Emergency Medicine Commons^™

Emergency Preparedness And Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic: Our Experience From The Emergency Department Of A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Badar Afzal Khan, Noman Ali, Asad Mian

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Convalescent Plasma: Promise For Covid-19 Pandemic, Sadaf Sheikh, Muhammad Akbar Baig

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Covid-19 Pandemic: Public Trust And Guiding Ethics Where Ventilators Equal Lives, Sadaf Sheikh, Muhammad Akbar Baig

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Optimising Ventilator Use During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Sadaf Sheikh, Muhammad Akbar Baig

Department of Emergency Medicine

Hypoxemia is the most common cause for hospitalization in COVID-19 patients. Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most common complication in COVID-19 patients. Close monitoring of respiratory decompensation is essential. Supplemental oxygen, high flow nasal canula, non-invasive ventilation and endotracheal intubation are the most commonly suggested methods to improve oxygenation. Early intubation with pre-oxygenation, modified rapid sequence intubation and intubation using a video laryngoscope has been advised as a strategy including lung protective ventilation, prone position ventilation, adequate sedation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Strict personal precautions and challenges related to airway management has been …

Managing Acute Pain In Hiv+/Aids Patients: Knowledge And Practice Trends Among Emergency Physicians Of Major Tertiary Care Centers Of A Developing Country, Aliya Ahmed, Gauhar Afshan, Robyna Irshad Khan, Badar Afzal Khan, Seemin Jamali, Nighat Farooq, Sarosh Saleem, Rubaba Naeem, Uzma R. Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: To assess knowledge and practice trends in managing acute pain in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) or having acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among emergency physicians of four tertiary care hospitals. Acute pain management in such patients is complex because of multiple concomitant painful conditions related to their disease. After obtaining ethical approval and written informed consent, emergency physicians were requested to fill out a questionnaire.
Results: Out of 84 physicians who participated, 49 had managed HIV+/AIDS patients during the preceding year. Out of the 49, 30 (61.2%) physicians stated that they used a combination of analgesics for …

Social Media And The Modern Scientist: A Research Primer For Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Junghwan Kevin Dong, Colleen Saunders, Benjamin Wachira, Brent Thoma, Teresa M. Chan

Emergency Medicine, East Africa

Social media has changed the way we communicate. Wherever you are in the world, various forms of social media are being used by individuals to share information and connect without borders. Due to its ubiquity, social media holds great promise in linking clinicians, scientists, investigators, and the public to change the way we conduct scientific discourse. In this paper, we present a step-by-step guide on optimizing your social media strategy with regards to: research/scholarly practice (discourse, collaboration, recruitment), knowledge translation, dissemination, and education. This guide also highlights key readings that provide guidance to those interested in incorporating social media into …

The Covid-19 Intubation And Ventilation Pathway (Civp); A Commentary, Muhammad Akbar Baig

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Traffic, Poverty And Facility Ownership On Travel Time To Emergency Care In Nairobi, Kenya, Maya S. Fraser, Benjamin Wachira, Abraham D. Flaxman, Aaron Y. Lee, Herbert C. Duber

Emergency Medicine, East Africa

Background: In many low and middle-income countries (LMICs), timely access to emergency healthcare services is limited. In urban settings, traffic can have a significant impact on travel time, leading to life-threatening delays for time-sensitive injuries and medical emergencies. In this study, we examined travel times to hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya, one of the largest and most congested cities in the developing world.

Methods: We used a network approach to estimate average minimum travel times to different types of hospitals (e.g. ownership and level of care) in Nairobi under both congested and uncongested traffic conditions. We also examined the correlation between …

Pediatric Congenital Heart Diseases: Patterns Of Presentation To The Emergency Department Of A Tertiary Care Hospital, Surraiya Bano, Saleem Akhtar, Uzma R. Khan

Department of Emergency Medicine

Objective: To observe presentation of Pediatric congenital cardiac defects to the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.
Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of patients under the age of 16 years with congenital cardiac defects presenting to the Emergency Department of Aga Khan University Hospital over a period of eighteen months, from January 2012 to June 2013. Study population was divided into two groups; first group constituted children with undiagnosed congenital cardiac defects, whereas second group constituted children with diagnosed congenial cardiac defects presented to ED. In previously diagnose cases each visit was counted as …

Knowledge Gain Of The Non-Vascular Surgeons After Attending A Course On Traumatic Vascular Emergencies, Zia Ur Rehman, Muhammad Asad Moosa, Qamar Riaz

Department of Surgery Docs

Objective: To measure the effectiveness of the workshop in enhancing the knowledge and skills of the non-vascular surgeons in dealing with traumatic vascular emergencies.
Methodology: It was a Quasi-experimental pre-post design study conducted at Section of Vascular Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi (Pakistan) in February 2019. One-day workshop was conducted to enhance the knowledge and operative skills of the non-vascular surgeons in managing traumatic vascular emergencies. A written test and course evaluation survey were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the course in achieving the desired objectives.
Results: Total of 21 participants attended the workshop with mean age of …

Illegal Motorcycle Street Racing- A Growing Threat To Public Safety, Madiha Mumshad, Aisha Ashraf

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

The Characteristics Of Appendicoliths Associated With Acute Appendicitis, Mohammad Shoaib Khan, Mustafa Belal Hafeez Chaudhry, Noman Shahzad, Muhammad S. Khan, Maryam Wajid, Wasim Memon, Abdul Rehman Alvi

Section of General Surgery

Introduction: Differences between appendicoliths associated with appendicitis and those found incidentally have not been studied. The objective of this study was to determine the characteristics of appendicoliths that are associated with acute appendicitis.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of patients with appendicoliths identified on computed tomographic (CT) scan from January 2008 till December 2014 was conducted. Patients were divided into two group: appendicitis and appendicoliths (AA) and incidentally discovered appendicoliths (IA).
Results: Overall, 321 patients were included in the study. Of these, 103 (32%) patients were in the AA group while 218 (68%) patients were in the IA group. Both groups …

Advancing Research On Emergency Care Systems In Low-Income And Middle-Income Countries: Ensuring High-Quality Care Delivery Systems, Rachel T. Moresky, Junaid Razzak, Teri Reynolds, Lee A. Wallis, Benjamin Wachira, Mulinda Nyirenda, Waldemar A. Carlo, Janet Lin, Shama Patel, Sanjeev Bhoi, Nicholas Risko, Lily A. Wendle, Emilie J. Calvello Hynes

Emergency Medicine, East Africa

Emergency care systems (ECS) address a wide range of acute conditions, including emergent conditions from communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, pregnancy and injury. Together, ECS represent an area of great potential for reducing morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is estimated that up to 54% of annual deaths in LMICs could be addressed by improved prehospital and facility-based emergency care. Research is needed to identify strategies for enhancing ECS to optimise prevention and treatment of conditions presenting in this context, yet significant gaps persist in defining critical research questions for ECS studies in LMICs. The Collaborative on …

Characterizing Injury At A Tertiary Referral Hospital In Kenya, Hannah Janeway, Gerard O’Reilly, Florian Schmachtenberg, Nimai Kharva, Benjamin Wachira

Emergency Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: Injury accounts for more than 5.8 million deaths globally with an increasing burden in the developing world. In Kenya, trauma is one of the top 10 leading causes of death. However, no formal continuous injury surveillance systems are in place to inform injury prevention, pre-hospital care or emergency department management. The aim of this study was to implement a hospital-based trauma registry to characterize high acuity injuries presenting to a private tertiary, teaching and referral hospital in Kenya.

Methods: From January to December 2015, data was prospectively collected at a private tertiary, teaching and referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. …

Clinical Emergency Care Research In Low-Income And Middle-Income Countries: Opportunities And Challenges, Adam R. Aluisio, Shahan Waheed, Peter Cameron, Jermey Hess, Shevin Jacob, Niranjan Kissoon, Adam C. Levine, Asad Mian, Shammi Ramlakhan, Hendry R. Sawe, Junaid Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

Disease processes that frequently require emergency care constitute approximately 50% of the total disease burden in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Many LMICs continue to deal with emergencies caused by communicable disease states such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, malaria and meningitis, while also experiencing a marked increase in non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and trauma. For many of these states, emergency care interventions have been developed through research in high-income countries (HICs) and advances in care have been achieved. However, in LMICs, clinical research, especially interventional trials, in emergency care are rare. Furthermore, there exists minimal research on …

Quality Of Life Of Road Traffic Injury Survivors Aged 15-44 Years Suffered From Moderate And Severe Head Injuries In Karachi, Pakistan, S A. Abbasi, Tazeen Saeed Ali, Shafquat Rozi, Uzma Rahim Khan, Rashid Jooma

Community Health Sciences

Background: Most of Road traffic injuries are predicted to be the third leading contributor to the global burden of disease by 2020 and patients end up into head injuries which leave devastating impacts on individual and society. Quality of Life After Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) is a specific tool that measures quality of life in head injury patients.
Methods: This was a cross sectional study among 300 patients aged 15-45 years, attended emergency department of the Aga khan University Hospital. Structured questionnaire included demography, injury details, QOLIBRI, GOSE and WHO Disability Assessment Scale (WHODAS 12 items). Severity of injury was determined …

The Use Of An ‘Acclimatisation’ Heatwave Measure To Compare Temperature-Related Demand For Emergency Services In Australia, Botswana, Netherlands, Pakistan, And Usa, Naomi Van Der Linden, Thomas Longden, John R. Richards, Munawar Khursheed, Wilhelmina M. T. Goddijn, Michiel J. Van Veelen, Uzma R. Khan, M. Christien Van Der Linden

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Heatwaves have been linked to increased risk of mortality and morbidity and are projected to increase in frequency and intensity due to climate change. The current study uses emergency department (ED) data from Australia, Botswana, Netherlands, Pakistan, and the United States of America to evaluate the impact of heatwaves on ED attendances, admissions and mortality.
Methods: Routinely collected time series data were obtained from 18 hospitals. Two separate thresholds (≥4 and ≥7) of the acclimatisation excess heat index (EHIaccl) were used to define "hot days". Analyses included descriptive statistics, independent samples T-tests to determine differences in case mix between …

Motor-Vehicle Crash Patient Injury Patterns From A Level One Trauma Center In A Metropolitan City: A Cross-Sectional Study, Obada Hasan, Sadaf Sheikh, Asad Abbas, Nida Zahid, Naveed Baloch

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Introduction: Motorcycles are an inexpensive and popular mode of transportation in Karachi, Pakistan, despite the increasing number of motor vehicle injuries. Although motorcycle-related injuries have been studied previously, to our knowledge, there are no published reports on the orthopedic injuries associated with motorcycles crashes.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of medical records of patients with motorcycle-related injuries in 2015, at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. We reviewed the patient demographic and medical data, helmet use, the Glasgow coma score, the spectrum of injuries, length of stay, specific injury diagnosis, and final disposition of patients. Data were analyzed …

Assessment Of Patient-Centered Approaches To Collect Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Information In The Emergency Department: The Equality Study, Adil H. Haider, Rachel R. Adler, Eric Schneider, Tarsicio Uribe Leitz, Anju Ranjit, Christina Ta, Adele Levine, Omar Harfouch, Danielle Pelaez, Lisa Kodadek

Section of General Surgery

Importance: Health care and government organizations call for routine collection of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) information in the clinical setting, yet patient preferences for collection methods remain unknown.
Objective: To assess of the optimal patient-centered approach for SOGI collection in the emergency department (ED) setting.
Design, setting, and participants: This matched cohort study (Emergency Department Query for Patient-Centered Approaches to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity [EQUALITY] Study) of 4 EDs on the east coast of the United States sequentially tested 2 different SOGI collection approaches between February 2016 and March 2017. Multivariable ordered logistic regression was used to …

"It's A Precious Gift, Not To Waste": Is Routine Cross Matching Necessary In Orthopedics Surgery?: Retrospective Study Of 699 Patients In 9 Different Procedures, Obada Hasan, Eraj Khurshid Khan, Moiz Ali, Sadaf Sheikh, Anum Fatima, Haroon Ur Rashid

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Background: Orthopedic surgeries are usually associated with excessive blood loss which leads surgeons to overestimate need for blood transfusions and over ordering of blood. The cross matched blood, when not used, leads to the wastage of blood bank resources in terms of time, money and manpower. The objective of this study was to investigate the compliance to previously proposed MSBOS and to provide updated recommendations for all orthopedic procedures.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted between 1st June 2015 and 31st May 2016. Patients admitted to the orthopedic surgery service for whom blood products were requested were included. Cross Match/Transfusion …

Frequency Of Ocular Emergencies In A Tertiary Care Setting In Karachi, Pakistan: It Is Time To Reduce Unnecessary Visits, Rashid Baig, Khabir Ahmad, Sidra Zafar, Nadeem Ullah Khan, Areeb Ashfaq

Section of Ophthalmology

Objective: To examine the frequency of ocular emergencies received in a tertiary care setting..
Methods: This retrospective clinical audit was undertaken at the Emergency Department of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of all individuals who presented between January and October 2016. The department's triage database was used to retrieve the data on patient's age, gender, presenting complaints, time and date of presentation. Data was analyzed using SPSS 19.
Results: Of the 74729 individuals who presented, 928 (1.2%) presented with ocular complaints. The age range with the highest total number of visits was 0-9 years followed by …

Evaluation Of Quality Of Warfarin Therapy By Assessing Patient's Time In Therapeutic Range At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Haris Hakeem, Ammar Zaman Khan, Kashif Aziz, Ayesha Abbasi, Anam Haider, Bushra Moiz, Mohammad Wasay

Section of Neurology

Objective: To assess the time in therapeutic range in patients on warfarin anti-coagulation therapy.

Methods: The retrospective chart review was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of patients having undergone anti-coagulation with warfarin from January 2013 to April 2015. To determine the mean time in therapeutic range, Rosendaal method was used. Association of time in therapeutic range with the composite outcome, bleeding and thromboembolic events was also assessed. Percentage of patients with time in therapeutic range <60% was calculated.

Results: There were 92 patients whose median time in therapeutic range was 34.9% (interquartile range: 20.0- 55.7). Overall, 71(77.2%) …

Assessing A Novel Point-Of-Care Ultrasound Training Program For Rural Healthcare Providers In Kenya, Grace W. Wanjiku, Gregory Bell, Benjamin Wachira

Emergency Medicine, East Africa

Background: A novel point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) training program was developed to train rural healthcare providers in Kenya on the Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST), thoracic ultrasound, basic echocardiography, and focused obstetric ultrasonography. The program includes a multimedia manual, pre-course testing, 1-day hands-on training, post-testing, 3-month post-course evaluation, and scheduled refresher training. This study evaluates the impact of the course on PoCUS knowledge and skills. Competency results were compared based on number of previous training/refresher sessions and time elapsed since prior training.

Methods: Trainees were evaluated using a computer-based, 30 question, multiple-choice test, a standardized observed structured clinical exam …

International Scope Of Emergency Ultrasound: Barriers In Applying Ultrasound To Guide Central Line Placement By Providers In Nairobi, Kenya, Fareen Zaver, Keith Boniface, Benjamin Wachira, Grace Wanjiku, Hamid Shokoohi

Emergency Medicine, East Africa

Background: While ultrasound (US) use for internal jugular central venous catheter (CVC) placement is standard of care in North America, most developing countries have not adopted this practice. Previous surveys of North American physicians have identified lack of training and equipment availability as the most important barriers to the use of US.

Objective: We sought to identify perceived barriers to the use of US to guide CVC insertion in a resource-constrained environment.

Methods: Prior to an US-guided CVC placement training course conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, physicians were asked to complete a survey to determine …

Fifteen Years Experience Of Managing Penetrating Extra-Peritoneal Rectal Injuries, Tanzeela Gala, Noman Shahzad, Ahmed Ibrahim Edhi, Fareed Ahmed Shaikh, Hasnain Zafar

Section of General Surgery

Background: Although civilian injuries are generally less severe, they nevertheless remain a challenging problem for the surgeons. In isolated rectal injury patients, though proximal diversion, pre-sacral drainage, distal rectal wash-out and wound debridement are the various surgical options employed in various combinations, the optimum strategy especially for civilian injuries remains unknown. We reviewed our experience of managing penetrating extra peritoneal rectal injuries.
Methods: We conducted a Retrospective review of Adult patients with penetrating extra-peritoneal rectal injuries. Follow-up information of at least one month was needed for early post-operative complications.
Results: A total number of fifteen patients met …

Neonatal Purpura Fulminans, A Rare Genetic Disorder Due To Protein C Deficiency: A Case Report., Ghazala Irfan Kazi, Emaduddin Siddiqui, Saadia Tabassum, Badar Afzal, Irum Qamar Khan

Department of Emergency Medicine

Neonatal Purpura Fulminans is a rare and fatal disorder associated with perivascular haemorrhage and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Early clinical recognition, timely investigation and treatment is utmost important. A 6 days old baby boy was brought to emergency with blackish ulcers all over the body. Initially these were over the feet and scalp but later appeared on the abdomen. On examination, child was vitally stable, mildly icteric and had multiple erythematous large bullous blackish lesions on scalp, lower abdomen, perineum, back and soles. Neonatal reflexes and systemic examination was normal. Laboratory investigations showed normal CBC, PT/APTT and Protein S level while …

Prognostic Significance Of Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter On Computed Tomography Scan With Severity Of Blunt Traumatic Brain Injury In The Emergency Department., Shahan Waheed, Muhamamd Akbar Baig, Emaduddin Siddiqui, Danyal Jamil, Asher Feroze

Department of Emergency Medicine

Optic nerve sheath diameter measurement (ONSD) has been associated with identifying the prognosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. The study was planned to evaluate the prognostic value of ONSD measured on the initial brain computed tomography (CT) scan performed on patients with blunt TBI in the emergency department(ED). This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data of moderate and severe TBI patients from January to December 2014. ONSD for each eye on the initial CT scan and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) was measured upon patient presentation. Correlation between presentation GCS and …

Teaching Children Road Safety Through Storybooks: An Approach To Child Health Literacy In Pakistan, Haris Ahmad, Rubaba Naeem, Nukhba Zia, Asher Feroze, Amarah Shakoor, Uzma R. Khan, Asad Mian

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) commonly affect the younger population in low- and-middle-income countries. School children may be educated about road safety using storybooks with colorful pictures, which tends to increase the child’s interest in the text. Therefore, this study assessed the use of bilingual pictorial storybooks to improve RTI prevention knowledge among school children.
Methods: This pretest-posttest study was conducted in eight public and nine private schools of Karachi, Pakistan, between February to May 2015. Children in grades four and five were enrolled at baseline (n = 410). The intervention was an interactive discussion about RTI prevention using a …

High Burden Of Subclinical Lead Toxicity After Phase Out Of Lead From Petroleum In Pakistan, Hafsa Majid, Aysha Habib Khan, Nadeem Ullah Khan, Imran Siddiqui, Farooq Ghani, Lena Jafri

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of subclinical lead toxicity.
Study design: Cross-sectional study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2011 to December 2014.
Methodology: Analysis of laboratory data for blood lead levels (BLL) was performed. Lead was tested by atomic absorption spectrometer. For all subjects, only initial test results were included while the results of repeated testing were excluded. Exemption was sought from institutional ethical review committee. BLL of 2-10 ug/dl and 10-70 ug/dl in children and adults, respectively were taken as subclinical lead toxicity.
Results: Amongst …

High Burden Of Subclinical Lead Toxicity After Phase Out Of Lead From Petroleum In Pakistan, Hafsa Majid, Aysha Habib Khan, Nadeem Ullah Khan, Imran Siddiqui, Farooq Ghani, Lena Jafri

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of subclinical lead toxicity.
Study design: Cross-sectional study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 2011 to December 2014.
Methodology: Analysis of laboratory data for blood lead levels (BLL) was performed. Lead was tested by atomic absorption spectrometer. For all subjects, only initial test results were included while the results of repeated testing were excluded. Exemption was sought from institutional ethical review committee. BLL of 2-10 ug/dl and 10-70 ug/dl in children and adults, respectively were taken as subclinical lead toxicity.
Result: Amongst …