Table 1.
Medication groups in 35 hands.
| Medication group* |
Examples (no. of patients)** | Total no. of hands per group | Medication continued | No. of wound breakdowns | No. of wound infections |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSAIDS | Diclofenac (6), ibuprofen (4), flurbiprofen (1), indomethacin (2), naproxen (6), nabumetone (1) | 20 | Yes | 0 | 1 |
| Cox-2 Inhibitors | Celecoxib, rofecoxib | 0 | — | — | — |
| Steroids | Prednisolone | 8 | Yes | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | Etanercept (4) | 4 | No | 0 | 0 |
| Noncytotoxic DMARDs |
Gold (1), hydroxychloroquine (2), sulfasalazine (8) |
11 | Yes | 0 | 1 |
| Cytotoxic DMARDs | Leflunomide (1), methotrexate (20), azathioprine (3) | 24 | Yes | 0 | 1 |
| Anticoagulants | Warfarin, heparin | 0 | — | — | — |
| Aspirin*** | Dose 75–300 mg daily | 5 | Yes | 0 | 0 |
| No medication | 2 | — | 0 | 0 |
Key: NSAIDs: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Cox-2: cyclo-oxygenase 2 inhibitors, DMARDs: disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.
*General analgesics excluded, for example, paracetamol, nefopam, codeine, morphine.
**Some patients were taking more than one medication in a group.
***Aspirin was used for cardiovascular risk reduction (75–300 mg) rather than analgesia/anti-inflammatory.