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 ...
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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
Letter to Editor
Balaji RajaRam; Sayan Nath; Supreet Kaur; Dinesh Bagaria; Rajeshwari Subramaniam; Vimi Rewari
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 26 December 2022
Abstract
Colonic injuries after blunt trauma abdomen are a rareentity which may sometimes have a delayed presentation(1). In the intensive care unit (ICU), various interventionslike sedation, analgesia and paralysis may confoundclinical examination findings pertaining to abdominalpathology. Computed tomography ...
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Colonic injuries after blunt trauma abdomen are a rareentity which may sometimes have a delayed presentation(1). In the intensive care unit (ICU), various interventionslike sedation, analgesia and paralysis may confoundclinical examination findings pertaining to abdominalpathology. Computed tomography (CT) provides anexcellent diagnostic modality in blunt trauma abdomen(2) but requirement of high ventilatory support and/orvasopressors may preclude safe transfer of patients fromICU to radiology suites. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS)provides an excellent adjunct in diagnosis of hollow viscusperforation and is considered as a reliable alternative toplain radiograph for the diagnosis of pneumoperitoneum
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 ...
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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.
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Shahram Paydar; Armin Akbarzadeh; Ladan Nasermoadeli; Vahid Mohammadkarimi
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 12 January 2023
Abstract
Objective: The adherence of the physicians to guidelines in resuscitation of the patientsis of great importance since it can predict the outcome. To evaluate the adherence of thephysicians of our center in hydration of traumatic patients with crystalloids regarding theAdvanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) ...
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Objective: The adherence of the physicians to guidelines in resuscitation of the patientsis of great importance since it can predict the outcome. To evaluate the adherence of thephysicians of our center in hydration of traumatic patients with crystalloids regarding theAdvanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) guidelines.Methods: We designed an algorithm obtained from ATLS guidelines using vital signsand status of bleeding of the traumatic patients to classify them. After categorizing thepatients according to the algorithm, we evaluated the adherence of the physicians to theguideline in hydration of traumatic patients with crystalloids.Results: This is a cross-sectional study in which 998 traumatic patients who were admittedto the emergency ward of Rajaee trauma hospital were enrolled. Most of the patients weremen (89.6%) and the most common causes of traumatic injuries were traffic accidents.Proper hydration was seen in only 14.7% of the patients. Most of the patients were overhydrated (85%) regarding both our algorithm and the patients’ base excess.Conclusion: The present study showed that the adherence of physicians in our centerin resuscitation with crystalloid was low. Also, most of the traumatic patients wereoverhydrated with crystalloids. It is suggested that physicians retrain concerning theside effects of over hydration. In addition, we need a user friendly and more applicableguideline for hydration with crystalloids
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Mehdi Momeni; Elnaz Vahidi; Neda Karimi Tafti; Zeinab Naderpour; Javad Seyedhosseini; Morteza Saeedi
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 24 January 2023
Abstract
Objective: Hand lacerations are among the most frequent causes of visiting emergencydepartments (EDs). Wound infection is one of its complications. There is still an ongoingdisagreement on the administration of oral versus intravenous (IV) antibiotics (ABs). Theobjective of this study is to compare the ...
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Objective: Hand lacerations are among the most frequent causes of visiting emergencydepartments (EDs). Wound infection is one of its complications. There is still an ongoingdisagreement on the administration of oral versus intravenous (IV) antibiotics (ABs). Theobjective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of oral versus IV ABs in preventingwound infection of hand lacerations.Methods: In this double-blind, randomized clinical trial, we enrolled all patients with handlacerations (based on the inclusion criteria) during 6 months in the EDs of 2 tertiary referralcenters. Convenient sampling was done. Finally, in the first group, 382 patients receivedoral AB (two 500 mg cephalexin capsules) and the other 382 patients in the second groupreceived IV AB (1 gr IV cefazolin) before wound management. Both groups were followedand received oral cephalexin during 48 hours after suturing. Rates of wound infection anddifferent complications were compared between the two groups. T-test, Mann-Whitney Utest, Chi square and Fisher analysis were used.Results: Both groups had the same age and gender distribution rate (79.8% of males withthe mean age of 30.8 years in the first group, and 83.5% of males with the mean age of 32.6years in the second group (P = 0.19 and 0.39, respectively). In our study, wound infectiondeveloped in 2.6% and 1.8% of patients in the first and second groups, respectively (P =0.46).Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, oral and IV ABs were not significantlydifferent in terms of preventing wound infection
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Navid Kalani; Masoud Tavasolian; Khaterh Dehghani; Seyed Reza Mousavi; Erfan Ghanbarzadeh; Masihallah Shakeri; Elahe Rahmanian; Poorya Aryanpoor; Naser Hatami; Zhila Rahmanian; Samaneh Abiri
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 30 January 2023
Abstract
Objective: The goal of our study was to determine the prognostic value of CURB-65,Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), pneumonia severity index (PSI), MuLBSTA,and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II upon admission inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, as well ...
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Objective: The goal of our study was to determine the prognostic value of CURB-65,Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), pneumonia severity index (PSI), MuLBSTA,and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II upon admission inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19, as well as the prediction cut-off valuefor death regarding these parameters.Methods: This observational retrospective study was performed in COVID-19 triagein Peymaniyeh hospital in Jahrom in 2021. In order to calculate SOFA, APACHE II, PSI,MuLBSTA, and CURB-65, data were collected from patients who were selected by availablesampling method from PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Thirty-day mortality wasassessed as the primary outcome. ROC analysis was conducted using the STATA software toevaluate the prognostic value of the scoring systems. DeLong test was utilized to compareAUC of scores using a web based tool.Results:Ninety-two patients were included in this study with the mean age of 51.02±17.81years (male to female ratio was 1:1). SOFA had an AUC of 0.656 (P=0.130), but other indiceshad statistically significant values of AUC. Based on the comparison of the AUCs, SOFAwas the worst scoring system in COVID-19 as it had significantly lower AUC than PSI andAPACHE II (P<0.05); while its comparison with MULBSTA and CURB65 was not statisticallysignificant (P>0.05).Conclusion: It seems that APACHE II and PSI are the best prognostic factors in our studywith no statistical difference compared together (P>0.05). The sensitivity of APACHE II andPSI was 0.857 with the specificity of 0.927 and 0.976, respectively. The optimal cut-off pointwas 13 and 50 for APACHE II and PSI, respectively
Original Article
Emergency medicine
Zahra Rahim; Mehrdad MasoudifarI; Behzad Nazemroaya; Mehrdad Norouzi; Amirali Mousavi I
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 02 February 2023
Abstract
Objective: In general, spinal fusion surgery causes heavy bleeding. The purpose of thisstudy was to evaluate the use of two different doses of magnesium sulfate to control thebleeding in lumbar fusion surgery.Methods: This study was carried out as a randomized double-blinded clinical trial in 2020in ...
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Objective: In general, spinal fusion surgery causes heavy bleeding. The purpose of thisstudy was to evaluate the use of two different doses of magnesium sulfate to control thebleeding in lumbar fusion surgery.Methods: This study was carried out as a randomized double-blinded clinical trial in 2020in Al-Zahra hospital in Isfahan. The participants were 60 patients selected using inclusionand exclusion criteria and were randomly allocated into three groups. In the first group,50 mg/kg and in the second group, 40 mg/kg magnesium sulfate was infused. The thirdgroup received normal saline. From the beginning of anesthesia, heart rate, diastolic andsystolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and blood oxygen saturation percentage weremonitored and logged every 30 minutes during the operation and recovery. The volumeof bleeding during the operation was calculated by counting the number of gauzes usedand the amount of suctioned blood during the operation. Other required informationsuch as the duration of operation, duration of anesthesia, time of intubation and the timeperiod of hospitalization and recovery were determined and recorded in all patients. Weused independent t-test and repeated measure ANOVA tests to compare data betweendifferent time lines and also different groups. P value<0.05 was considered as significancethreshold. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 23.Results: The group receiving 50 mg/kg magnesium sulfate had a significantly lower systolicblood pressure compared to other groups within 15, 30 and 45 minutes after the injections(P=0.04 for all). The pulse rate was significantly lower in the 50 mg/kg magnesium sulfategroup compared to other groups within 15, 30 and 45 minutes after the injections (P<0.05for all). Patients that received 50 mg/kg magnesium sulfate had a lower duration of surgery(P=0.007), lower duration of anesthesia (P=0.007), lower bleeding volume (P<0.001),lower fluid intake (P=0.01) and also lower transfused blood (P=0.01). The surgeons alsohad a significantly higher satisfaction with these patients (P=0.001).Conclusion: Injection of 50 mg/kg magnesium sulfate had a correlation with reducedblood pressure as well as bleeding volume compared to 40 mg/kg magnesium sulfate.
Case Report
Emergency medicine
Smita Bhat; Amal Suresh; Apeksha Inamdar; Anil Kumar Desai; Gopal Krishnan
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 12 January 2023
Abstract
Objective: Fractures of orbital rims are common and restoration of these fractures back toits normal anatomic form is essential to maintain the function and aesthetics of the eyes.Low profile miniplates are the rigid fixation device of choice for such fractures. But in caseof sagittal and grossly displaced ...
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Objective: Fractures of orbital rims are common and restoration of these fractures back toits normal anatomic form is essential to maintain the function and aesthetics of the eyes.Low profile miniplates are the rigid fixation device of choice for such fractures. But in caseof sagittal and grossly displaced fractures of orbital rims it is difficult to achieve stability byusing miniplate osteosynthesis. The low profile miniplates may not be able to withstandthe forces to reduce this kind if grossly displaced fractures, another stable option needs tobe considered in these situations.Case presentation: This case report presents a simple and effective technique of reductionand fixation of an oblique fracture of infraorbital rim fracture using lag screw principle.A standard titanium screw of 2 mm diameter and 10 mm length is being used in thedescribed technique for stable fixation of fractured segments.Conclusion: The technique is simple, hardware’s are easily available and can be practisedin emergency circumstances where newer advanced technologies are not available
Case Report
Emergency medicine
Abdolghader Pakniyat
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 29 May 2022
Case Report
Emergency medicine
Seyed Ahmad Rasoulinejad
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 02 June 2022
Abstract
Objective: Purtscher’s retinopathy is the retinal damage following trauma or non-traumatic systemic disease, which may contain cotton-wool spots (CWSs), and may cause Purtscher flecken, atrophy of the optic nerve, and hemorrhage of the posterior pole of the eye.Case Presentation: A 28-year-old ...
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Objective: Purtscher’s retinopathy is the retinal damage following trauma or non-traumatic systemic disease, which may contain cotton-wool spots (CWSs), and may cause Purtscher flecken, atrophy of the optic nerve, and hemorrhage of the posterior pole of the eye.Case Presentation: A 28-year-old male patient fell down from a height of 10 m and was admitted with swelling and ecchymosis of the peri-orbit of the right eye. The patient’s vision was at the level of light perception. A mild subconjunctival hemorrhage and hyphema were seen in the right eye. In the fundus, the hemorrhage, edema, and CWS were seen in the posterior pole and around the optic disk. Macular thickness (MT) in Purtscher’s retinopathic eye was 353 μm. Also, the patient had a nose and mandibular fracture and was hospitalized for several days.Conclusion: The findings indicate a decrease in the vision due to Purtscher’s retinopathy caused by trauma. There was no improvement spontaneously
Case Report
Emergency medicine
Mohammad Rezazadehkermani; Seyed Vahid Hosseini
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 26 December 2022
Abstract
Objective: Gastrointestinal bleeding is one of the surgical emergencies that is routinelyvisited in emergency departments. Although most of these patients are managed withendoscopic modalities, some of them are managed with surgical interventions. Most ofemergency surgical interventions are done via ...
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Objective: Gastrointestinal bleeding is one of the surgical emergencies that is routinelyvisited in emergency departments. Although most of these patients are managed withendoscopic modalities, some of them are managed with surgical interventions. Most ofemergency surgical interventions are done via laparotomy. With evolution in minimalinvasive surgery, the role of laparoscopic surgeries in emergency settings is on a rise.Case Presentation: In this report we describe a case of lower gastrointestinal bleedingthat was presented with melena and during workups no bleeding lesion was detectedin colon, stomach or duodenum. Further investigations revealed bleeding of proximaljejunum mass that was resected with the laparoscopic approach which is rarely used inthe emergency management of patients with gastrointestinal bleedings. Also, resectionand anastomosis of proximal jejunal loop was challenging in this case.Conclusion: This report is intended to describe the feasibility of laparoscopy in proximalsmall bowel lesion resection in emergency settings as well as the role of CT angiography indetecting the source of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding
Case Report
Zahid A Shaikh; Varsha S Shinde; Sambhaji R Shinde; Jaideo M Ughade
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 26 December 2022
Abstract
Objective: To demonstrate the significance of fused cervical vertebrae in emergencymedicine practice.Case report: A 35-year-old male was brought to the emergency department (ED) whoattempted suicide by hanging and was later found to have congenital fusion of cervicalvertebra C2 and C3, a condition referred ...
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Objective: To demonstrate the significance of fused cervical vertebrae in emergencymedicine practice.Case report: A 35-year-old male was brought to the emergency department (ED) whoattempted suicide by hanging and was later found to have congenital fusion of cervicalvertebra C2 and C3, a condition referred to as - vertebra critica. This is the only case reportof a patient with vertebra critica admitted for near hanging. The patient was intubatedwith a Portex® North Polar endotracheal tube (ETT) through the nasal route. This proved tobe a critical decision as it helped early airway control avoiding any complication.Conclusion: As the victims of near-hanging should have cervical spine restriction,judicious use of flexible portex® ETT may help in early intubation and resuscitationwithout aggravating the neurological injuries. It must be noted that nasal intubation iscontraindicated in base of skull fractures and it should be avoided in patients with obvioustraumatic injury to the neck including laryngeal trauma, tracheal disruption and vesselinjuries.
Case Report
Infectious disease
Zahra Rezaie; Shima Heidari; Ahmad Salimzadeh; Fatemeh Sadat Pirooz; Farhad Najmeddin
Articles in Press, Corrected Proof, Available Online from 30 January 2023
Abstract
Objective: Since the identification and spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) in December 2019, respiratory presentations have been introduced as themain symptoms of this new type of viral disease; however, the extra-pulmonary featuresare raising awareness for researchers due to the ...
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Objective: Since the identification and spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) in December 2019, respiratory presentations have been introduced as themain symptoms of this new type of viral disease; however, the extra-pulmonary featuresare raising awareness for researchers due to the vast diversity of vital organs affectedby the virus. Among the wide range of clinical manifestations, limited data are availableregarding rhabdomyolysis (RML) in COVID-19.Case Presentation: In this report, we present a 58-year-old woman with COVID-19presenting with RML, with extremely elevated creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) and lactatedehydrogenase (LDH) levels (3283 and 1280 U/L, respectively) as the second sign ofdisease. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, several COVID-19 induced RML caseshave been reported, and timely diagnosis and proper management are of paramountimportance.Conclusion: Due to the findings that rhabdomyolysis can be a critical and missed cause ofmyalgia in COVID-19 patients, the importance of checking the serum level of CPK in patientswith myalgia and fatigue in the era of COVID-19 upon their arrival will be highlighted.