Familiarity of Physicians and Nurses with Different Aspects of Oxygen Therapy; a Brief Report

Introduction: Oxygen is a drug and physician and nurses should be familiar with the effects and potential risks of oxygen therapy. The current study aimed to assess familiarity of physicians and nurses with various aspects of oxygen therapy.Method: In this cross sectional study, the familiarity of physicians and nurses with various aspects of oxygen therapy in a teaching hospital was evaluated using a validated questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21 software.Results: 57 physicians and 79 nurses returned the completed questionnaire (response rate 97.1%). Mean clinical work experience of participants was 6.9±5.7 (1–15) years.98.2% of physicians believed that oxygen therapy can be associated with risk and should be recorded in the patient's medical file. These measures were 92.4% and 98.2% for nurses. 38 (27.9%) participants correctly pointed out the reasons for oxygen therapy. Regarding necessary measurements and monitoring for oxygen therapy, 49 (86%) physicians and 65 (82.3%) nurses chose the correct answer. In addition, regarding necessity of blood gas analysis during oxygen therapy, 44 (77.2%) physicians and 55 (69.6%) nurses chose the correct answer.Conclusion: The findings showed that the familiarity level of participants with some aspects of O2 therapy such as its indications, necessary measurements and monitoring during therapy, and identifying delivery devices was fair to weak (<80%)

Demographic Assessment of Burn Injuries in Iranian Patients

Objective: This study investigated the demographic characteristics and factors influencing burn injuries,primarily in low socioeconomic societies where such incidents are prevalent due to factors such as illiteracyand poverty.Methods: This cross-sectional study included all burn patients admitted to Shahid Motahari Hospital inTehran, Iran. Demographic data such as age, sex, occupation, education level, and residence as well as detailedinformation about the burn incidents such as date, time, location, number of people present at the scene, andreferral place was collected. Additionally, comprehensive burn details such as cause, extent, severity, previoushistory, and need for hospitalization directly at the emergency department were documented.Results: The study included 2213 patients (mean age 34.98±19.41 years; range 1-96), with a men predominance(60.6%). The majority of burns (64.4%) occurred at home, primarily due to accidents (99.6%), with boilingwater being the most common cause (39.2%). The most frequent burns were second-degree burns (91.8%),with an average injured body area of 6.31±6.67%. There were significant correlations between burn severityand demographic factors such as age, sex, occupation, cause of burn, hospital admission, outcome, and lengthof stay. Remarkably, the extent of burns was negatively correlated with the distance to the hospital, whilepositively correlated with the length of hospital stay.Conclusion: Burn injuries were significantly influenced by demographic factors. Enhancing treatment facilitiesand reducing the time and distance to medical care could be crucial in high-risk cases

Twin pregnant woman with COVID-19: a case report

A Case of pregnant woman (G2Ab1, twin pregnancy with microinjection, Gestational Age 23 weeks and 3 days) referred to our center with a complaints of fever and dry cough and dyspnea. She was admitted with a diagnosis of COVID-19. During the hospitalization, O2 saturation progressively decreased, which led to patient get intubate. Gradual recovery with treatment occurred and the patient was extubed. Unfortunately, she was intubated again due to decreased O2 saturation, 5 days later. Liver enzymes increased, then both fetuses died intrauterine, the cardiac output then declined to 10% and the mother died within hours

Study of the Neuroprotective Effects of Memantine in Patients with Mild to Moderate Ischemic Stroke

Abstract Ischemic stroke is amongst the top four causes of mortality and the leading cause of disability in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a high dose memantine on neurological function of patients with ischemic stroke. In a randomized, 2 armed, open-label study, patients with mild to moderate cerebral thromboembolic event (CTEE) who admitted to Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, during preceding 24 hours, entered the study. Patients allocated in two study groups of memantine (as add-on therapy) and control. All patients were managed based on the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) guidelines. Patients in memantine group received conventional treatment plus memantine 20 mg TID. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was determined and recorded daily. The primary objective was comparison of the changes in NIHSS in the study groups at day 1 and day 5 of intervention. Significance level of p<0.05 was considered for statistical analysis. Patients were randomly allocated in control (15 women and 14 men, age 70.78 ± 10.92 years) and memantine (16 women and 8 men, age 73.33 ± 9.35 years) groups. There were no significant differences in age and sex distribution of two study groups as well as in comorbidities and concurrent drugs. NIHSS changes were significantly different between control (1.24 ± 0.96) and memantine group (2.96 ± 0.1), (p < 0.0001). Our results reveal that memantine added to standard treatment of CTEE could result in a remarkable decrease in the NIHSS confirming improvement of the neurological function of the patients

A survey of demographic properties of patients who died in intensive care units and their association with the death hour

Introduction: Poor sleep hygiene and the hour of changing shifts are among the most important factors which affect the quality of services in the intensive care unit. The present study aimed to investigate the demographic properties of patients who died in the intensive care unit and their association with their death hour. Materials and methods: As a cross-sectional study, this study was performed by referring to the Statistics Center of Hazrat Rasool Akram Hospital and collecting the demographic information of dead patients at 12 intensive care units in this hospital. This information includes age, sex, the cause of death, and the exact time of death of these patients. Results: In this study, the rate of mortality in intensive care units was assessed as follows; from 12 pm to 2 am (14.48%), from 2 am to 4 (5.49%), from 4 to 6 am (8.99%), from 6 to 8 am (11.32%), from 8 to 10 am (6.79%), from 10 am to 12 noon (8.03%), from 12 to 14 (6.04%), from 14 to 16 (6.93%), from 16 to 18 (7.41%), from 18 to 20 (9.47%), from 20 to 22 (8.1%), and from 22 to 24 hours (6.93%). The highest rate of mortality was between 12–2 AM and then 6–8 AM. In this study, a significant rate of deaths occurred during the night and the lowest rate was during normal work hours and in fact during the morning hours of visiting patients. Conclusion: Since the highest rate of mortality was during night hours, during the hours of changing shifts, and at the beginning of midnight, the mortality rate could be decreased with the decrement in staff's working hours and paying more attention to patients during these hours, the overall mortality rate of patients could be decreased in ICU units. Resumen: Introducción: La mala higiene del sueño y el horario de cambio de turno se encuentran entre los factores más importantes que afectan la calidad de los servicios en la unidad de cuidados intensivos. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar las propiedades demográficas de los pacientes que fallecieron en la unidad de cuidados intensivos y su asociación con la hora de su muerte. Materiales y Métodos: Como estudio transversal, este estudio se realizó remitiendo al Centro de Estadísticas del Hospital Hazrat Rasool Akram y recopilando la información demográfica de los pacientes fallecidos en 12 unidades de cuidados intensivos de este hospital. Esta información incluye la edad, el sexo, la causa de la muerte y la hora exacta de la muerte de estos pacientes. Resultados: En este estudio, la tasa de mortalidad en las unidades de cuidados intensivos se evaluó de la siguiente manera; de 12 a 2 am (14,48%), de 2 a 4 am (5,49%), de 4 a 6 am (8,99%), de 6 a 8 am (11,32%), de 8 a 10 am (6,79%), de 10 a 12 horas (8,03%), de 12 a 14 (6,04%), de 14 a 16 (6,93%), de 16 a 18 (7,41%), de 18 a 20 (9,47%), de 20 a 22 (8,1%), y de 22 a 24 horas (6,93%). La tasa más alta de mortalidad fue entre las 12 y las 2 de la mañana y luego entre las 6 y las 8 de la mañana. En este estudio, una tasa significativa de muertes ocurrió durante la noche y la tasa más baja fue durante las horas normales de trabajo y, de hecho, durante las horas de la mañana de visita a los pacientes. Conclusión: Étant donné que le taux de mortalité le plus élevé était pendant les heures de nuit, pendant les heures de changement de poste et au début de minuit, le taux de mortalité pourrait être diminué avec la diminution des heures de travail du personnel et en accordant plus d'attention aux patients pendant ces heures, l'ensemble le taux de mortalité des patients pourrait être diminué dans les unités de soins intensifs

Evaluation of clinical features of snakebite in patients referred to Razi Hospital in Qaemshahr City

Background: Snakebites are one of the most important health issues globally that cause morbidity, discomfort, and even death. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features of snakebite in patients referred to Razi Hospital in Ghaemshahr city. Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 325 snakebite patients admitted to Razi Hospital in Qaemshahr city between the years 2014 and 2019 were studied. All information was extracted from patients' medical records. SPSS software version 25 was used to analyze the data. Results: Patients ranged in age from 9 to 71 years with a mean of 36.6±10.7 years. 238 cases (73.2%) were male and 87 cases (26.8%) were female. The highest frequency of bites with 162 cases (49.8%) was related to the lower extremities and summer with 122 cases (37.5%) had the highest frequency of bites. The highest frequency of local symptoms was related to bruising (17.8%), erythema (16.9%), and pain (15.7%), and the highest frequency of systemic symptoms were related to weakness (24%), and sweating (14.2%). For 88.2% of cases, antivenom was used. 33.8% of the patients received antibiotics, mostly ciprofloxacin+clindamycin. Conclusion: The results obtained in this study showed that common local complications in patients included bruising, erythema, and edema and systemic complications such as weakness, subcutaneous bleeding, and sweating. Antivenom was used for most of the cases and no deaths were reported. Also, unscientific actions such as incision and suction are still performed in cases that require more awareness and training. Resumen: Antecedentes: Las mordeduras de serpientes son uno de los problemas de salud más importantes a nivel mundial que causan morbilidad, malestar e incluso la muerte. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las características clínicas de la mordedura de serpiente en pacientes remitidos al Hospital Razi en la ciudad de Ghaemshahr. Métodos: En este estudio descriptivo transversal, se estudiaron 325 pacientes con mordedura de serpiente ingresados en el Hospital Razi en la ciudad de Qaemshahr entre los años 2014 a 2019. Toda la información se extrajo de las historias clínicas de los pacientes. Se utilizó el software SPSS versión 25 para analizar los datos. Resultados: Los pacientes tenían edades comprendidas entre 9 y 71 años con una media de 36,6±10,7 años. 238 casos (73,2%) eran hombres y 87 casos (26,8%) eran mujeres. La mayor frecuencia de mordeduras con 162 casos (49,8%) estuvo relacionada con las extremidades inferiores y verano con 122 casos (37,5%) tuvo la mayor frecuencia de mordeduras. La mayor frecuencia de síntomas locales se relacionó con hematomas (17,8%), eritema (16,9%) y dolor (15,7%), y la mayor frecuencia de síntomas sistémicos se relacionó con debilidad (24%) y sudoración (14,2%). En el 88,2% de los casos se utilizó antiveneno. El 33,8% de los pacientes recibieron antibióticos, en su mayoría ciprofloxacino + clindamicina. Conclusión: Los resultados obtenidos en este estudio mostraron que las complicaciones locales comunes en los pacientes incluyeron hematomas, eritemas y edemas y complicaciones sistémicas como debilidad, sangrado subcutáneo y sudoración. Se usó antiveneno en la mayoría de los casos y no se informaron muertes. Además, todavía se realizan acciones no científicas como la incisión y la succión en casos que requieren más conciencia y capacitación