Emergency Medicine Commons^™

Alcohol And Marijuana Use While Driving-An Unexpected Crash Risk In Pakistani Commercial Drivers: A Cross-Sectional Survey, Mohammed Umer Mir, Imran Khan, Bilal Ahmed, J. Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background:A significant proportion of road traffic crashes are attributable to alcohol and marijuana use while driving globally. Sale and use of both substances is illegal in Pakistan and is not considered a threat for road traffic injuries. However literature hints that this may not be the case. We did this study to assess usage of alcohol and marijuana in Pakistani commercial drivers.
Methods:A sample of 857 commercial bus and truck drivers was interviewed in October 2008 at the largest commercial vehicle station in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Time location cluster sampling was used to select the subjects and …

Understanding Unintentional Childhood Home Injuries: Pilot Surveillance Data From Karachi, Pakistan., Nukhba Zia, Uzma R. Khan, J. Razzak, Prasanthi Puvanachandra, Adnan A. Hyder

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background: Childhood injuries, an important public health issue, globally affects more than 95% of children living in low-and middle-income countries. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiology of childhood unintentional injuries in Karachi, Pakistan with a specific focus on those occurring within the home environment.
Methods:This was a secondary analysis of a childhood unintentional injury surveillance database setup in the emergency department of the Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan for 3 months. The data was collected by interviewing caretakers of children under 12 years of age presenting with an unintentional injury to the emergency departments of …

Childhood Unintentional Injuries: Need For A Community-Based Home Injury Risk Assessments In Pakistan., Adnan A. Hyder, Aruna Chandran, Uzma R. Khan, Nukhba Zia, Cheng-Ming Huang, Sarah Stewart De Ramirez, Junaid Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background. A substantial proportion of the annual 875,000 childhood unintentional injury deaths occur in the home. Very few printed tools are available in South Asia for disseminating home injury prevention information. Methods. Three tools were planned: an injury hazard assessment tool appropriate for a developing country setting, an educational pamphlet highlighting strategies for reducing home injury hazards, and an in-home safety tutorial program to be delivered by a trained community health worker. Results. The three tools were successfully developed. Two intervention neighborhoods in Karachi, Pakistan, were mapped. The tools were pretested in this local setting and are now ready for …

Nitric Oxide Metabolites As Biomarkers For Influenza-Like Acute Respiratory Infections Presenting To The Emergency Room, Asad Mian, Federico R Laham, Andrea T Cruz, Harsha Garg, Charles G Macias, A. Chantal Caviness, Pedro A Piedra

Department of Emergency Medicine

Aims: Nitric oxide (NO) is increased in the respiratory tract in pulmonary infections. The aim was to determine whether nasal wash NO metabolites could serve as biomarkers of viral pathogen and disease severity in children with influenza-like illness (ILI) presenting to the emergency department (ED) during the 2009 influenza A H1N1 pandemic.
Methods: Children ≤18 years old presenting to the ED with ILI were eligible. Nasal wash specimens were tested for NO metabolites, nitrate and nitrite, by HPLC and for respiratory viruses by real-time PCR.
Results: Eighty-nine patients with ILI were prospectively enrolled during Oct-Dec, 2009. In the …

Uchunguzi (Journal Watch/Montre De Journal) June 2012, Benjamin Wachira

Family Medicine, East Africa

Uchunguzi means investigation in Swahili and provides a summary of some of the most recent international literature as presented in other leading journals, but with an emphasis on what is relevant to our continent.

Role Of Pre-Hospital Care And Ambulance Services In Karachi, Syed Muhammad Baqir, Kiran Ejaz

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Clerkship In Emergency Medicine: Experience From Pakistan., Amber Mehmood, Syed Muhammad Baqir, Muhammad Shahid, Junaid Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

Although Emergency Medicine (EM) is an integral part of undergraduate medical curriculum in many countries, it has not been included formally in the MBBS curriculum in Pakistan. Medical graduates are supposed to be able to handle common as well as life threatening emergencies but little has been done to ensure the process to achieve this competence. The development of an undergraduate EM curriculum is important but challenging task. Implementation of standard curriculum will ensure that medical graduates have gained competence in assessing and managing acutely ill patients and dealing with common emergencies. This paper shares the features of an undergraduate …

Road Safety In The Eastern Mediterranean Region--Findings From The Global Road Safety Status Report., H. Soori, S. J. Hussain, Junaid Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Road Traffic Injuries In Rawalpindi City, Pakistan., Umar Farooq, Junaid Ali Bhatti, M. Siddiq, M. Majeed, N. Malik, Junaid Razzak, M. M. Khan

Department of Emergency Medicine

Data on road traffic accident (RTA) injuries and their outcome are scarce in Pakistan. This study assessed patterns of RTA injuries reported in Rawalpindi city using standard surveillance methods. All RTA injury patients presenting to emergency departments of 3 tertiary care facilities from July 2007 to June 2008 were included. RTA injuries (n = 19 828) accounted for 31.7% of all injuries. Among children aged 0-14 years females suffered twice as many RTA injuries as males (21.3% versus 11.4%), whereas this trend reversed for the age group 15-24 years (41.9% versus 21.7%). One-fifth of injuries were either fractures or concussion. …

Malignant Psoas Abscess Or Pseudomyxoma Extraperitonei, Amber Mehmood, Kiran Ejaz, Turab Ibrahim Pishori

Department of Emergency Medicine

Primary adenocarcinoma of appendix is an uncommon gastrointestinal malignancy. Similarly, Psoas abscess is an entity, which sometimes requires extensive work-up to reach a diagnosis. Combined presentation of these two rare conditions is not only exceptional, but also diagnostically challenging. We present a case of a lady who presented with recurrent UTI secondary to right sided ureteric obstruction, referred right hip joint pain resulting from a Psoas abscess, which eventually turned out to be a consequence of metastatic adenocarcinoma of appendix, causing pseudomyxoma extraperitonei, with simultaneous intraperitoneal deposits.

Urinary Nitrate Might Be An Early Biomarker For Pediatric Acute Kidney Injury In The Emergency Department, Asad Mian, Yue Du, Harsha K Garg, Chantal Caviness, Stuart L Goldstein, Nathan S Bryan

Department of Emergency Medicine

NO is involved in normal kidney function and perturbed in acute kidney injury (AKI). We hypothesized that urinary concentration of NO metabolites, nitrite, and nitrate would be lower in children with early AKI presenting to the emergency department (ED), when serum creatinine (SCr) was uninformative. Patients up to 19 y were recruited if they had a urinalysis and SCr obtained for routine care. Primary outcome, AKI, was defined by pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss of function, End-stage renal disease (pRIFLE) criteria. Urinary nitrite and nitrate were determined by HPLC. A total of 252 patients were enrolled, the majority (93%) of …

Application Of Geographical Information System (Gis) For Mapping Road Traffic Injuries Using Existing Source Of Data In Karachi, Pakistan--A Pilot Study, Junsid Razzak, Uzma R. Khan, Sabeena Jalal

Department of Emergency Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of using Geographical Information System for mapping of road traffic injuries with an existing data source in a developing country.

METHODS: The study was a retrospectives case series of road traffic injury cases registered with the medico-legal office located in the three major trauma centers in Karachi for the period of January 1, 2004 till December 31st, 2004. Spatial data analysis was performed using ARCVIEW 3.1.

RESULTS: Out of 3650 of all road traffic injury, only 3% had locations detailed and accurate enough allowing mapping on a GIS map in the first attempt. Even after …

Differences In Police, Ambulance, And Emergency Department Reporting Of Traffic Injuries On Karachi-Hala Road, Pakistan, Junaid Ali Bhatti, Junaid Razzak, Emmanuel Lagarde, Louis Rachid Salmi

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background

Research undertaken in developing countries has assessed discrepancies in police reporting of Road Traffic Injury (RTI) for urban settings only. The objective of this study was to assess differences in RTI reporting across police, ambulance, and hospital Emergency Department (ED) datasets on an interurban road section in Pakistan.

Methods

The study setting was the 196-km long Karachi-Hala road section. RTIs reported to the police, Edhi Ambulance Service (EAS), and five hospital EDs in Karachi during 2008 (Jan to Dec) were compared in terms of road user involved (pedestrians, motorcyclists, four-wheeled vehicle occupants) and outcome (died or injured). Further, records …

Negative Pressure Pulmonary Oedema: A Rare Complication Following General Anaesthesia, Zeeshan Waheed, Javaid Khan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

An important cause of pulmonary oedema is Negative Pressure Pulmonary Oedema (NPPE) which characteristically develops soon after extubation from an endo-tracheal intubation. In this case report we identified a case of previously healthy man who was intubated for General Anaesthesia for extraction of impacted molar tooth. Soon after extubation he developed severe respiratory distress. Immediate diagnosis of NPPE secondary to post extubation laryngospasm was made. He was promptly treated with 100 percent oxygen via CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask and within an hour he markedly improved and subsequently became asymptomatic. NPPE is an important cause of morbidity and need …

Involvement Of Medical Students And Fresh Medical Graduates Of Karachi, Pakistan In Research, Kiran Ejaz, Muhammad Shahid Shamim, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Syed Abid Hussain

Department of Emergency Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To study the involvement in research, of final year medical students and fresh graduates of Karachi, Pakistan and to identify the factors influencing their interest in medical research.

METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire based study was conducted in 2007-2008. Five institutes representing the private and public hospitals in the city were selected by cluster sampling. Final year medical students and fresh graduates were included. Descriptive statistics were charted using SPSS v.16 after double data entry.

RESULTS: Out of 378, 186 (49%) participants had journal reading habits due to the requirement of their institution. Mostly, 157 (41%) undergraduates had already participated …

Requirement Of Argininosuccinate Lyase For Systemic Nitric Oxide Production, Ayelet Erez, Sandesh Cs. Nagamani, Oleg A. Shchelochkov, Muralidhar H. Premkumar, Philippe M. Campeau Campeau, Yuqing Chen, Harsha K. Garg, Li Li, Asad Mian, Terry K. Bertin, Jennifer O. Black, Heng Zeng, Yaoping Tang, Anilkumar K. Reddy, Marshall Summar, William E. O’Brien, David G. Harrison, William E. Mitch, Juan C. Marini, Judy L. Aschner, Nathan S. Bryan, Brendan Lee

Department of Emergency Medicine

Nitric oxide (NO) is crucial in diverse physiological and pathological processes. We show that a hypomorphic mouse model of argininosuccinate lyase (encoded by Asl) deficiency has a distinct phenotype of multiorgan dysfunction and NO deficiency. Loss of Asl in both humans and mice leads to reduced NO synthesis, owing to both decreased endogenous arginine synthesis and an impaired ability to use extracellular arginine for NO production. Administration of nitrite, which can be converted into NO in vivo, rescued the manifestations of NO deficiency in hypomorphic Asl mice, and a nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-independent NO donor restored NO-dependent vascular reactivity in …

The State Of Emergency Care In The Republic Of Kenya, Benjamin Wachira, Ian Martin

Family Medicine, East Africa

Approximately 580,000 km2 in size, the Republic of Kenya is as big as Botswana but only half the size of countries like South Africa, Mali, and Angola. Kenya is comprised of eight provinces: Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western. The 2009 census revealed a population of over 38 million people, with a population density of approximately 66 persons per square kilometre. Majority of the population (68%) lives in rural areas, as compared with the sub-Saharan African average of approximately 62%. With a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of US $1,600 in 2010, Kenya is …

Biliary Stones: An Atypical Cause Of Abdominal Pain In Paediatric Age Group, Amber Mehmood, M. Arif Mateen Khan

Department of Emergency Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To identify Paediatric patients with biliary stone disease presenting to a tertiary care hospital in order to determine the etiology, presentation and management.

METHODS: Retrospective study of all cases of ultrasonographically proven biliary stones under the age of 15 years from January 1988 to December 2008. Data included their risk factors, complications, management and outcome.

RESULTS: Total 32 patients were identified with biliary stones, treated in the hospital. Mean age at presentation was 8.25 +/- 3.33 years. Sixteen patients underwent cholecystectomy.

CONCLUSION: Paediatric cholelithiasis is an atypical and under-diagnosed cause of abdominal pain in childhood. True prevalence of the …

Aluminium Phosphide Poisoning: A Case Report, Shela Akbar Ali Hirani, Arshalooz Rahman

School of Nursing & Midwifery

This paper reports the case of a family in which three children were presented at Emergency Room (ER) with poisoning after the use of a pesticide at home. Initially, the cases were managed as routine cases of organophosphorus poisoning; however, the death of two children made the health team members realise that the poison's effects were delayed and devastating. Later, the compound was identified as Aluminium Phosphide (ALP), and the life of the last surviving child in the family was saved.

Losartan Associated Anaphylaxis And Angioneurotic Oedema, Syed Faraz Kazim, Muhammad Shahid

Section of General Surgery

A case of anaphylaxis and angioedema induced by angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), losartan is reported. A 37 years old hypertensive female presented to the Emergency Department with swelling over the face especially the lips, urticarial rash all over the body, and dyspnoea within an hour of losartan administration. She did not have any previous history of drug allergies. The patient was managed with epinephrine. Although angioneurotic oedema and anaphylaxis are well documented adverse effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, very few cases of these adverse reactions with ARBs have been reported in medical literature.

Diagnosis Of Enteric Fever In The Emergency Department: A Retrospective Study From Pakistan., Uzma R. Khan, J. Razzak, Ali Faisal Saleem Dr, Adnan Ahmed, Sabeena Jalal

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background:Enteric fever is one of the top differential diagnoses of fever in many parts of the world. Generally, the diagnosis is suspected and treatment is initiated based on clinical and basic laboratory parameters.
Aims: The present study identifies the clinical and laboratory parameters predicting enteric fever in Patients visiting the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.
Methods:This is a retrospective chart review of all adult Patients with clinically suspected enteric fever admitted to the hospital through the emergency department during a 5-year period (2000-2005).
Results:A total of 421 emergency department Patients were admitted to …

Needle Stick Injuries Among Health Care Workers Of Public Sector Tertiary Care Hospitals Of Karachi, Mubashir Aslam, Tahir Taj, Arif Ali, Waseem Mirza, Hammad Ali, Mudassir Iqbal Dar, Nasira Badar

Community Health Sciences

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the frequency of needle stick injuries (NSI) among health care workers (nurses, student nurses and paramedical staff) in public hospitals of Karachi.STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional, observational.PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: This study was conducted in three public tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, from November 2007 to January 2008.METHODOLOGY: Data was collected by structured interview-based questionnaires in Urdu and English language. Questionnaire was designed to obtain information regarding demography, work experience, hepatitis vaccination status, and occurrence of needle stick injuries with associated factors. Needle stick injury that occurred in the previous month was the defined outcome. Data was …

Differences In Reporting Of Violence And Deliberate Self Harm Related Injuries To Health And Police Authorities, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Umar Farooq, Mudassir Majeed, Junaid Ahmad Bhatti, Jahangir Sarwar Khan, Junaid Razzak, Muhammad Mussadiq Khan

Department of Emergency Medicine

Background:

The aim of study was to assess differences in reporting of violence and deliberate self harm (DSH) related injuries to police and emergency department (ED) in an urban town of Pakistan.

Methods/Principal Findings:

Study setting was Rawalpindi city of 1.6 million inhabitants. Incidences of violence and DSH related injuries and deaths were estimated from record linkage of police and ED data. These were then compared to reported figures in both datasets. All persons reporting violence and DSH related injury to the police station, the public hospital's ED, or both in Rawalpindi city from July 1, 2007 to June 30, …

Essential Medicines Management During Emergencies In Pakistan, S. K. S. Bukhari, J.A.R. H. Qureshi, Rashid Jooma, K.M. Bile, G. N. Kazi, W. A. Zaibi, A. Zafar

Section of Neurosurgery

This paper illustrates the experiences of essential medicine management in providing cure and care to victims of Pakistan's 2005 earthquake in a safe, rational and effective mode. The health interventions assured access to essential medicine, sustained supply, inventory control through a computerized logistic support system and rational use of medicines. World Health Organization Pakistan outlined modalities for acceptance of donated medicines, assisted in speedy procurement of medicines and designed customized kits. Proper storage of medicines at controlled temperature was ensured in warehousing facilities in 12 locations. A steady supply of medicines and their consumption without stock-outs in the 56 first-level …

Knowledge Attitude And Practices Of Undergraduate Students Regarding First Aid Measures, Afrasyab Khan, Sumaira Shaikh, Fawad Shuaib, Ahsan Sattar, Saira Aziz Samani, Quratulain Shabbir, Ameer Zaighum Rasheed

Department of Emergency Medicine

OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid measures in undergraduate students of Karachi.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at six colleges of Karachi, three of which were medical colleges and three non-medical colleges. Knowledge was assessed regarding various emergency situations with the help of a questionnaire. The target population size was 460, based on 50% prevalence and 95% confidence interval. The eventual sample size achieved was 446.

RESULTS: A total of 446 students were interviewed. Seventy eight students (17.5%) had formal First Aid (FA) training. The mean number of correct answers of students with FA …

Trauma Registry Needs And Challenges In Developing Countries., Amber Mehmood, Junaid Abdul Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

How Early Do Antibiotics Have To Be To Impact Mortality In Severe Sepsis? A Prospective, Observational Study From An Emergency Department., Shahla Siddiqui, Nawal Salahuddin, Adeel Raza, Junaid Abdul Razzak

Department of Emergency Medicine

BACKGROUND:

The objective of this study was to assess the promptness of antibiotic administration to patients presenting with sepsis and the effects on survival and length of hospitalization.

METHODS:

Consecutive, adult patients presenting with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) to the emergency department of the Aga Khan University hospital were enrolled in a prospective, observational study over a period of 4 months. Univariate, multivariate regression modeling and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the effects of various variables on survival and for significant differences between timing of antibiotic administration and survival, two-sided p values < 0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS:

One hundred and eleven patients …

How Early Do Antibiotics Have To Be To Impact Mortality In Severe Sepsis? A Prospective, Observational Study From An Emergency Department, Shahla Siddiqui, Nawal Salahuddin, Adeel Raza, Junaid Razzak

Department of Anaesthesia

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess the promptness of antibiotic administration to patients presenting with sepsis and the effects on survival and length of hospitalization.

METHODS: Consecutive, adult patients presenting with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) to the emergency department of the Aga Khan University hospital were enrolled in a prospective, observational study over a period of 4 months. Univariate, multivariate regression modeling and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the effects of various variables on survival and for significant differences between timing of antibiotic administration and survival, two-sided p values < 0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS: One hundred and eleven patients …

Chinese Coal Mines--The Industrial Death Trap, Amber Mehmood

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Improving Outcome In Pediatric Intensive Care Unit In Academic Hospital In Pakistan, Anwarul Haque, Surraiya Bano

Department of Emergency Medicine

Objective:

To assess the impact on the clinical outcome of critically ill children before and after introduction of pediatric intensivist in an academic pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) inPakistan.

Methodology: :

This is aretrospective audit of children (age from one month to 14 years) admitted in the PICU during two 12-month periods in PICU of Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH).Patients in Cohort one were managed by pediatric intensivist while in Cohort two were managed by general pediatricians.Patients were compared during the two 12-month cohort period.

Results:

During the study, in cohort one, 314 patients were admitted, mean age was 24 …