Complications of in-patient cerebral angiography: Comparison between patients with and without sub arachnoid haemorrhage

Objective: To compare complications of cerebral angiography among patients with and without subarachnoid haemorrhage.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of patients undergoing inpatient therapeutic and diagnostic cerebral angiographies from 2001 to 2010. The patients were divided into subarachnoid and non-subarachnoid haemorrhage groups. During the study period no modifications were made to the operational protocol and all patients were subjected to the same procedure and prophylactic care.Results: Of the 93 patients, 42(45.2%) were women and 51(54.8%) were men. The overall mean age was 45.27±16.15 years (range: 4-80 years). The comparison between the two groups regarding new onset of neurological deficit was statistically significant (p=0.001). However, the same comparison regarding drop in Glasgow Coma Scale was statistically not significant (p=0.073).Conclusions: The rate of neurological complications was higher in patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage

Transcatheter versus surgical closure of atrial septum defect: a debate from a developing country

Abstract INTRODUCTION: This study compares the effectiveness and cost of trans-catheter verses surgical closure of secundum atrial septumdefect (ASD). ASD accounts for 10% of congenital cardiac defects. Trans-catheter closure of secundum ASD is increasingly used as the primary intervention. Surgical repair is advised in a proportion of secundum type defects which are unsuitable for device closure. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical course of 176 patients who underwent closure of isolated secundum ASD. The patients were assigned to either the device or surgical group depending upon the treatment they received. Successful closure was assessed immediately after the procedure. The following outcomes were studied: mortality, morbidity, hospital stay, and costs. RESULTS: Ninety five patients were in the surgical group and 81 patients were in the group undergoing device closure. The median age was 14.0 years (range 1.1-61.0) for surgical group and 24.0 years (range 0.5-68.0) for the device group. The mortality in both groups was 0. The procedure success rate was 100% for the surgical group and 96.3% for the device group. The complication rate was 13.7% for surgical group and 7.4% for the device group. The mean length of hospital stay was 5.0 ± 2.7 days for surgical group and 3.0 ± 0.4 days for device group. The procedure cost for surgery was found to be 12.3% lower than that of trans-catheter closure. CONCLUSION: Successful closure is achieved by both methods. Trans-catheter closure results in lower rate of complication and hospital stay but the cost of the procedure tends to be higher than surgery

Adrenalectomy for solitary metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma post liver transplantation: case report and literature review

Abstract Liver transplantation (LT) is the treatment of choice for localized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with cirrhosis. Extra hepatic metastasis is the most common cause of death in these patients. There is very little evidence regarding the natural history and treatment options for patients developing HCC recurrence after LT. Surgical resection offers a unique opportunity for solitary metastasis. We report a 61 year old male with solitary right adrenal metastasis 15 months post LT which was managed with open adrenalectomy. The patient is alive and disease free 24 months after the surgery. The case, histo-pathological findings and literature review is discussed

Clinical outcome and cost effectiveness of early tracheostomy in isolated severe head injury patients

Background: Early tracheostomy (ET) has been shown to be effective in reducing complications associated with prolong mechanical ventilation. The study was carried out to evaluate the role of ET in reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, ICU-related morbidities, and its overall effect on outcome, in patients with isolated severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods: This 7-year review included 100 ICU patients with isolated severe TBI requiring mechanical ventilation. ET was defined as tracheostomy within 7 days of TBI, and prolonged endotracheal intubation (EI) as EI exceeding 7 days of TBI. Of 100 patients, 49 underwent ET and 51 remained on prolong EI for ventilation. All patients were comparable in term of age and initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). We evaluated groups regarding clinical outcome in terms of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), ICU stay, and Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS).Results: The frequency of VAP was higher in EI group relative to ET group (63% vs. 45%, P value 0.09). ET group showed significantly less ventilator days (10 days vs. 13 days, P value 0.031), ICU stay (11 days vs. 13 days, P value 0.030), complication rate (14% vs. 18%), and mortality (8.2% vs. 17.6%). Clinical outcome assessed on the basis of GOS was also better in the ET group. Total inpatient cost was also considerably less (USD $8027) in the ET group compared with the EI group (USD$9961).Conclusions: In patients with severe TBI, ET decreases total days of ventilation and ICU stay, and is associated with a decrease in the frequency of VAP. ET should be considered in severe head injury patients requiring prolong ventilatory support

Attitudes of medical students towards incentives offered by pharmaceutical companies -- perspective from a developing nation -- a cross-sectional study

Background: A training physician has his first interaction with a pharmaceutical representative during medical school. Medical students are often provided with small gifts such as pens, calendars and books, as well as free lunches as part of drug promotion offers. Ethical impact of these transactions as perceived by young medical students has not been investigated in Pakistan before. This study aimed to assess the association of socio-demographic variables with the attitudes of medical students towards pharmaceutical companies and their incentives.Methods: As part of a cross-sectional survey, a validated questionnaire previously used for assessing attitude of medical students towards pharmaceutical industry, was modified, pre-tested and distributed among consenting clinical year students at DUHS and AKU. Questions included acceptability of pharmaceutically sponsored gifts, events and tuition fee, and their impact on future prescription. Responses were graded as agree, disagree or neutral which were then scored according to the AMSA guidelines of ethical conduct.Results: Out of a total of 353 targeted students 303 responded, corresponding to a response rate of 85.8%. Responses indicated that 42.7% students believed in no interaction with drug companies during medical school. However, 81% of students favored pharmaceutical sponsorship of student-body events/seminars at medical colleges. More than one-third of the students were comfortable receiving gifts from drug companies. Overall, the results of this study offer an interesting comparison between the students of a private medical school (AKU) and a public medical school (DUHS); AKU students exhibited a greater degree of mistrust towards drug information provided by pharmaceutical companies compared to DUHS students (p=0.040). Furthermore, when asked if there was a need to incorporate guidelines in the undergraduate curriculum with regard to interaction with drug companies, 84.2% students at AKU agreed, compared to 54.9% at DUHS. Medical student Attitude Scores are more or less similar to each other independent of their various demographical differences.CONCLUSION: This study highlights that medical students in our population have a high level of acceptability towards incentives offered by pharmaceutical industry and that formal guidance regarding the subject should be incorporated into medical curriculum

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

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

Transcatheter Versus Surgical Closure of Atrial Septum Defect: A Debate from a Developing Country

Introduction: This study compares the effectiveness and cost of trans-catheter verses surgicalclosure of secundum atrial septum defect (ASD). ASD accounts for 10% of congenital cardiacdefects. Trans-catheter closure of secundum ASD is increasingly used as the primary intervention.Surgical repair is advised in a proportion of secundum type defects which are unsuitable fordevice closure.Methods: We reviewed the clinical course of 176 patients who underwent closure of isolatedsecundum ASD. The patients were assigned to either the device or surgical group depending uponthe treatment they received. Successful closure was assessed immediately after the procedure. Thefollowing outcomes were studied: mortality, morbidity, hospital stay, and costs.Results: Ninety five patients were in the surgical group and 81 patients were in the groupundergoing device closure. The median age was 14.0 years (range 1.1-61.0) for surgical groupand 24.0 years (range 0.5-68.0) for the device group. The mortality in both groups was 0. Theprocedure success rate was 100% for the surgical group and 96.3% for the device group. Thecomplication rate was 13.7% for surgical group and 7.4% for the device group. The mean lengthof hospital stay was 5.0 ± 2.7 days for surgical group and 3.0 ± 0.4 days for device group. Theprocedure cost for surgery was found to be 12.3% lower than that of trans-catheter closure.Conclusion: Successful closure is achieved by both methods. Trans-catheter closure results inlower rate of complication and hospital stay but the cost of the procedure tends to be higherthan surgery

Comparison of irrigation versus no irrigation during burr hole evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma

Objective: To compare the results of the use of irrigation versus no irrigation during burr hole evacuation of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH).Methodology: The study was a retrospective chart review of those patients who underwent burr hole evacuation of CSDH during a period of 5 years. Cases were divided into two groups based on the use of irrigation during surgery. A subdural drain was placed in all patients (i.e., in both the irrigation and no-irrigation groups) and removed 24 to 48 hours postoperatively.Results: The total sample size was 56, of which 34 patients were in the irrigation group and 22 in the no-irrigation group. Recurrence rate was 17.6% in the irrigation group and 9.1% in the no-irrigation group (p = 0.46). Systemic complications were predominantly cardiac related in the no-irrigation group compared with respiratory complications in the irrigation group. The irrigation group had a mortality rate of 5.9% compared with 4.5% in the no-irrigation group (p = 0.66).Conclusion: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of recurrence or mortality

Deceased-donor organ transplantation: knowledge and attitudes among health care professionals managing critically ill patients in Karachi

Objectives: Adequate knowledge and positive attitudes of health care professionals regarding deceased-donor organ transplants lead to higher donation consent rates. This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes of health care professionals toward this issue in the light of recent organ transplant legislation in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Health care professionals in critical care areas of 2 hospitals in Karachi were selected (n=243) and asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their knowledge and attitudes toward deceased-donor organ transplants. Results: In all, 58.8% of the participants were physicians and 41.2% were nurses; 91.4% correctly identified brain death; 51.5% expressed support for deceased-donor organ transplants; 56.8% had concerns of religious rulings against deceased organ donation; 67.5% felt that a government body could not run such a system fairly; 56.4% of the respondents would consider receiving a deceased-donor organ if needed, but only 35.3% would donate after their own death. Only 42.7% and 37% were willing to approach patients and families for consent for a deceased-donor organ transplant, respectively. Most of those unwilling felt that the patient could refuse, become upset and aggressive, and lose trust in the health care professionals. Conclusions: Before implementing a deceased-donor organ transplant system in hospitals, health care professionals should attend a training program regarding their concerns. This would increase motivation when approaching patients/patients’ families for consent, thus increasing deceased-donor consent rates