Utilization of cross-matched blood in elective thyroid and parathyroid surgeries: a single-center retrospective study

Abdulmajeed Fahad Alahmari, Hani Z Marzouki, Mohammed Saad Alsallum, Ahmed Hussein Subki, Mazin Merdad Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Background: Hospital blood banks face the common challenge of maintaining an adequate supply of blood products to serve all potential patients while minimizing the need to discard expired blood products. This study aimed to determine the risk of blood transfusion during elective thyroid and parathyroid surgery and potential factors related to blood loss and risk of transfusion in these cases. Methods: The study included all thyroid and parathyroid surgeries performed at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between January 2015 and December 2017. After exclusion of patients with incomplete data, 179 patients with complete data who had undergone thyroid and parathyroid surgery were analyzed. Results: Of the 179 patients included in this study, 33 (18.4%) were male. Overall, patients had a mean age and body-mass index of 44.55±13.67 years and 27.66±5.38 kg/m2, respectively. The mean duration of surgery was 168.48±90.69 minutes. None of the patients had a history of previous radiotherapy, bleeding disorder, or blood transfusion. Benign goiter was the most common finding (n=78, 43.6%), followed by papillary carcinoma (n=49, 27.4%). During surgery, most patients (n=136, 76.0%) experienced minimal blood loss. None of the patients in our cohort (n= 179) required any blood transfusion or products. Conclusion: In this study, we aimed to audit the surgical blood-ordering and -transfusion practices associated with elective thyroid and parathyroid surgeries at our institution. These practices are intended to balance the availability of blood products with the avoidance of unnecessary wastage. In our study of patients who underwent elective thyroid and parathyroid surgeries, parathyroid surgeries, none required blood transfusion. Keywords: cross-matched blood, thyroid surgery, parathyroid surger

Hospitalization rate and outcomes in patients with left ventricular dysfunction receiving hemodialysis

Marwan A Albeshri,1 Mohammed S Alsallum,1 Sulafa Sindi,1 Mohammed Kadi,1 Abdullah Albishri,2 Hanadi Alhozali,3 Kamal Alghalayini3 1College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University-Rabigh Branch, Rabigh, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Introduction: Left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is characterized as left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) below half of the systolic capacity of the left ventricle. Patients on hemodialysis have higher risk of developing LVD than the general population. Our aim was to assess hospitalization rate and outcomes in hemodialysis patients with LVD.Patients and methods: All patients ≥18 years old, who started hemodialysis therapy at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between January 2011 and December 2011, were identified using medical records of hemodialysis unit. Patients were then divided into three groups, according to their EF results prior to the initiation of hemodialysis, as patients with EF <40%, EF between 40% and 49%, and EF ≥50%. Patients were then followed for 5 years by reviewing their hospital records to assess their outcomes, hospital admissions, and length of hospital stay.Results: Analysis included 333 patients. Patients with EF <40% were 40, 36 patients with EF 40%–49%, and 257 patients had an EF >50%. Patients with EF <50% were significantly older than patients with EF >50% (P=0.002). Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were more prevalent in patients with EF <40% and EF 40%–49% when compared with patients with EF >50% (P<0.001, P=0.002). The average length of stay between the three groups was significantly different (P=0.007). Intensive care unit admissions were significantly different when comparing the three groups (P=0.013) and was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality in our patients. Half of the patients with EF <40% and 44% of patients with EF of 40%–49% died compared with only 27% of patients with EF >50% (P=0.002). However, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed no significant difference in the survival time among the three groups (P=0.845).Conclusion: Mortality and morbidity increased in patients with LVD on hemodialysis compared with patients with normal EF. Keywords: LVD, hemodialysis, mortality, hospitalization&nbsp

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Skin Picking Disorder Symptoms Among Adults in an Arab Middle Eastern Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Hazim Abdulkarim Khatib,1 Waleed Ahmed Alghamdi,2 Ahmed Hussein Subki,3 Nadeem Shafique Butt,4 Mohammed Saad Alsallum,5 Ahmed Salem Alsulaimani,6 Sara Faisal Alnajjar,7 Fahad Daifallah Alzaidi,8 Abdulrahman Ali Alasmari,9 Hussein Mesfer Alshamrani,10 Faten Al-Zaben,2 Harold G Koenig2,11,12 1Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdulaziz Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Psychiatry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Internal Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Community Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Neurology, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 6Department of Emergency Medicine, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 7Department of Diagnostic Radiology, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 9Department of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Medicine Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 10Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 11School of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, People’s Republic of China; 12Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USACorrespondence: Waleed Ahmed Alghamdi; Harold G Koenig, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Skin Picking Disorder (SPD) is a skin-related disease, also recognized as psychogenic excoriation, dermatillomania, or excoriation disorder. SPD is defined as a habitual picking of skin, which in turn harms skin tissue. Given the paucity of information on SPD symptoms, their prevalence, and risk factors in Saudi Arabia, the present study seeks to fill this gap by investigating these factors in a community sample from Jeddah.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Jeddah. The Skin Picking Scale-Revised (SPS-R) scale was administered to a convenience sample of 520 respondents. A partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) for “impairment” and “symptoms severity” subscales was assessed by evaluating the validity of measurement and structural models.Results: Skin picking behavior was reported by 28.8% (n=150). A significant level of skin picking disorder symptoms was present in 1.2% (n=6). Skin picking visual effect, depressive symptoms, and being unmarried were the only positive independent predictors of the total SPS-R score.Conclusion: SPD symptoms are relatively common among the adult population in Jeddah, but those with threshold symptoms indicative of SPD are relatively few. Such behavior is particularly common in vulnerable groups such as those with depressive symptoms and the unmarried. More attention to this condition by clinicians will improve the quality of life of those affected, and reduce the emotional and physical health consequences of this often unrecognized condition.Keywords: skin picking disorder, dermatillomania, excoriation disorder, prevalence, risk factors, The Skin Picking Scale-Revised scal

Parental perceptions of dental health and need for treatment in children with epilepsy: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Ahmed Hussein Subki,1 Abdel Moniem Mukhtar,2 Omar M Saggaf,1 Ragaa A Ali,3 Khalid A Khalifa,3 Dalia M Al-Lulu,3 Mohammed Saad Alsallum,1 Diyaa H Bokhary,1 Ayman M Baabdullah,1 Sulaiman M Kassar,1 Basil M Jan,4 Muhab M Hindi,1 Mohammed M Jan1 1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 3Batterjee Medical College, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Background: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in childhood. However, there have been limited studies on its impact on the oral health of affected children. Our study aimed to assess the oral health of children with epilepsy in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as perceived by their mothers. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in three hospitals. We included children 2–18 years old with physician-confirmed epilepsy diagnosis. We assessed parental perception of dental status and need for dental care using a standardized questionnaire that was completed by the mothers. To adjust for potential confounding variables, we used univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results: We included 96 children with epilepsy in our study. Their mean age was 6.4±3.4 years. In 55.2% (n=53), dental status was rated as bad, and in 84.4% (n=81) a need for dental care was expressed. Cerebral palsy (OR 5.06, 95% CI 1.28–19.99; P=0.021), motor disability (OR 6.41, 95% CI 1.12–36.73; P=0.037), referral from a pediatric neurology clinic to a dentist (OR 10.755, 95% CI 3.290–35.151; P<0.001), and irregular brushing of teeth (OR 5.397, 95% CI 1.536–18.961; P=0.009) were significantly associated with increased risk of perceived bad dental status. Perception of the child as being overweight (OR 0.117, 95% CI 0.034–0.400; P=0.001) was significantly associated with decreased risk of perceived bad dental status. Motor disability (OR 5.73, 95% CI 1.64–20.04; P=0.006) was significantly associated with increased parental expression of need for dental care. Conclusion: In most children with epilepsy, perceived dental status was bad and there was a high expressed need for dental care. Interventions to improve the dental health of children with epilepsy should focus on those with cerebral palsy and motor disability. Keywords: oral, dental, teeth, hygiene, health, epilepsy, chil