A user-centred home monitoring and self-management system for patients with heart failure: a multicentre cohort study.

Aims: Previous generations of home monitoring systems have had limited usability. We aimed to develop and evaluate a user-centred and adaptive system for health monitoring and self-management support in patients with heart failure.

Methods And Results: Patients with heart failure were recruited from three UK centres and provided with Internet-enabled tablet computers that were wirelessly linked with sensor devices for blood pressure, heart rate, and weight monitoring.

Implementation of a clinical decision support system improves compliance with restrictive transfusion policies in hematology patients.

Background: There is increasing evidence for restrictive red blood cell (RBC) transfusion but compliance with recommended transfusion triggers is variable. A clinical decision support system (CDSS) has been found to reduce unnecessary transfusion in some clinical settings when physicians are advised they are noncompliant with the current guidelines. The objective was to assess the impact of a CDSS for blood product ordering in patients with hematologic disease.

Effect of pamidronate on bone loss after kidney transplantation: a randomized trial.

Background: Kidney transplantation is associated with an increased risk of bone fracture and rapid loss of bone mineral density after kidney transplantation.

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting & Participants: Patients were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 46) or control (no treatment; n = 47) groups.

The second United Kingdom Heart and Renal Protection (UK-HARP-II) Study: a randomized controlled study of the biochemical safety and efficacy of adding ezetimibe to simvastatin as initial therapy among patients with CKD.

Background: Evaluating the effects of decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels requires large randomized trials. In preparation for such a trial, we assessed the biochemical efficacy, safety, and tolerability of adding ezetimibe, 10 mg/d, to simvastatin, 20 mg/d, as initial therapy for such patients.

Methods: Two hundred three patients (152 predialysis patients with creatinine levels > or = 1.

First United Kingdom Heart and Renal Protection (UK-HARP-I) study: biochemical efficacy and safety of simvastatin and safety of low-dose aspirin in chronic kidney disease.

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease, but the efficacy and safety of simvastatin and aspirin are unknown in this patient group.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned in a 2 x 2 factorial design to the administration of: (1) 20 mg of simvastatin daily versus matching placebo, and (2) 100 mg of modified-release aspirin daily versus matching placebo.

Results: Overall, 448 patients with chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned (242 predialysis patients with a creatinine level > or = 1.

Sevelamer.

Hyperphosphataemia in patients with chronic renal failure has traditionally been treated with calcium- and aluminium-containing phosphate binders. This article briefly discusses the rationale and complications of these treatments and reviews sevelamer that is a novel non-calcium-, non-aluminium-containing phosphate binder and the evidence to support its use in clinical practice.