Hypokalemia in hospitalized patients in tertiary care teaching hospital Belagavi, Karnataka, India: a retrospective study

Background: Hypokalemia is well known condition in which serum potassium levels falls less than the normal level (normal range 3.5 to 5.1mmol/L). It has adverse effect on cardiac rhythm, blood pressure.1 The objective of the study was to look for causes and associated factors of hypokalemia.Methods: Patients age, sex, potassium value and primary diagnosis of hypokalemia patients collected from tertiary care teaching hospital retrospectively. Hypokalemia patients are classified based on the severity of hypokalemia, age, sex and primary diagnosis. Results: Study reveals that both males and females are equally affected by hypokalemia, individuals with age between 40 to 60 are most affected and less than 20 are least affected by hypokalemia.Conclusions: Hypokalemia is significantly associated with gastrointestinal and genitourinary disorders when compared with other disorders

Stellate ganglion block for persistent idiopathic facial pain

Persistent idiopathic facial pain is a facial pain disorder without any identifiable cause. A patient has persistent facial pain without any objective sign on clinical examination or investigations. There are associated psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. This condition is poorly responsive to therapy with anticonvulsants or analgesics. Stellate ganglion block interrupts the sympathetic supply to head, neck, and upper extremities. This block can be used to alleviate pain of sympathetic origin in head and neck region as well as upper extremities. We report a case of a middle-aged female with persistent idiopathic facial pain on the right side of face with no response to analgesics and anticonvulsants. Her pain was provoked by exposure to cold weather or wind. Assuming a sympathetic component to her pain, we did a right-sided stellate ganglion block for her with local anesthetic and steroid. The patient had significant pain relief (>80%) after the block. This indicates that the sympathetic nervous system plays a major role in initiation and perpetuation of this pain condition. Stellate ganglion block can be done early in such patients both as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality

Evaluation of knowledge, attitude, and practices of nurses regarding pain management in tertiary care hospitals of Pune, India

Aim: Nurses are the point of contact for patients admitted in hospital wards. Nurse's deal with all complaints of the patients, most common being pain. Hospitalised patients can suffer from pain due to various causes like post-operative, infection, malignancy, trauma, iatrogenic causes like i.v. cannulation, catheters etc. Proper management of pain in such patients improves patient experience and doctor-patient relationship. The knowledge and attitude of nurses regarding pain management affects the overall patient experience in hospital. We conducted a survey among nurses of tertiary care hospital (including government and private hospitals) in Pune regarding their knowledge, attitude and practices in pain management. Our questionnaire consisted of 20 questions relating to knowledge, attitude and practices of nurses in pain management. Material and Method: A survey was conducted among 248 nurses of tertiary care hospital (including government and private hospitals) in Pune regarding their knowledge (6 questions), attitude (5 questions) and practices (7 questions) in pain management using a questionnaire. Statistical Analysis: Questionnaire comprised all categorical answers hence descriptive statistics (percentage values) of all the individual categories was calculated. Results: Our survey revealed deficiency in nowledge, attitude and practices of nurses regarding basics of pain management, especially cancer pain and opioid use. Conclusion: This study has brought to light the deficiency in nursing curriculum or training regarding basics of pain management specifically cancer pain and opioid use

Successful use of botulinum toxin a in intractable, severe muscle spasms in spinal cord injury: A case report

Botulinum toxin is a protein produced by Clostridium botulinum, which inhibits muscle contraction by transiently blocking the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction. At a neuromuscular junction, the toxin inactivates some of the fusion proteins, such as SNAP-25, syntaxin, or synaptobrevin, which are essential for cellular function. This process involves the temporary inhibition of presynaptic acetylcholine release; consequently, its effects are restricted to motor neurons that depend on the cholinergic transmission (muscular plate, gland innervating cells). Injections of botulinum toxin A have been shown to be useful in the treatment of etiologically diverse types of muscle spasms. Ultrasonography (USG) has been used as a guide for confirming muscle fasciculations and also is an effective tool for confirming precise needle positioning and correct drug placement. We describe a case of a 25-year-old man with meningomyelocele and paraparesis with painful muscle spasms in bilateral thighs treated by USG-guided botulinum toxin injection

Attitude towards learning communication skill among dental interns in Davanagere City: A cross-sectional survey

Background: Current education systems including dental education are focusing on communication, leadership, and team-building skills; hence, it is imperative to understand the students' perspectives and willingness to learn communication skills during their professional course. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the attitude towards learning communication skill among dental interns in Davanagere city. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey in a dental college setting was conducted among 125 dental interns of Davanagere city. Data were collected pertaining to age, gender, academic performance in the final-year BDS, self-perceived level of communicating skill, and attitude towards learning communication skill using a pretested study pro forma and Dental Communication Skills, Attitude Scale questionnaire. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics were generated in terms of percentages and mean attitude scores. Student's unpaired t-test, one-way ANOVA test, and Pearson's correlation test were used for the analysis of data. The significant level was set at P 0.05) in the mean attitude scores between males and females. Dental interns' attitude towards learning communication skill was not related to their self-reported communication skill and academic performance (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Dental interns had a high positive attitude towards learning communication skill which were not related with their self-reported communication skill and academic performance