Simple precautionary measures can reduce numbers of falls in hospital

Cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX 2) inhibitors should be used only as the last choice after other types of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve chronic pain in people with heart disease or at high risk of it, the American Heart Association has recommended.Its statement, published online in Circulation on 26 February (http://circ.ahajournals.orgdoi:10.1161/circulationaha.106.181424), was designed to end any remaining confusion about the cardiovascular risk of these agents.The association has recommended a stepped approach to treatment.The first step should be non-pharmacological approaches, such as physical therapy and weight loss, for patients with known cardiovascular disease or with risk factors for ischaemic heart disease.Drug treatment should start with agents with the lowest reported risk of cardiovascular events, before other agents are prescribed, and at each step account should be taken of the risk-benefit balance.First line drug choices include paracetamol (acetaminophen), aspirin, tramadol, and short term use of other narcotic analgesics.If these fail to achieve adequate pain control, the next option is non-acetylated salicylates, such as naproxen.The association recommended NSAIDs that aren't COX 2 inhibitors if pain is still inadequately controlled, then NSAIDs with some COX 2 activity as the next step, and lastly COX 2 selective NSAIDs.The committee considered the risk of all three of these classes to be sufficiently high to require that patients taking them should be monitored regularly for sustained hypertension (or worsening of prior blood pressure control), oedema, worsening renal function, or gastrointestinal bleeding.See pp 436, 450. Save COX 2 inhibitors till last for cardiac patientsUK NEWS HFEA allows women to donate eggs for research, p445 World NEWS repeal law that puts "FdA on the payroll of the industry", p447 bmj.comUK government defeated on community treatment forms