Sriwijaya Journal of Internal Medicine

Efficacy and Safety of Recombinant Activated Factor VII versus Activated Prothrombin Complex Concentrate for Bleeding Control in Acquired Haemophilia A: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

I Made Bayu Indratama — 2026-05-15

Introduction: Acquired haemophilia A is a rare autoimmune coagulopathy with reported mortality of 3.3 to 22 per cent, in which uncontrolled haemorrhage is the principal cause of early death. International guidelines have endorsed both recombinant activated factor VII and activated prothrombin complex concentrate as first-line bypassing therapy without explicit preference, yet the comparative efficacy of these two agents has not previously been quantified by formal meta-analysis.

Methods: A systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis was conducted in line with the PRISMA 2020 guideline. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection were searched on 1 May 2026 for primary cohort, registry, and observational comparative studies of adults with acquired haemophilia A treated with recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) or activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC). Bleeding-control proportions per arm were converted to Hedges g via the Cox–Hasselblad–Hedges transformation, and were pooled under DerSimonian–Laird and restricted maximum-likelihood random-effects models. As co-primary metrics, pooled risk ratio and pooled risk difference were computed. Risk of bias was appraised with a modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale, and certainty of evidence was rated with GRADE.

Results: Ten primary studies were retained for qualitative synthesis and nine of these were eligible for quantitative meta-analysis (916 patient-arm data points; rFVIIa arm n = 531; aPCC arm n = 385). Bleeding control was achieved in 474 of 531 patients (89.27 per cent) treated with rFVIIa and 343 of 385 patients (89.09 per cent) treated with aPCC. The pooled Hedges g was 0.026 (95 per cent confidence interval −0.232 to +0.285; p = 0.84). The pooled risk ratio was 1.00 (95 per cent confidence interval 0.95 to 1.06) and the pooled risk difference was +0.18 percentage points (95 per cent confidence interval −4.5 to +4.6). Heterogeneity was low (I² = 5.8 per cent; τ² = 0.009). Findings were robust across leave-one-out, EACH2-restricted, regional, design, and quality-stratified subgroup analyses. The certainty of evidence was rated low.

Conclusion: rFVIIa and aPCC produced clinically equivalent bleeding-control rates in adults with acquired haemophilia A. Selection should be informed by availability, acquisition cost, and individual safety profile rather than by presumed efficacy advantage of either agent.

Omalizumab in Reducing Exacerbation Rate and Oral Corticosteroid Burden in Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Harry Yuseptian — 2026-05-25

Introduction: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a hypersensitivity disorder complicating severe asthma and cystic fibrosis. Systemic corticosteroids, the mainstay of treatment, carry substantial cumulative toxicity, and the steroid-sparing role of the anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody omalizumab remained incompletely defined, particularly in South-East Asia where ABPA is under-recognised. We aimed to synthesise the most recent evidence on omalizumab in reducing exacerbations and oral corticosteroid (OCS) burden in adults with ABPA.

Methods: Following the PRISMA 2020 statement, six databases were searched for original studies enrolling at least ten ABPA patients treated with omalizumab. Standardised mean differences (Hedges' g) were pooled using a DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model with the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman correction. Risk of bias, subgroup, sensitivity and meta-regression analyses, and the GRADE certainty of evidence were assessed.

Results: Ten studies (n = 286) were qualitatively synthesised; eight (n = 241) entered the quantitative pool. Omalizumab produced a moderate-to-large favourable composite effect (Hedges' g = -0.69; 95% CI -1.12 to -0.25; p = 0.007). Outcome-specific pooling confirmed reduced exacerbations (g = -0.74), reduced OCS dose (g = -0.81), and improved FEV1 (g = +0.48) and asthma control (g = +0.69), corresponding to approximately 1.9 fewer exacerbations per year and 9 mg/day prednisolone equivalent. Heterogeneity was substantial (I-squared = 78.4%) but the effect was robust across leave-one-out and sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion: Omalizumab confers a clinically meaningful steroid-sparing benefit in adults with ABPA, supporting its adoption as maintenance therapy, pending adequately powered randomised trials in South-East Asian populations.

Vancomycin Plus Piperacillin–Tazobactam Versus Vancomycin Plus Cefepime and the Risk of Acute Kidney Injury in Hospitalised Adults: A Meta-Analysis

Putri Indah Permata — 2026-06-03

Introduction: Vancomycin with piperacillin–tazobactam is a common empirical regimen but may increase acute kidney injury (AKI) risk. Because vancomycin is common to most comparisons, the cleanest test of the piperacillin–tazobactam effect is a head-to-head comparison against vancomycin plus cefepime. This meta-analysis quantified the association between the two regimens and AKI in hospitalised adults.

Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for comparative cohort studies and randomised trials in adults reporting AKI with vancomycin plus piperacillin–tazobactam versus vancomycin plus cefepime. Risk of bias was appraised with ROBINS-I and certainty with GRADE. Odds ratios (OR) were pooled using a DerSimonian–Laird random-effects model; heterogeneity (I²), a prediction interval, leave-one-out analysis and the Egger test were computed.

Results: Ten cohort studies were eligible and nine (>11,000 adults) were pooled. Piperacillin–tazobactam was associated with significantly higher odds of AKI (pooled OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.43–2.52; p<0.001; I²=81%). The prediction interval (0.77–4.69) was wide, and the result was robust to leave-one-out analysis (OR 1.71–2.06). The number needed to harm ranged from about 15 to about 8 across baseline incidences of 9% to 21%. The Egger test suggested small-study effects (p=0.04); certainty was graded low.

Conclusion: In hospitalised adults, vancomycin plus piperacillin–tazobactam was associated with roughly twofold higher odds of AKI than vancomycin plus cefepime; where both regimens are appropriate, cefepime may be the safer renal companion.

Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Exacerbation Severity and Hospital Length of Stay in Acute Exacerbation of COPD: A Dual-Center Study in West Sumatra, Indonesia

Herry Saputra Yunior — 2026-06-17

Introduction: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a leading driver of morbidity, mortality and health-care expenditure, and simple admission biomarkers that grade severity are needed in resource-limited settings. The platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) integrates thrombo-inflammation and relative lymphopenia, yet Indonesian evidence linking it to exacerbation severity and length of stay (LOS) remains limited.

Methods: In this dual-center analytical cross-sectional study, 141 hospitalized AECOPD patients at Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital, Padang and RS Madina Bukittinggi (January-December 2024) were analyzed. Admission PLR was related to Anthonisen exacerbation severity and LOS (>7 days) using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, Spearman correlation, receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) analysis and multivariable logistic regression (adjusted odds ratios, aOR).

Results: Most patients were male (86.5%), aged 40-70 years (56.0%) and heavy smokers (87.5%). Mean PLR increased across severity strata (mild 126.8±40.8, moderate 192.3±69.1, severe 444.9±241.7; p<0.001) and correlated moderately with severity (ρ=0.534, p<0.001) but weakly with LOS (ρ=0.295). PLR discriminated severe exacerbation with excellent accuracy (AUC 0.929, 95% CI 0.874-0.985; cut-off ≥216.3, sensitivity 100.0%, specificity 73.2%, accuracy 89.6%) but predicted LOS poorly (AUC 0.566, p=0.273). After adjustment, PLR independently predicted severe exacerbation (aOR 3.73 per 50 units, 95% CI 1.87-7.42, p<0.001; Nagelkerke R2=0.642), whereas prolonged stay was driven by pneumonia (aOR 6.40, 95% CI 2.50-16.37, p<0.001) rather than PLR (aOR 1.15, p=0.139).

Conclusion: Admission PLR is an inexpensive, widely available biomarker that accurately identifies severe AECOPD and may support early risk stratification, although it should not be used alone to predict length of stay, which is governed chiefly by comorbidity.