This study confirms that severe OSAS is strongly associated with erectile dysfunction. CPAP and sildenafil (100 mg) are safe and effective therapies for OSAS-related ED patients. In the present study sildenafil was more effective than CPAP in treating ED associated with OSAS, as indicated by a significantly higher rate of successful attempts at intercourse and higher IIEF-EF domain scores. Our study, to date, is the only that has investigated sildenafil in patients with severe OSAS.

Background:The efficacy and safety of recombinant human soluble thrombomodulin (rhsTM) have not been definitively proven. The effects may depend on the presence of sepsis-associated coagulopathy (SAC). Objectives:The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rhsTM in patients with SAC defined by high international normalized ratio and low platelet count.Patients/Methods: EMBASE, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, and clinicaltrial.gov were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing rhsTM with placebo or no treatment in patients with sepsis. The efficacy outcome was 28-day mortality, and the safety outcome was major bleeding. Results:We included 3 RCTs with a total of 1633 patients. Twenty-eight-day mortality was higher in patients with SAC compared with those without SAC (risk ratio[RR] 1.32; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.06-1.64). rhsTM was associated with significantly lower 28-day mortality compared with placebo or no treatment in patients with SAC (RR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65-0.98), but not in those without SAC (RR 1.17; 95% CI, 0.82-1.67) nor in the whole study population (RR 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74-1.04). There was no significant difference in major bleeding between rhsTM and controls in the whole population (RR 1.25; 95% CI, 0.80-1.96), patients with SAC (RR 0.94; 95% CI, 0.45-1.95), and those without SAC (RR 2.26; 95% CI, 0.95-5.35). Conclusions:In patients with sepsis, SAC is associated with higher 28-day mortality.The administration of rhsTM reduced 28-day mortality in patients with SAC, but not in those without SAC.

Introduction Pulmonary embolism (PE) has not been accounted for as a cause of death contributing to cause‐specific mortality in global reports. Methods We analyzed global PE‐related mortality by focusing on the latest year available for each member state in the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database, which provides age‐sex–specific aggregated mortality data transmitted by national authorities for each underlying cause of death. PE‐related deaths were defined by International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes for acute PE or nonfatal manifestations of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The 2001 WHO standard population served for standardization. Results We obtained data from 123 countries covering a total population of 2 602 561 422. Overall, 50 (40.6%) were European, 39 (31.7%) American, 13 (10.6%) Eastern Mediterranean, 13 (10.6%) Western Pacific, 3 (2.4%) Southeast Asian, and 2 (1.6%) African. Of 116 countries classifiable according to population income, 57 (49.1%) were high income, 42 (36.2%) upper‐middle income, 14 (12.1%) lower‐middle income, and 3 (2.6%) low income. A total of 18 726 382 deaths were recorded, of which 86 930 (0.46%) were attributed to PE. PE‐related mortality rate increased with age in most countries. The reporting of PE‐related deaths was heterogeneous, with an age‐standardized mortality rate ranging from 0 to 24 deaths per 100 000 population‐years. Income status only partially explained this heterogeneity. Conclusions Reporting of PE‐related mortality in official national vital registration was characterized by extreme heterogeneity across countries. These findings mandate enhanced efforts toward systematic and uniform coverage of PE‐related mortality and provides a case for full recognition of PE and VTE as a primary cause of death.

Background Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a systemic activation of coagulation, presents with multiple clinical and laboratory manifestations. In this International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) communication, we examined the importance of identifying the underlying disorder causing DIC to help physicians in the diagnosis and management of this common and severe condition. Methods Eight DIC experts participated in a three‐step consensus process that searched for published guidelines and diagnostic scores on DIC to create a preliminary list of DIC underlying disorders from those reported in the literature Overall, 13 papers were identified, including three guidelines, one harmonization paper by the ISTH, one ISTH recommendation paper on cancer‐associated DIC, five general diagnostic scores, two scores specific for pregnancy, and one specific for children. We then assessed the strength of the evidence on the association between the disease and DIC as many postulated DIC‐associated disorders are rare. Key Results Eight main subgroups ‐ ‘severe infection’, ‘solid tumour’, ‘haematological neoplasia’, ‘pregnancy complication’, ‘vascular disease’, ‘newborn‐complication’, ‘tissue damage due to internal or external insult’, and ‘chemical and biological agent’ ‐ and a detailed list of specific causes of DIC were provided. Conclusions & Inferences Our results suggest more data are needed to determine the association between DIC and specific diseases such as malignant lymphoma, colorectal cancer, or vasculitis, for which the evidence remains limited. When a patient develops a coagulopathy consistent with DIC, the first step is to immediately search for an underlying disorder, including specific causes that are rarely associated with DIC and to consider that patients may have more than one cause of DIC to identify the principal precipitating disorder to prioritize treatment.