Safety of idarucizumab in the reversal of dabigatran at six tertiary care Ontario hospitals.

Background: Idarucizumab, a monoclonal antibody fragment that reverses the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran, was approved for use in Canada in 2016.

Objective: Our objective was to assess the safety of idarucizumab among patients who received the drug within the first 3 years of its use in Canada.

Patients/methods: We performed a retrospective health records review of all idarucizumab use, excluding use in those <18 years of age, between May 16, 2016, and August 1, 2019, at six Ontario tertiary care hospitals.

Outpatient management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax in the emergency department of a community hospital using a small-bore catheter and a Heimlich valve.

Objectives: The objective was to assess the effectiveness of a small-bore catheter (8F) connected to a one-way Heimlich valve in the emergency department (ED)-based outpatient management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP).

Methods: The authors conducted a structured chart audit in a retrospective case series of patients with PSP who were treated with a small-bore (8F) catheter and a Heimlich valve who were seen in the ED of a community hospital between April 2000 and March 2005. To be eligible, patients had to be available for a telephone interview.