Home Monitoring of High-Risk Individuals Receiving Opioids Post Orthopedic Surgery.

Postoperative patients receiving opioids are at risk for morbidity and mortality caused by opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). Guidelines advocate electronic monitoring for OIRD during postoperative hospitalization, but the utility of home monitoring following ambulatory surgery has not been assessed. We describe the utilization of capnography and pulse oximetry in an ambulatory orthopedic cohort to determine subject/home caregiver acceptance and utility of continuous monitors at home.

A historical cohort study of the effect of lowering body iron through blood donation on incident cardiac events.

Background: Low body iron may protect against atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease through limiting oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Observational studies suggest that donation of whole blood might be associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular events.

Study Design And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, a total of 1508 adults who donated more than 1 unit of whole blood each year between 1988 and 1990 (frequent donors) and 1508 age- and sex-matched adults who donated only a single unit in that 3-year period (casual donors) were studied.