Perioperative Anticoagulation in Patients with Cancer.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is a paucity of evidence for managing perioperative anticoagulation in patients with cancer. This review aims to provide clinicians who provide care for patients with cancer an overview of the available information and strategies needed to provide optimal care in a perioperative setting. RECENT FINDINGS: There is new evidence available around the management of perioperative anticoagulation in patients with cancer. The new literature and guidance were analyzed and summarized in this review. Management of perioperative anticoagulation in individuals with cancer is a challenging clinical dilemma. The approach to managing anticoagulation requires clinicians to review both disease and treatment specific patient factors that can contribute to both thrombotic and bleed risks. A thorough patient-specific assessment is essential in ensuring patients with cancer receive appropriate care in the perioperative setting.

Perioperative Anticoagulation Management.

Management of anticoagulation in individuals undergoing operative procedures is a complex situation. Each case should be assessed individually with proper risk assessment, monitoring, and plan for perioperative and postoperative anticoagulation. Clinical evidence for the management of these patients is relatively scarce, and clinicians are often assessing each individual case with minimal guidance. This review provides nurses with a summary of available literature on the assessment, laboratory monitoring, timing of adjusting anticoagulation, and bridging prior to procedures. In addition to general perioperative anticoagulation management, this review discusses perioperative management in special populations and provides a summary on principles when anticoagulation should be resumed following a procedure.

Comparison of effectiveness and safety of sodium polystyrene sulfonate and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate for treatment of hyperkalemia in hospitalized patients.

PURPOSE: Potassium binders are frequently utilized for the treatment of hyperkalemia in hospitalized patients; however, there is limited data directly comparing individual agents. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) for hyperkalemia treatment in hospitalized patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study evaluated adult patients who were admitted within a 7-hospital health system and received SPS or SZC for a serum potassium level greater than 5.0 mEq/L. Patients receiving dialysis prior to SPS/SZC administration, those receiving other potassium-lowering medications within 6 hours prior to blood sampling for a repeat potassium level, and those started on kidney replacement therapy prior to sampling for a repeat potassium level were excluded. RESULTS: Following evaluation of 3,903 patients, the mean reduction in serum potassium 4 to 24 hours after binder administration was 0.96 mEq/L with SPS and 0.78 mEq/L with SZC (P < 0.0001). The median dose of SPS was 30 g (interquartile range [IQR], 15-30 g) while the median (IQR) dose of SZC was 10 g (10-10 g). Resolution of hyperkalemia within 24 hours was achieved in a higher percentage of patients with use of SPS (74.9%) versus SZC (68.8%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: One of the largest comparisons of SPS and SZC conducted to date, this study demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of both agents. While a statistically greater reduction in serum potassium was observed with use of SPS, there was significant dosing variability among agents that limited the ability to directly compare specific doses. Further investigation is needed to determine the optimal dose of each agent for acute hyperkalemia management. This data will inform clinical decisions about the choice of potassium binder for acute hyperkalemia.

The Role of Colchicine in Coronary Artery Disease.

There is increasing experimental and clinical evidence that inflammation appears to play an important role in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Treatment of coronary artery disease currently involves management of cardiovascular risk factors, lipid-lowering strategies and antiplatelet medications. Inflammation seems to be central to the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic plaque development, instability, and rupture seen in coronary artery disease. Colchicine, a well-known and relatively inexpensive drug, has unique anti-inflammatory properties, which is generating considerable interest in its potential role in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and potentially mortality. This review discusses the mechanism of action of colchicine in preventing and treating atherosclerosis as well as the literature from recent clinical studies supporting its use in coronary artery disease.