Clinical outcomes and predictors of mortality in COVID-19 patients admitted to a High Dependency Unit in Pakistan-a cross-sectional study

Objective: To determine the outcomes and predictors of in-hospital mortality of patients admitted to high-dependency unit with coronavirus disease 2019 infection. Method: The retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, and comprised data of adult coronavirus disease 2019 patients of either gender admitted to the high dependency unit from March 1 to June 30, 2020. Outcomes were categorised as patients ‘recovered without deterioration’, ‘deteriorated but survived’, and ‘deteriorated but expired’. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 525 patients with confirmed infection, 245(46.6%) were admitted to the high dependency unit. Leaving out 38(15.5%) cases with missing data, 207(84.5%) cases formed the study sample; 156(75.4%) males and 51(24.6%) females. The overall mean age was 56.9±14years (range: 24-86 years). The most common comorbid condition was hypertension 105(50.7%), and the most common reason for critical care was hypoxic respiratory failure 199(96.1%). Of the total, 153(74%) patients recovered, 31(15%) deteriorated, and mortality was the outcome in 23(11%). There was no significant effect of drug treatment on mortality (p>0.05). Age, multimorbidity and high D-Dimer level were significantly associated with disease progression and mortality (p<0.05). Conclusion: Mortality was high among coronavirus disease 2019 patients who were older and had multimorbidity. Key Words: COVID-19, In-hospital mortality, Multimorbidity, SARS-CoV-2 infection, Critical care outcomes

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in accidental chlorine gas inhalational injury: Case report and review of literature

A 25-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with difficulty in breathing, within 12 hours of intentional black stone ingestion, that is, para-phenylenediamine (p-PD), a chemical component of hair dye. Video laryngoscopy was done which showed laryngeal oedema and got intubated immediately to prevent respiratory failure. She got admitted to the intensive care unit and rigorous fluid resuscitation was done due to acute kidney injury secondary to rhabdomyolysis. On the 5th day, she got extubated after a successful spontaneous breathing trial, and step down to the high dependency unit, where she had four episodes of seizures in a day. After antiepileptic medication initiation, seizures were settled, brain imaging done to rule out stroke showed a finding suggestive of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Adequate intravenous fluid resuscitation was performed and blood pressure monitored closely. She remained vitally stable and clinically better hence discharge home with clinic follow-up on the 9th day of hospitalisation

COVID-19 encephalopathy: an unusual presentation with new-onset seizure causing convulsive status epilepticus

Although neurological manifestations such as headache and myalgias have been observed with COVID-19, presentation with more serious neurological illness is uncommon and rare. We report a case of a middle-aged woman who presented to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. Her clinical presentation was primarily neurological rather than the more common presentation with respiratory manifestations. She presented with generalised tonic-clonic seizures, along with history of undocumented low-grade fever and generalised body aches. The positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR nasal swab, the cerebrospinal fluid analysis (lymphocytic pleocytosis) and electroencephalogram were consistent with viral encephalitis; brain imaging was unremarkable. This case highlights the variable presenting features of COVID-19 infection as patients can primarily present with neurological manifestations in the absence of significant respiratory symptoms. We believe it is important to recognise neurological disease associated with SARS-CoV-2 in patients with asymptomatic respiratory infectio

Perceptions and use of evidence-based revision methods among undergraduate medical students

Objectives: To assess awareness, perceptions and use related to evidence-based revision methods by undergraduate medical students. Method: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in three medical colleges of Rawalpindi-Islamabad, Pakistan, from December 01, 2019, to January 31, 2020, after approval from the ethics review committee of Army Medical College, Rawalpindi. The sample comprised undergraduate medical students of either gender. Data was collected online using a 10-item standardised questionnaire. Students were asked about the revision methods they used routinely and their perceptions of conventional and evidence-based revision methods. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Results: Of the total 136 respondents, 92(67%) were females and 44(32.3%) were male students. The response from pre-clinical and clinical years was 67 (50.7%) and 69(49.2%), respectively. Highlighting was the most widely used revision method among students (70 students, 51%), followed by re-reading important points (65 students, 47.7%). 126 students (92%) had the opinion that conventional revision methods were effective learning tools. Only 52 students (38.2%) were aware of the term ‘evidence-based revision methods’. Digital tools based on principles of evidence-based revision were used by a minority of students which included use of online question banks by 21 students (15.4%), osmosis by 40 students (29.4%), sketchy pharma by 35 students (25%), flashcards by 19 (14%) and picmonic by only 3 (2.2%). More than 80% (114 students) responded that they wanted evidence-based revision methods to be incorporated into curriculum, and 85% (116 students) said they would like to have a workshop on these techniques. Conclusion: Most medical students were not aware of and were not using evidence-based revision methods, and relied on conventional revision tools. They were, however, eager to learn about newer revision strategies. Key Words: Medical education, Undergraduate, Learning strategies, Evidence-based revision methods, Active recall

Clinico-radiological and bronchoscopic predictors of microbiological yield in sputum negative tuberculosis in Pakistan

To determine association of clinico-radiological factors and radiological activity with diagnostic yield in sputum-smear negative tuberculosis (TB). Prospective observational study in Military Hospital Rawalpindi from July to December 2018. Adult patients having no contraindications to bronchoscopy were included. HIV positive patients and those on anti-tuberculosis therapy for more than one week were excluded. High-Resolution Computed tomography (HRCT) findings were classified based on active and inactive tuberculosis features. Washings were sent for Acid-Fast Bacillus (AFB) smear, GeneXpert assay and cultures. Out of 215 patients, 42.3% (91) were diagnosed with microbiological or histological evidence of TB. On univariate analysis, cavitation (p-value \u3c0.001), soft-tissue nodules (p-value 0.04), and endobronchial mucosal changes (p-value 0.02) were associated with culture positivity. Presence of cavitation (OR= 4.10; CI= 2.18,7.73; p-value\u3c0.001) was the only independent predictor of microbiological yield. Diagnostic yield was 70%, 50%, 12.5% and 8.6% in patients with definitely active, probably active, indeterminate and inactive tuberculosis HRCT features respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of HRCT active TB were 95.38% (95% CI 87.10 -99.04), 48.00 % (95% CI 39.78 -56.30), 44.29% (95% CI 40.31 -48.33), 96.00 % (95%CI 88.70 -98.66) respectively. There was no significant association between age groups, smoking status and gender with diagnosis of tuberculosis in our study. Radiological activity and certain visualized bronchoscopic changes were associated with good diagnostic performance and can be used as predictive factors in diagnosis of active smear negative tuberculosis

Association between long COVID and vaccination: A 12-month follow-up study in a low- to middle-income country

Objective: There is a lack of estimates regarding the at-risk population associated with long COVID in Pakistan due to the absence of prospective longitudinal studies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of long COVID and its association with disease severity and vaccination status of the patient.Design and data sources: This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital and recruited patients aged \u3e 18 years who were admitted between February 1 and June 7, 2021. During this time, 901 individuals were admitted, after excluding patients with missing data, a total of 481 confirmed cases were enrolled.Results: The mean age of the study population was 56.9±14.3 years. Among patients with known vaccination status (n = 474), 19%(n = 90) and 19.2%(n = 91) were fully and partially vaccinated, respectively. Severe/critical disease was present in 64%(n = 312). The mortality rate following discharge was 4.58%(n = 22). Around 18.9%(n = 91) of the population required readmission to the hospital, with respiratory failure (31.8%, n = 29) as the leading cause. Long COVID symptoms were present in 29.9%(n = 144), and these symptoms were more prevalent in the severe/critical (35.5%, n = 111) and unvaccinated (37.9%, n = 105) cohort. The most prominent symptoms were fatigue (26.2%, n = 126) and shortness of breath (24.1%, n = 116), followed by cough (15.2%, n = 73). Vaccinated as compared to unvaccinated patients had lower readmissions (13.8% vs. 21.51%) and post-COVID pulmonary complications (15.4% vs. 24.2%). On multivariable analysis, after adjusting for age, gender, co-morbidity, and disease severity, lack of vaccination was found to be an independent predictor of long COVID with an Odds ratio of 2.42(95% CI 1.52-3.84). Fully and partially vaccinated patients had 62% and 56% reduced risk of developing long COVID respectively.Conclusions: This study reports that the patients continued to have debilitating symptoms related to long COVID, one year after discharge, and most of its effects were observed in patients with severe/critical disease and unvaccinated patients

COVID-19 infection among vaccinated and unvaccinated: Does it make any difference?

Objective: There is a probability that vaccination may lead to reduction in the severity and complications associated with COVID-19 infection among hospitalized patients. This study aimed to determine the characteristics, clinical profiles, and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients.Design and data sources: This prospective observational cohort study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) and recruited COVID-19 patients admitted between June 1st and September 30th, 2021. Patients\u27 demographics, date of admission and discharge, comorbid conditions, immunization status for COVID-19 infection, presenting complaints, lab workup and computed tomography (CT) scan findings were obtained from the medical records. The primary outcome of the study was patients\u27 condition at discharge and the secondary outcomes included level of care, length of stay (LOS), requirement of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and inotropic support.Results: Among a cohort of 434 patients, 37.7% (n = 164), 6.6% (n = 29) and 55.5% (n = 241) were fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, and unvaccinated, respectively. Around 3% and 42.9% of the patient required inotropic and NIV support respectively; however, there was no discernible difference between them in terms of vaccination status. In case of unvaccinated patients there were significantly increased number of critical care admissions (p-value 0.043). Unvaccinated patients had significantly higher median serum procalcitonin, ferritin, LDH and D-dimer levels. Around 5.3% (n = 23) of the patient required invasive ventilation and it was more common in unvaccinated patients (p-value 0.04). Overall, mortality rate was 12.2% (n = 53) and this was higher (16.2%, n = 39) in unvaccinated patients as compared to fully vaccinated patients (6.1%, n = 10, p-value 0.006).Conclusions: Through this preliminary data, we can conclude that patient can develop severe and critical COVID-19 infection despite being vaccinated but this proportion is low as compared to unvaccinated population. So, uninterrupted endeavors need to be done to vaccinate as many individuals as possible. Furthermore, more effective vaccinations need to be developed to lessen the high death toll of COVID-19 infection

Clinical characteristics, outcome, and factors associated with mortality of pulmonary mucormycosis: A retrospective single-center study from Pakistan

Introduction and objective: Pulmonary mucormycosis is a rare but rapidly progressive fatal disease. Limited data exist on the outcomes and factors associated with poor prognosis of pulmonary mucormycosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical characteristics, factors associated with mortality, and outcomes of pulmonary mucormycosis at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Medical records of hospitalized patients diagnosed with proven or probable pulmonary mucormycosis between January 2018 and December 2022 were reviewed. Univariate and regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with mortality.Results: Fifty-three pulmonary mucormycosis patients (69.8% male) were included, with mean age of 51.19 ± 21.65 years. Diabetes mellitus was the most common comorbidity [n = 26 (49.1%)]. Chronic lung diseases were present in [n = 5 (9.4%)], and [n = 16 (30.2%)] had concurrent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. The predominant isolated Mucorales were Rhizopus [n = 32 (60.3%)] and Mucor species [n = 9 (17%)]. Main radiological findings included consolidation [n = 39 (73.6%)] and nodules [n = 14 (26.4%)]. Amphotericin B deoxycholate was prescribed in [n = 38 (71.7%)], and [n = 14 (26.4%)] of patients received combined medical and surgical treatment. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] hospital stay was 15.0 (10.0-21.5) days. Intensive care unit (ICU) care was required in [n = 30 (56.6%)] patients, with 26 (49.1%) needing mechanical ventilation. Overall mortality was seen in 29 (54.7%) patients. Significantly higher mortality was found among patients requiring mechanical ventilation 20/29 (69%, p = 0.002). Immunosuppression (p = 0.042), thrombocytopenia (p = 0.004), and mechanical ventilation (p = 0.018) were identified as risk factors for mortality on multivariable analysis.Conclusion: This study provides essential insights into the clinical characteristics, outcomes, and mortality factors associated with pulmonary mucormycosis. The mortality rate was high (54.7%), particularly in patients with immunosuppression, thrombocytopenia, and those who required mechanical ventilation