Post-capillary hypertension resulting from mitral regurgitation is typically considered a contraindication for single lung transplantation due to heightened risks of primary graft dysfunction. This case report highlights a 66-year-old COPD patient with severe mitral regurgitation who was deemed ineligible for surgical mitral replacement. As an alternative, transcatheter mitral valve replacement was successfully performed, resulting in the normalization of pulmonary artery pressures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: We aimed to develop a context-specific intervention toward benzodiazepine deprescribing in nursing homes (NHs), with insights from behavior-change theories and involvement of stakeholders.
Design: Selection of behavior change techniques (BCTs), through online survey and group discussion, followed by operationalization of these BCTs into intervention components.
Setting And Participants: The intervention was developed for Belgian NHs, involving various stakeholders: health care professionals (HCPs), NH administrators, and policy makers.
Blood purification as an adjunctive therapy has been studied for several decades. In this review, we will focus on the most recent studies, particularly on adsorption techniques. These include hemofilters with adsorptive membranes, both endotoxin-specific and non-specific.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Despite recommendations to deprescribe chronic benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRA) among older adults, the prevalence of their use in Belgian nursing homes (NHs) remains above 50%. The use of a behavioral science approach, starting with the evaluation of barriers and enablers for BZRA deprescribing, has the potential to decrease BZRA prescribing.
Objectives: To identify barriers and enablers for BZRA deprescribing perceived by the different stakeholders involved in nursing home care in Belgium.
Background: as a result of the high prevalence of polypharmacy in nursing homes (NHs), nursing home residents (NHRs) are exposed to numerous drug-drug interactions (DDIs) that can lead to adverse drug effects, and increased morbidity and mortality.
Objectives: to evaluate (i) the prevalence of DDIs among NHRs and its evolution over time, and (ii) factors associated with a favourable evolution.
Design: posthoc analysis of the COME-ON study, a cluster-randomised controlled trial aiming at reducing potentially inappropriate prescriptions in NHs, through the implementation of a complex intervention.
(1) Background: High immunosuppressive regimen in lung transplant recipients (LTRs) hampers the immune response to vaccination. We prospectively investigated the immunogenicity of heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19-BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination in an LTR cohort. (2) Methods: Forty-nine COVID-19 naïve LTRs received a two-dose regimen ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Many strategies aimed at deprescribing benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRA) in older adults have already been evaluated with various success rates. There is so far no consensus on which strategy components increase deprescribing the most. Yet, despite an unfavourable benefit-to-risk ratio, BZRA use among older adults remains high.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Contemporary data regarding the characteristics, treatment and outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are needed. We aimed to assess these data and guideline adherence in the EURObservational Research Programme on Atrial Fibrillation (EORP-AF) long-term general registry.
Methods: We analysed 967 patients from the EORP-AF long-term general registry included in the Netherlands and Belgium from 2013 to 2016.
Hospital staff are a priority target group in the European COVID-19 vaccination strategy. Measuring the extent of COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy and understanding the reasons behind it are essential to be able to tailor effective communication campaigns. Using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a theoretical framework, a survey was conducted among staff members of a Belgian three-site hospital center between 6 and 20 January 2021.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Polypharmacy, medication errors and adverse drug events are frequent among nursing home residents. Errors can occur at any step of the medication use process. We aimed to review interventions aiming at optimization of any step of medication use in nursing homes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes
October 2021
Aims: To assess the adherence to established quality indicators (QIs) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at the hospital-network level and its relation to outcome.
Methods And Results: The data of 7774 STEMI patients admitted to 32 STEMI networks during the period 2014-18 were extracted from the Belgian STEMI database. Five QIs [primary percutaneous coronary intervention use, diagnosis-to-balloon time (DiaTB) <90 min, door-to-balloon time (DoTB) <60 min, P2Y12 inhibitor and statin prescription at discharge, and a composite QI score ranging from 0 to 10] were correlated with in-hospital mortality adjusted for differences in baseline risk profile (TIMI risk score).
Background/objectives: To describe the use and deprescribing of benzodiazepine receptor agonists (BZRAs) among nursing home residents (NHRs), to evaluate appropriateness of use and to identify factors associated with BZRA use and deprescribing.
Design: Posthoc analysis of the Collaborative Approach to Optimize Medication Use for Older People in Nursing Homes (COME-ON) study, a cluster controlled trial that evaluated the impact of a complex intervention on potentially inappropriate prescriptions (PIPs) in nursing homes (NHs).
Setting: A total of 54 NHs in Belgium.
Objective: The aim of this study was to define whether rapidly reallocating health care workers not experienced with PP for performing PP in ICU is feasible and safe.
Summary Background Data: In the setting of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the use of prone and supine positioning procedures (PP) has been associated with improved oxygenation resulting in decreased mortality. Nevertheless, applying PP is time consuming for ICU staffs that are at risk of mental of physical exhaustion, especially with the constant surge of admitted COVID-19 patients with severe ARDS.
Background/aim: A prospective non-randomized study was performed on 68 women who had recently undergone curative treatment (surgery +/- adjuvant radio/chemotherapy) for breast cancer.
Patients And Methods: Patients were distributed into 2 subgroups, control (C) group (n=21) and experimental (E) group (n=47). The last group participated in a 12-week rehabilitation program associating physical activity and psychoeducational workshops, including management of stress, diet, and sleep disorders.