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ABSTRACT Background: Children who experience alkaline injury are at risk for the development of esophageal strictures and the need for esophageal dilations. Objective: We aimed to assess predictors for a higher number of esophageal dilatations in children following alkali ingestion. Methods: Single-center retrospective cohort study including children who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) after alkali ingestion. Possible predictive factors for the need for esophageal dilatations were evaluated. Results: A total of 34 patients were included, and 19 were female (55.9%). The median age at the time of the accidents was 20.6 months (IQR 15-30.7). All alkali ingestions were accidental, in all cases involving liquid products, and most (24/34; 70%) occurred at the child’s home. Homemade liquid soap was the agent in half of the cases. The most frequently reported symptom at presentation was vomiting (22/34, 64.7%). The median follow-up time was 3.2 years (IQR 1.1-7.4). On follow-up, the median number of esophageal dilatations required for these patients was 12.5 (IQR 0-34). Among demographic factors, male gender (P=0.04), ingestion of homemade products (P

Introduction: This prospective, single-arm, crossover pharmacodynamic study assessed the effect of Bayer ® low-dose enteric-coated aspirin 81 mg tablets (LD EC-ASA) (Bayer AG, Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) compared to Vazalore ® low-dose phospholipid-aspirin liquid-filled 81 mg capsules (LD PL-ASA) (PLx Pharma Inc., Sparta, NJ, USA) on platelet reactivity with respect to aspirin reaction units (ARU)., Methods: Forty-seven healthy volunteers were recruited. Platelet function was evaluated with the VerifyNow™ ARU assay (Werfen, Bedford, MA, USA) and assessed post-initiation of Bayer ® LD EC-ASA daily for 14 days, with a washout period of 28 days, followed by Vazalore ® LD PL-ASA daily for 14 days, again followed by ARU testing., Results: Participants on LD EC-ASA had a mean ARU score of 426, with 19.1% of participants having an ARU > 550; patients on LD PL-ASA derived a mean ARU score of 435, with 14.9% achieving an ARU > 550. There were no significant differences in aspirin resistance (ARU > 550) according to the formulation (Bayer ® LD EC-ASA vs. Vazalore ® LD PL-ASA) used. Aspirin resistance was independent of ethnicity regardless of the formulation used. In addition, there were no significant associations between body surface area (BSA) and Bayer ® LD EC-ASA ARU value (p value 0.788) or Vazalore ® LD PL-ASA ARU value (p value 0.477). No patients experienced any serious adverse events or treatment-emergent adverse events., Conclusions: There were no significant differences in aspirin resistance between Bayer ® LD EC-ASA and Vazalore ® LD PL-ASA. This dedicated pharmacodynamic study could potentially be informative and applicable for Trinidadian patients on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Further studies are required to confirm these exploratory findings., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT06228820, prospectively registered 1/18/2024., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: This retrospective study investigated the effectiveness and safety of left distal transradial access (LDTRA) in patients with cardiovascular disease in Trinidad undergoing coronary angiography (CAG) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)., Method: Procedural parameters, including technical success and safety outcomes such as vascular complications and radial artery occlusion (RAO), were assessed in 111 consecutive patients undergoing CAG or PCI from January 2023 to June 2023 at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Trinidad and Tobago. Eighty-eight patients underwent LDTRA, while 23 received left transradial access (LTRA)., Results: There was no difference in procedural success with LDTRA compared to LTRA, 90.9% vs. 100%, p -value 0.202, non-significant (ns). LDTRA was associated with shorter fluoroscopy times (8.4 ± 6.8 minutes vs. 12.4 ± 7.7 minutes, p -value = 0.02), procedural duration (26.7 ± 18 minutes vs. 35.8 ± 20 minutes, p -value = 0.04), and hemostasis time (142 ± 41 minutes vs. 186 ± 44 minutes, p -value < 0.05). There were no significant differences in procedural-related complications (8% for LDTRA vs. 4.3% for LTRA, p -value = 0.476, ns). There were no reported cases of RAO. In the subgroup of patients with prior coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the fluoroscopy and procedure times were similar for both access sites; however, LDTRA was associated with a shorter hemostasis time (128 ± 30 minutes vs. 194 ± 39 minutes, p -value = 0.01)., Conclusions: LDTRA is effective and safe for coronary procedures and is associated with a shorter hemostasis time. This study may prove clinically pertinent in a limited-resource Caribbean setting., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2024, Seecheran et al.)