Demographic Characteristics of Syrian Patients Having Died in Hospital

Objective: Our study aims at reviewing the demographic characteristics of Syrian patients who presented to a state hospital in Sanliurfa, where the largest immigrant camp is located, and subsequently died.Material and Methods: Syrian patients who died after presenting to a state hospital in Sanliurfa between 2011-2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients’ age, gender, trauma status, reasons of death, and place of death (inside or outside the hospital) were examined in detail.Results: The study included a total of 1866 Syrian citizens who after being admitted to hospital were declared dead at the state hospital in Sanliurfa between 2011 and 2015. Of the patients, 43.7% (n=816) were female. The mean age of the patients was 61.16 ± 23.6 years (%95 CI: 60.08 - 62.23). Comparing the patients according to reasons of their death, while the groups varied depending on age, gender and traumatic injury (p<0.001, p=0.047, p<0.001, respectively), no difference was obtained between the groups according to presence of a firearm injury (p=0.290).Conclusion: There is no significant difference between in-hospital deaths and emergency service deaths of traumatic Syrian patients

Doxycycline induced Esophagitis

Esophagitis is a hazardous condition such as acid reflux of esophageal mucosa, infection, systemic diseases, radiation, drugs and trauma. Drug- induced esophagial injury (DIEI) is a disease with the use of variety of drugs that caused serious damage and ulcer in the mucosa of the esophagus. The most commonly implicated drugs are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), chloride and especially antibiotics. Thirty-six year-old female patient presented to the emergency department with odynophagia during swallowing and complaining of retrosternal pain. One week before 100 mg doxycycline (2x1 PO) for therapeutic abortion were prescribed. It was learned that in the third day of the initiation of medication, the patient\'s symptoms began and stopped using drug by the fourth day due to advers effect of drugs, but her symptoms didn&#146;t regressed although she didn&#146;t use them. Endoscopy appointment was taken, proton pump inhibitor and antiacid treatment was given, than patient was discharged from the emergency department. In the endoscopy, 20 mm segment esophageal ulcer was seen approximately in the 30.th cm of the esophagius. DIEI is a relatively common, although under-recognized, so this case was presented for remainding DIEI to emergency medicine personals and reweiving its diagnosis, treatment and follow-up

Woe patient is purple

Aim: Our purpose in presenting this case is to review the management of traumatic asphyxia with blunt thoracic trauma patients. Case: A 47 year-old male patient due to accident at work were brought to the emergency department with chest and abdominal pain. On physical examination face, upper extremities, 1/3 of both the proximal and the body to the level of the nipple with cyanosis, subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes was seen. At bed side echocardiography it wasn't seen pericardial effusion. At chest computed tomography there were pneumomediastenium, sternum fracture and pulmonary contusion. Patient was entubated and admitted to intensive care unit and followed. Conclusion: Traumatic asphyxia is a clinical condition caused by blunt thoracoabdominal trauma, and with good trauma management patients can be discharged with less mortality and morbidity. [Cukurova Med J 2014; 39(4.000): 914-917

Systematic Analysis of Theses in the Field of Emergency Medicine in Turkey

SUMMARY: Objectives: The aim of this study is to systematically evaluate the theses in the field of emergency medicine in Turkey and to determine whether they were published as a scientific paper. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. Theses in the field of emergency medicine between 1998 and 2013 were browsed from the internet database of National Thesis Center (Council of Higher Education). Study type, both if it was in the field of emergency, or if it was published and the journal's scope of published studies were assessed and recorded in the study chart. Results: 579 theses were included in the study. 27.1% of them were published and 14.9% of them were published in SCI/SCI-E journals. Advisors of theses were emergency medicine specialists in 67.6% of theses and 493 (85.1%) of them were in the field of emergency medicine. 77.4% of theses were observational and 20.9% were experimental study. Most of the experimental studies (72.7%, n=88) were animal studies. Conclusions: It was concluded that very few theses in the field of emergency medicine were published in journals that were indexed in SCI/SCI-E. Key words: Emergency medicine, systematic analysis, these

Eculizumab experience in an adult patient with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome is a disease characterized by nonimmune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and renal failure. In this study, we present a case of a patient with atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome treated successfully with eculizumab. A 20-year-old female was admitted with clinical signs of atypical hemolytic syndrome. The laboratory findings were as follows: hemoglobin 9.2 g/dL, platelet count 18 × 103/μL, creatinine 4.69 mg/dL, schistocytes were in peripheral blood smear, lactate dehydrogenase 2080 U/L, and emergency plasmapheresis procedure with fresh frozen plasma were initiated. The patient was anuric within 12 h of her admittance. ADAMTS13 activity was normal. Her mother’s cousin developed acute rejection immediately after receiving a renal transplant and died two months later. As she did not respond to the treatment and considering her family history, eculizumab was initiated which resulted in platelet counts starting to rise on day 5, and the patient no longer needed dialysis after 22 days