Assessment of risk factors for surgical site infection following caesarean section

Background: Assessment of surgical site infection is an important factor to determine the functioning of the health care system. Objectives of this study was to estimate the incidence of surgical site infection among caesarean section cases and to determine the risk factors associated with surgical site infection and comparison with patients having healthy wounds.Methods: One thousand pregnant women who underwent caesarean section were divided into two groups: Group 1 (cases): Those who had SSI within 30 days of caesarean section and Group 2 (controls): Those who didn’t have SSI.Results: Mean age of group I was 25.35±4.40 and 21.12±3.60 years in group II (p >0.05). Mean gestational age of group I cases was 38.07±1.88 weeks and in group II, it was 38.17±2.06 weeks (p >0.05). A total of 37 (82.5%) women in group I and 931 (96.98%) women in group II underwent emergency caesarean section (p <0.05). In group I, mean duration of surgery was 1.0±0.13 hours and 1.02±0.21 hours in group II (p <0.05). Maximum number of patients i.e. 22 (55%) had wound discharge between 4-7 days followed by 11 (27.5%) between 8-10 days. Mean wound discharge was 7.32±3.45 days in group I. Majority of women, i.e. 27 (67%) found to be sterile in the present study followed by 7 (17.5%) women were found to have staphylococcus aureus.      Mean duration of resuturing was 17.42±6.98 days.  Mean baby weight in group I was 2.72±0.53 kg and in group II it was 2.95±0.53 kg (p <0.001).Conclusions: Risk of developing SSI after caesarean section is multi-factorial and found to be influenced by emergency surgery, PROM, pre-operative anaemia, multiple vaginal examinations, interrupted skin suturing, raised BMI, nulliparity, emergency caesarean, duration of surgery

Stunted root development: a rare dental complication of Stevens-Johnson syndrome

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe cutaneous reaction seen rarely in clinical practice. Most often, it occurs as an adverse reaction to certain drugs. When it affects children at a very young age, arrested tooth root development may also be seen. We present a case of a 13 year old boy who suffered from SJ syndrome at the age of 7 years. Incomplete root development was observed in all teeth, as demonstrated by panaromic radiography. Clinical features of this condition and its management are further discussed. We aim to emphasise on the need for dental practitioners to be aware of the potential dental complications of SJS and enable them to recognise and manage the condition at the earliest so as to avoid any undesirable sequelae

Significance of Periodontal Health in Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia- A Case Report and Review of Literature

Primary immune thrombocytopenia is an acquired bleeding disorder with no clinically apparent cause of thrombocytopenia. Clinical indicators of ITP include easy bruising of the skin, prolonged bleeding on injury, mucocutaneous lesions such as petechiae and ecchymosis, epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, hematuria and bleeding from the gums. It is important for a dentist to be aware of the clinical manifestations of ITP as it may not only lead to successful management of the patient, but in some cases it may even lead to formation of a provisional diagnosis of the condition in previously undetected cases. However, very few cases of ITP have been reported in dental practice making it difficult for a dentist to identify the disorder when a patient suffering from ITP reports for dental treatment. A case report of a female patient with ITP is thus described with emphasis on the importance of periodontal health in such patients to prevent consequent unwanted sequelae. It is followed by discussion of oral manifestations of the disorder and dental management of such patients