Cardiology Commons^™

Survival Of Patients Treated With Intra-Aortic Balloon Counterpulsation At A Tertiary Care Center In Pakistan - Patient Characteristics And Predictors Of In-Hospital Mortality., Fahim H. Jafary, Sohail A. Khan, Haresh Kumar, Numaan F. Malik, K. Kazmi, Sajid Dhakam, Azam Shafquat, Aamir Hameed, Javed Tai, Najaf Nadeem

Department of Medicine

BACKGROUND: Intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) has an established role in the treatment of patients presenting with critical cardiac illnesses, including cardiogenic shock, refractory ischemia and for prophylaxis and treatment of complications of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Patients requiring IABC represent a high-risk subset with an expected high mortality. There are virtually no data on usage patterns as well as outcomes of patients in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent who require IABC. This is the first report on a sizeable experience with IABC from Pakistan.

METHODS: Hospital charts of 95 patients (mean age 58.8 (+/- 10.4) years; 78.9% male) undergoing IABC between 2000-2002 …

Clarithromycin Induced Digoxin Toxicity: Case Report And Review, N Kiran, S Azam, S Dhakam

Section of Cardiology

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors And Behaviours For Coronary Artery Disease (Cad) Among Ambulatory Pakistanis, S P. Iqbal, S Dodani, Riaz Qureshi

Department of Family Medicine

Objective: To determine the frequency and distribution of various risk factors and behaviours for coronary artery disease (CAD) among ambulatory Pakistanis.
Methods: It is a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out at the Aga Khan University Hospital, a teaching hospital in Karachi. All the subjects were adults (18-60 years) presenting at the general checkup clinic with no history or evidence of CAD by convenient sampling method. Demographic variables included risk factors and behaviors including diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, family history of heart disease, obesity, smoking and sedentary lifestyle.
Results: Among 370 ambulatory Pakistanis, the proportions of major risk factors for CAD were: …

Ischemic Stroke Subtypes In Pakistan: The Aga Khan University Stroke Data Bank, N. A. Syed, B. A. Khealani, S. Ali, A. Hasan, H. Brohi, T. Mozaffar, N. Ahmed, A. Hameed, S. M. Baig, M. Wasay

Department of Medicine

Objective: Frequency of ischemic stroke subtypes is influenced by ethnic and geographic variables. Our objective was to identify various stroke subtypes and its determinants at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: We prospectively collected data on ischemic stroke subtypes admitted to The Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi.

Results: A total of 596 patients were enrolled in 22 months in the Aga Khan Universtiy Stroke Registry. These included 393 patients with Ischemic stroke, 126 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, 50 patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and others. The ischemic stroke group was classified according to the TOAST criteria and comprised of lacunar 168/393 …

Situs Ambiguous, Saba Sohail, Mukhtiar Ahmed Memon, Allah Rakhiyo

Department of Radiology

The case of a female child is described who presented with recurrent respiratory infections and "recurrent right subphrenic abscess." Detailed radiological work-up identified situs ambiguous abdominis with bronchiectasis, duodenal malrotation, umbilical hernia and spina bifida.

Risk Factors For Cardiovascular Disease In School Children--A Pilot Study., A. K. Khuwaja, Zafar Fatmi, W. B. Soomro, N. K. Khuwaja

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the frequencies of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in school children. The information may help in designing interventions aimed at modifying unhealthy lifestyle in children, which may reduce the later incidence of cardiovascular disease in adults.

METHODS:

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 206 students (ages 14-18 years), enrolled in higher secondary school. Students were interviewed about their lifestyles, family history of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors. Moreover, they were assessed for height, weight and blood pressure.

RESULTS:

Twenty nine percent of the children were physically inactive, 31% were taking unhealthy diet daily, 21% were overweight …

Bidirectional Cavopulmonary Shunt For Cyanotic Heart Disease: Surgical Experience From A Developing Country, G. Khan, S. S. Ali, Saulat H. Fatimi

Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Objective: The importance of bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis for palliation of complex cyanotic con-genital heart disease is widely recognized. This study was conducted to highlight our surgical experience withthis procedure in a developing country.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using medical records at the Aga Khan University Hospital,Karachi, Pakistan. Clinical findings at presentation, anatomical defects seen on transthoracic echocardiography,pre-operative McGoon index, cardiopulmonary bypass time, use of cardioplegia,post-procedure oxygen satura-tions and complications were evaluated.
Results: A total of 8 patients underwent bidirectional cavopulmonary anastomosis. There were 6 males (75%)and 2 females (25%). Ages and weights atoperation averaged 5.7 ± 3.7 …

Respiratory Arrest In A Child After Flushing Of Pancuronium From The Dead Space Of Intravenous Cannula, Robyna Irshad Khan, Fazal Hameed Khan, Hamid Iqil Naqvi

Department of Anaesthesia

It is common practice for patients admitted to Intensive Care Units to have indwelling intravenous cannulae. Sometimes these cannulae are used only for the administration of drugs and are closed otherwise. Residual drugs in the deadspace of these intravenous cannulae as well as connected stoppers or 3-way stopcocks can later be flushed unknowingly. We would like to report a case in which inadvertent flushing of residual pancuronium caused complete muscle paralysis and respiratory arrest in a young child.

Post-Infarction Left Venticular Free Wall Rupture, S M. Nadeem, S A. Sami, G Khan, N Basir, K A. Kazmi

Section of Cardiology

No abstract provided.

Clinical Features And Management Of Malignant Ascites, I Malik, S Abubakar, I Rizwana, F Alam, J Rizvi, A Khan

Section of Cardiology

Retrospective analysis of 45 patients (33 females, 12 males) with cytologically-proven malignant ascites is presented. Abdominal pain was the most frequent symptom (69%). Fiftythree percent cases had low serum albumin. Ascitic fluid was haemorrhagic or serosanguinous in 48% cases, in the rest it was clear or straw-coloured. Peritoneal effusion was exudative in 84% cases. Mean glucose content of ascitic fluid was 95 mg/dl and the mean white cell count of 919 cells/cmm. Vast majority (82%) of the cases had metastatic adenocarcinomas. Primary malignancy was mostly ovarian (47%) followed by non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (11%) and gall bladder carcinoma (9%). Primary site could …