico “Dr. Eduardo Liceaga” over a period of 6 months, from April 1, 2021 to September 31, 2021, with the following inclusion criteria: being the main caregiver, having a family relationship with the patient, voluntary participation, being more than 18 years old. The participants, after signing an informed consent, completed the demographic data questionnaires, the abbreviated Zarit scale, and the Katz scale. Within the multidimensional assessment of the terminally ill patient, the biological assessment is based on the patient’s functional status; to assess dependence on activities of daily living, the Katz index can be used. Results: A total of 264 primary caregivers were included, 187 (70,8%) were female and 77 (29,2%) were male; the minimum age was 18 years and the maximum age was 80 years, with a median of 44 years. Of the total number of caregivers analyzed, 219 (83%) presented caregiver collapse syndrome at the time of the interview. Of the subjects studied, 138 (52,3%) were sole caregivers, of which more than half (57%) suffered from caregiver collapse syndrome. (AU)

Primary Prophylaxis to Prevent the Development of Hepatic Encephalopathy in Cirrhotic Patients with Acute Variceal Bleeding.

Background and Aim: Variceal bleeding is the second most important precipitating factor related to the development of episodic hepatic encephalopathy; but to date there are no recommendations to prevent this complication. The aim of this study was to compare if primary prophylaxis with lactulose or L-ornithine L-aspartate or rifaximin, in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding, is better than placebo for avoiding the development of hepatic encephalopathy. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02158182) which included cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding, without minimal or clinical hepatic encephalopathy at admission. Findings: 87 patients were randomized to one of four groups. The basal characteristics were similar between groups. Comparatively with placebo, the frequency with regard to the development of hepatic encephalopathy was as follows: lactulose (54.5% versus 27.3%; OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.09-1.0; P = 0.06); L-ornithine L-aspartate (54.5% versus 22.7%, OR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.06-0.88; P = 0.03); rifaximin (54.5% versus 23.8%; OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.07-0.9; P = 0.04). There was no significant difference between the three groups receiving any antiammonium drug (P = 0.94). In the group receiving lactulose, 59.1% had diarrhea, and 45.5% had abdominal discomfort, bloating, and flatulence. Two patients (10%) treated with lactulose and a patient (4.5%) in the placebo group developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to E. coli; one of them died due to recurrent variceal bleeding. There were no other adverse effects. Conclusions: Antiammonium drugs, particularly L-ornithine L-aspartate and rifaximin, proved to be effective in preventing the development of hepatic encephalopathy in those cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding.