Editorial
Akash Singhal; Anil Kapoor
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 19 February 2022
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been universal and swift inits spread. As orthopaedic surgeons, for the most of us this timeframe has reduced ouractivity to emergency and trauma cases only, with virtual outpatient clinics and no electivesurgeries. With some of the common deformity ...
Read More
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been universal and swift inits spread. As orthopaedic surgeons, for the most of us this timeframe has reduced ouractivity to emergency and trauma cases only, with virtual outpatient clinics and no electivesurgeries. With some of the common deformity problems including clubfoot etc, whichcomprises a large number of children in the developing world, the management has beendeferred, without any regional and national guidelines being framed. Updated guidelinesrelating to the management of clubfoot patients, in which parents can safely consultwith the orthopaedic surgeon and physical rehabilitation specialists will allow them tocope with this unprecedented situation. We revisit the current scenario and the possiblemanagement protocol in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.
Letter to Editor
Emergency medicine
Ganesh Singh Dharmshaktu; Tanuja Pangtey
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 01 June 2022
Abstract
A 52-year-old male presented with atraumatic left side calf swelling for the last three months. The swelling had acute onset and increased gradually in size. He had a history of rheumatoid arthritis with treatment options limited to physiotherapy sessions and pain medication as he could not continue ...
Read More
A 52-year-old male presented with atraumatic left side calf swelling for the last three months. The swelling had acute onset and increased gradually in size. He had a history of rheumatoid arthritis with treatment options limited to physiotherapy sessions and pain medication as he could not continue disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs regularly. There was no history of co-morbidities like hypertension, tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus or bleeding diathesis. He neglected the swelling initially due to mild pain and little impact on activities of daily living till swelling increased to be apparent.
Review Article
Infectious disease
Mojtaba Miladinia; Farhad Abolnezhadian; Joachim G. Voss; Kourosh Zarea; Naser Hatamzadeh; Mandana Ghanavati
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 23 September 2020
Abstract
Objective: Final patient triage determines which patients can be home-isolated andwhich patients require hospitalization on the basis to predict the patient’s prognosismost accurately. Final triage is an important link in the clinical management chain of thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, ...
Read More
Objective: Final patient triage determines which patients can be home-isolated andwhich patients require hospitalization on the basis to predict the patient’s prognosismost accurately. Final triage is an important link in the clinical management chain of thecoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and a comprehensive review of variouspatient triage methods is very important to guide decision making and triage efficiency.Decision by clinicians about hospitalization or home-discharge is one of the main challengesin places with limited hospital facilities compared to the high volume of COVID-19 patients.This review was designed to guide clinicians on how to address this challenge.Methods: In this mini review we searched scientific databases to obtain the final triagemethods of COVID-19 patients and the important criteria in each method. In order toconducted searches a period from December 2019 to July 2020 was considered. All searcheswere done in electronic databases and search engines.Results: Findings revealed four current methods for final triage (decision-making regardinghome-isolation or hospitalization of COVID-19 patients). These methods included 1)demographic and background information, 2) clinical information, 3) laboratory indicatorsand 4) initial chest CT-scan. Each of the aforementioned methods encompassed significantcriteria according to which decisions on the patient’s prognosis and final triage were made.Finally, by evaluating each final triage method, we found that each method had somelimitations.Conclusion: An effective and quick final triage requires simultaneous complementary useof all four methods to compensate for each other’s weaknesses and add to each other’sstrengths. It is therefore suggested to assure that clinicians are trained in all four COVID-19patient’s triage methods and their useful criteria in order to achieve evidence-basedperformance for better triage (decision between home-isolation versus hospitalization).
Editorial
Infectious disease
Akash Singhal; Anil Kapoor
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 19 February 2022
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been universal and swift in its spread. As orthopaedic surgeons, for the most of us this timeframe has reduced our activity to emergency and trauma cases only, with virtual outpatient clinics and no elective surgeries. With some of the common deformity ...
Read More
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been universal and swift in its spread. As orthopaedic surgeons, for the most of us this timeframe has reduced our activity to emergency and trauma cases only, with virtual outpatient clinics and no elective surgeries. With some of the common deformity problems including clubfoot etc, which comprises a large number of children in the developing world, the management has been deferred, without any regional and national guidelines being framed. Updated guidelines relating to the management of clubfoot patients, in which parents can safely consult with the orthopaedic surgeon and physical rehabilitation specialists will allow them to cope with this unprecedented situation. We revisit the current scenario and the possible management protocol in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Raheleh Faramarzi; Mohammad Davood Sharifi; Elnaz Vafadar Moradi; Behnaz Alizadeh
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 20 October 2020
Abstract
Objective: Partial dislocation of radius head (pulled elbow) is the most common trauma observed in out-patient orthopedic treatment of children. The typical mechanism of this trauma includes exertion of longitudinal force along the forearm in a pronation position, causing partial dislocation of the radius ...
Read More
Objective: Partial dislocation of radius head (pulled elbow) is the most common trauma observed in out-patient orthopedic treatment of children. The typical mechanism of this trauma includes exertion of longitudinal force along the forearm in a pronation position, causing partial dislocation of the radius head.Methods: This Retrospective descriptive and cross-sectional study was undertaken on patients referring to the emergency ward of Imam Reza hospital of Mashhad with typical history of partial dislocation of radius head (pulled elbow). The present study was conducted between March 20, 2018 and March 20, 2019. Based on the number of patients at the emergency ward, the sample size was determined to be 80. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to describe the collected data.Results: From among 80 children diagnosed with partial radius bone dislocation, 66.23% were girls and 33.77% were boys. The age range of patients was 28.08 months for girls and 31.04 months for boys. Findings also showed that 32 patients had a history of recent respiratory infection within 1 week before the pulled elbow incident.Conclusion: Findings revealed that, similar to previous studies, the pulled elbow injury was more common in girls than in boys. Successful reduction in first and second attempts, notwithstanding the maneuvers used indicated that the success rate of first attempts at reduction was 93%. The history of recent respiratory infections during 1 week before the injury was taken into account, where 40% of the children had some history of such respiratory infections.
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Mohammad Mohammadi; Abdolghani Abdollahimohammad; Mohammadreza Firouzkouhi; Maryam Shivanpour
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 03 December 2021
Abstract
Objective: Pre-hospital emergency staff are involved in the front line of care for COVID-19 patients and face many challenges. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges of prehospital emergency staff in the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This qualitative research was conducted with a descriptive ...
Read More
Objective: Pre-hospital emergency staff are involved in the front line of care for COVID-19 patients and face many challenges. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges of prehospital emergency staff in the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: This qualitative research was conducted with a descriptive phenomenological approach. Purposeful sampling was applied and data collection was done through semi-structured interviews. Participants consisted of 16 pre-hospital emergency staff. Data analysis was performed using the Colaizzi approach.Results: Data analysis revealed five main themes including safety against COVID-19, knowledge deficit, fear and worry, challenges of transporting patients to the hospital, and selflessness.Conclusion: Pre-hospital emergency staff face many problems in personal, professional, equipment and cultural fields in the COVID-19 epidemic. In this regard, special attention from health systems is mandatory.
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Rahul Chaurasia; Naveen Akhtar; Subramanian Arulselvi; Vedanand Arya; Sulekha Karjee
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 20 December 2021
Abstract
Objective: Type and crossmatch (TC) policy is the most common approach for pretransfusion compatibility testing prior to issue of blood for transfusion. As it involvesreserving of the blood units (usually up to 72 hours) prior to issue or un-reserving, it can leadto excessive blood cross matching, inventory ...
Read More
Objective: Type and crossmatch (TC) policy is the most common approach for pretransfusion compatibility testing prior to issue of blood for transfusion. As it involvesreserving of the blood units (usually up to 72 hours) prior to issue or un-reserving, it can leadto excessive blood cross matching, inventory management problems, undue workload,blood outdating and reagent wastage. Type and screen (TS) policy is an alternativeapproach without the need to cross match and reserve blood units prior to issue. The aimof the current study was to retrospectively assess the impact of the implementation of TSpolicy for pre-transfusion compatibility testing on blood transfusion services at an urbanlevel Ι trauma center.Methods: The study was done in two phases in the Department of Transfusion Medicineat Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center AIIMS, New Delhi, India. Transfusion data wascollected and compared during two phases: initial phase (Oct 2016-Mar 2017) of TC policyand second phase (Apr 2017-Sept 2017) of TS policy.Results: TS policy resulted in the reduction of C:T ratio from 5.3 to 1.9. Transfusionprobability increased to 29.5% during TS policy from 23.6% during TC policy. Issuable stockindex (ISI) also showed reduction from 12.5 to 11.4 after TS policy. Wastage as percentageof issue (WAPI) was reduced from 2.3% (TC) to 1.3% (TS). TS policy also led to reductionin expenses incurred on pre-transfusion compatibility testing by 35%. No hemolytictransfusion reaction was reported during the study.Conclusion: TS policy was found to be a safe and an efficient alternative approach to TCpolicy for pre-transfusion compatibility at our center. We recommend the implementationof TS policy, but each center should first assess its feasibility based on patient population,blood bank resources and staff knowledge
Original Article
Cardiology
Afshin Amini; Maryam Ahmadi Chegeni; Zahra Soltanzadeh Khasraghi; Mohammad Parsa Mahjoob; Sina Shool; Amir Ghabousian; Rozita Khatamian Oskooi; Saeed Safari
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 15 June 2022
Abstract
Objective: The significance of diagnosing the root reason for syncope and taking therequired preventive or treatment measures cannot be overlooked when it comes tooutcome prediction. This study endeavors to examine the role of proBNP in differentiatingcardiogenic and non-cardiogenic syncope in patients ...
Read More
Objective: The significance of diagnosing the root reason for syncope and taking therequired preventive or treatment measures cannot be overlooked when it comes tooutcome prediction. This study endeavors to examine the role of proBNP in differentiatingcardiogenic and non-cardiogenic syncope in patients presenting to the emergencydepartment (ED).Methods: We prospectively performed a cross-sectional study on patients presentingwith acute syncope. All the patients for this investigation were followed up until thedefinite cause of their syncope (cardiac or non-cardiac) was diagnosed and the screeningperformance characteristics of proBNP in differentiation of cardiogenic and noncardiogenic syncope were evaluated.Results: Three hundred patients with syncope were studied (64.7% male). In the end,the cause of syncope was determined to be cardiogenic in 133 cases (44.3%). The areaunder the ROC curve of proBNP in the differentiation of cardiogenic syncope from noncardiogenic was estimated to be 78.9 (95% CI: 73.5 – 84.3). The optimal cut-off point forproBNP in this regard was 143.5 pg/mL point. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negativepredictive values, and positive and negative likelihood ratios of proBNP in the mentionedcut-off point were 75.39% (95% CI: 67.61–82.73), 75.44% (95% CI: 68.07–81.62), 71.12%(95% CI: 62.82–78.26), 79.74% (95% CI: 72.46–85.54), 2.46 (95% CI: 1.86–3.25), and 0.25(95% CI: 0.18–0.34), respectively.Conclusion: The accuracy of proBNP in differentiation of cardiogenic and non-cardiogenicsyncope is fair. ProBNP concentration equals to or higher than 143.5 pg/mL can differentiatecardiogenic syncope from non-cardiogenic with 75% sensitivity and 76% specificity. Itseems that its use for this purpose should be considered with caution and along with othertools
Original Article
Infectious disease
Abbas Edalatkhah
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 27 June 2022
Original Article
Clinical Toxicology
Morteza Talebi Doluee
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 25 June 2022
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Pegah Sepehri Majd
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 29 June 2022
Review Article
Emergency medicine
Marziye Hadian; Alireza Jabbari; Hojjat Sheikhbardsiri
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 20 December 2021
Abstract
Objective: In order to heal burn wounds, many researches have been done, including the use of biological scaffolds due to their ability to achieve the desired properties. Owing to the appropriate biological properties of chitosan such as biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties as well as the promotion ...
Read More
Objective: In order to heal burn wounds, many researches have been done, including the use of biological scaffolds due to their ability to achieve the desired properties. Owing to the appropriate biological properties of chitosan such as biocompatibility and antimicrobial properties as well as the promotion of wound healing in biomedical applications, we aimed to perform a systematic review to investigate the effect of this technology on the treatment of burn hazards victims.Methods: The present research was conducted in 2020 as a systematic review of studies related to the effect of chitosan on burns. In this study, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) guidelines were used to assess the articles. The key words “Chitosan,” “Chitin,” “victim,” “Injury,” “Burn,” “Heal,” “wound” “treat,” “hazard,” and “care” were used in combination with the Boolean operators OR and AND. The ISI web of science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ovid, Pro Quest, Wiley and Google Scholar were searched.Results: Recently, chitosan and its derivatives have been proposed as suitable candidates for scaffolding and can be used as temporary scaffolds to modify and stimulate the growth of new tissues. Studies to demonstrate the use of chitosan in the treatment of burns have been limited to research on animal models and have been superior to conventional therapies in terms of time, pain, and efficacy.Conclusion: The effect of chitosan on burns has been positive in animal models and has accelerated wound healing. Since the main ingredient of chit powder is chitosan and due to the limited studies done on humans, it cannot be said with certainty that the use of chitosan and its derivatives to treat burns is better than other ways to treat burns.
Case Report
Infectious disease
Mohsen Eshraghi; Enayatollah Noori; Ahmad Kachoie; Moien Zolmafakher
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 23 April 2021
Abstract
Objective: Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a pathological communication between thebronchial tree and pleural space. BPFs are commonly seen after lung surgery, and are lesscommon in trauma, lung abscess, and radiation therapy. In this study, we describe theclinical course and surgery of a case of pulmonary ...
Read More
Objective: Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is a pathological communication between thebronchial tree and pleural space. BPFs are commonly seen after lung surgery, and are lesscommon in trauma, lung abscess, and radiation therapy. In this study, we describe theclinical course and surgery of a case of pulmonary necrosis and BPF in a patient infectedwith coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Case Presentation: The patient was a 54-year-old man with multiple myeloma and endstagerenal disease from the last 8 years. He had a history of coronary artery bypass graftingfrom the last 3 years. He also suffered from progressive shortness of breath and dry coughsince March 2019.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that BPF is one of the most severecomplications after thorax surgery, and there is no effective prevention methodparticularly in this patient who had COVID-19 pneumonia. Therefore, early intervention,especially when diagnosed at an early stage, by strengthening the stump inside the thoraxor thoracotomy in the open window may eventually accelerate the closure of the BPF andimprove the survival.
Case Report
Khosro Ayazi; Parham Nikraftar; Hamidreza Hatamabadi; Fatemeh Shojaeian; Shervan Family
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 03 December 2021
Abstract
Objective: One of the most prevalent surgical emergencies is appendicitis, caused by different factors. However, its relation to trauma has not been well-known yet. Here we have described three cases with blunt abdominal trauma and a secondary diagnosis of appendicitis that were transferred to the operation ...
Read More
Objective: One of the most prevalent surgical emergencies is appendicitis, caused by different factors. However, its relation to trauma has not been well-known yet. Here we have described three cases with blunt abdominal trauma and a secondary diagnosis of appendicitis that were transferred to the operation room.Case Presentation: Three patients suffering from blunt trauma and abdominal pain were referred to the emergency department (ED). Of these patients, one of them was transferred to the operation room (OR) with a peritonitis diagnosis and the other two patients had appendicitis signs and symptoms. The abdominal pain and related signs and symptoms of these three patients were due to appendicitis. All three patients were discharged from the hospital with normal vital signs.Conclusion: Traumatic appendicitis might be regarded as one of the differential diagnoses of the patients referred to the ED with blunt abdominal trauma and abdominal pain; hence, appendicitis and blunt abdominal trauma have some unknown relations.
Case Report
Infectious disease
Ovais Nazir; Rana Pratap Singh; Amit Kumar
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 28 May 2022
Abstract
Objective: Since April 2021, there has been significant increase in number of COVID-19 cases in India. As the caseload increased, so did the complications like pneumomediastinum (PM) and subcutaneous emphysema (SE).Case Presentation: We present clinical course of 4 patients as case series of COVID-19 ...
Read More
Objective: Since April 2021, there has been significant increase in number of COVID-19 cases in India. As the caseload increased, so did the complications like pneumomediastinum (PM) and subcutaneous emphysema (SE).Case Presentation: We present clinical course of 4 patients as case series of COVID-19 pneumonia who developed PM and SE during their management. Two cases with the need of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) recovered and two cases that needed invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) ultimately expired.Conclusion: This case series highlights the importance of positive pressure ventilation via NIV and IMV as a predisposing factor for PM and SE as well as the need of strict vigilance by clinicians managing COVID-19 patients in IMV.
Case Report
Emergency medicine
Abdolghader Pakniyat
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 29 May 2022
Case Report
Clinical Toxicology
Khadijeh Saravani
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 13 June 2022
Abstract
Objective: N-acetylcysteine is frequently used as an efficacious antidote for acetaminophen toxicity. It prevents liver injury induced by paracetamol and in most cases the overdose of acetylcysteine produces mild clinical effects.Case Presentation: Here we describe a patient who self-treated himself ...
Read More
Objective: N-acetylcysteine is frequently used as an efficacious antidote for acetaminophen toxicity. It prevents liver injury induced by paracetamol and in most cases the overdose of acetylcysteine produces mild clinical effects.Case Presentation: Here we describe a patient who self-treated himself by acetylcysteine after acetaminophen toxicity. Approximately 5 hours after receiving 140 g of acetaminophen, the patient developed confusion, hypotension as well as seizures and also had coagulopathy and acute kidney injury. Other causes of these symptoms were overdose of acetaminophen and amoxicillin. Finally, the patient was treated by extensive supportive therapy and got healed.Conclusion: This case suggests that massive IV acetylcysteine overdose can cause serious life-threatening conditions. The purpose of reporting this case is to increase the awareness among medical staff concerning adverse reactions revealed after a massive overdose of N-acetylcysteine and their arrangement as well as describing the way of management of such problems. The seizure was one of the manifestations in our case and it is so rare. This indicates that massive dosing of acetylcysteine could form irreversible damages in the brain, so it is very important to start the management as soon as possible and monitor patients precisely.
Case Report
Critical Care
Sadaf Sheikh; Umair Javed
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 27 April 2022
Abstract
Objective: Renal infarction which is a rare phenomenon can be missed on the patient’s work up making its incidence low.Case Presentation: We report a 68-year-old lady with known history of hypertension presented with epigastric pain and vomiting for 4 days. During her stay in the emergency room, ...
Read More
Objective: Renal infarction which is a rare phenomenon can be missed on the patient’s work up making its incidence low.Case Presentation: We report a 68-year-old lady with known history of hypertension presented with epigastric pain and vomiting for 4 days. During her stay in the emergency room, she developed sudden onset of left-sided weakness. Electrocardiogram was normal sinus rhythm. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed acute pancreatitis with partial impingement of superior mesenteric vein.Conclusion: Imaging s showed cholelithiasis without evidence of cholecystitis and lower pole right renal infarct likely secondary to obstruction of the right lower renal artery due to calcified plaques at their origin from the aorta. Subsequently, the patient was kept on antiplatelets and planned for discharge uneventfully.
Letter to Editor
Emergency medicine
Sadaf Sheikh
Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available Online from 27 April 2022
Abstract
Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics as routine management and based on the literature the cellulitis hospitalization can be avoided by 11% if appropriate antibiotics are used.1 Randomized clinical trials and Cochrane reviews have suggested that oral antibiotics are non-inferior to intravenous administration ...
Read More
Cellulitis is treated with antibiotics as routine management and based on the literature the cellulitis hospitalization can be avoided by 11% if appropriate antibiotics are used.1 Randomized clinical trials and Cochrane reviews have suggested that oral antibiotics are non-inferior to intravenous administration (1). We would like to highlight here the unrequired use of intravenous antibiotics in cellulitis. Intravenous antibiotics are recommended in patients with sepsis. This is supported by a study done on 1800 patients with cellulitis diagnosis, where one third of patients were hospitalized