Impact of body temperature and serum procalcitonin on the outcomes of critically ill neurological patients

AbstractIntroductionFever is common in patients with acute stroke, and mostly it is due to infectious complications. The neurologic effects of fever are significant, increased temperature in the post-injury period has been associated with increased cytokine activity and increased infarct size.AimTo test the hypothesis that fever and increased serum procalcitonin are associated with poor outcomes after neurological injury.MethodologyFifty patients (30 males (60%) and 20 females (40%) mean 43.8±11.7years) were divided into two groups: Group I: 25 traumatic patients (i.e., head injury) and Group II: 25 non-traumatic patients (i.e., stroke). Temperature was measured from admission until the patients were discharged or died, and PCT was measured on day 1 of admission and after 48h of admission.ResultsFever has been associated with poor outcome, as fever is linked to worse GCS scores (12.6±1.2 vs. 7.7±2.6 in patients with fever, P 0.001), longer MV durations (3.6±1.0 vs. 22.4±9.1days, in patients with fever, P 0.001), longer ICU length of stay (8.1±4.7 vs. 23.0±8.0days in patients with fever, P 0.001) and increased mortality (P=0.001). There were significantly higher PCT levels in the mortality group versus the survived group at day 1 (4.15±0.82 vs. 2.47±0.059ng/ml, respectively, P 0.0001) and after 48h of admission (5.20±1.14 vs. 3.19±0.092ng/ml, respectively, P 0.0001).ConclusionFever had a strong link to worse GCS, longer MV durations, increased length of ICU stay, higher mortality rates and worse overall outcomes in neurocritical patients. High PCT levels can predict mortality in those patients

Characterization of greater middle eastern genetic variation for enhanced disease gene discovery

The Greater Middle East (GME) has been a central hub of human migration and population admixture. The tradition of consanguinity, variably practiced in the Persian Gulf region, North Africa, and Central Asia1-3, has resulted in an elevated burden of recessive disease4. Here we generated a whole-exome GME variome from 1,111 unrelated subjects. We detected substantial diversity and admixture in continental and subregional populations, corresponding to several ancient founder populations with little evidence of bottlenecks. Measured consanguinity rates were an order of magnitude above those in other sampled populations, and the GME population exhibited an increased burden of runs of homozygosity (ROHs) but showed no evidence for reduced burden of deleterious variation due to classically theorized ‘genetic purging’. Applying this database to unsolved recessive conditions in the GME population reduced the number of potential disease-causing variants by four- to sevenfold. These results show variegated genetic architecture in GME populations and support future human genetic discoveries in Mendelian and population genetics

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Histogram bandwidth is a better predictor than Echocardiographic Tissue Doppler peak systolic velocity for Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy response

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare degree of left ventricular dyssynchrony as assessed with phase analysis from Gated myocardial perfusion SPECT (GMPS) to that assessed with Echocardiographic Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) in patients with left ventricular EF <35%, QRS complex >120 ms. Patients & methodology: 30 patients were included, all scheduled for CRT. TDI was measured as standard deviation of time to peak systolic velocity in 6 basal segments. Gated SPECT TC-99m sestamibi acquisition was performed, software phase analysis parameters is histogram bandwidth which include 95% of the element of the phase distribution. Study population was divided into two groups: responders and non-responders according to increase of at least 15% of LVEF after 3 months. Results: ROC analysis was done to reveal that Phase analysis parameter acted in better way to predict CRT response with histogram bandwidth 55.5° Area Under Curve (AUC) 68.9% sensitivity 87% specificity 42.9% positive predictive value (PPV) 83.3% negative predictive value (NPV) 50% compared to TDI sensitivity 52.25%, specificity 71.4% PPV 85.7% NPV 31.3% When applying histogram bandwidth cutoff 55.5° dyssynchrony was illustrated in 20 (87%) patients in comparison to 14 (60%) patients with Echo TDI, there was significant difference in sensitivity of histogram bandwidth compared to TDI with p value 0.043. Conclusion: Histogram bandwidth of GMPS Tc99m sestamibi may be more predictive of significant response to CRT as compared to TDI