Laboratory Indicators for Predicting Hypocalcemia After Total Thyroidectomy. A Study from A Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the knowledge and practices of nursing staff caring for patients with dysphagia to determine any needs for further education programmes. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire with close-ended questions was completed by nurses at a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia to measure the depth of their dysphagia knowledge. Findings From 316 potential participants, a sample of 174 nurses completed the questionnaire. The results revealed that the participants had partial theoretical and practical knowledge about nursing care for patients with dysphagia. Of interest, 78 per cent of the nurses reported that they had received less than 1 h of training in dysphagia, and only 4 per cent were aware of speech and language pathologists’ role in dysphagia management. Practical implications As the medical professionals who have the most contact with the patients, nurses have a central role in the care of patients with dysphagia. This study provides information that will guide strategies for in-service nurse education dysphagia programmes. Originality/value The estimated Saudi prevalence of dysphagia is high due to increased incidence of medical conditions commonly associated with dysphagia, such as stroke, cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injuries from traffic accidents. Nurses play a pivotal role in caring for these patients. However, little is known about the level of care patients with dysphagia require in Saudi hospital settings.

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SMOKING PREVALENCE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SMOKING IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN SAUDI ARABIA

CHEST Journal ◽

10.1378/chest.134.4_meetingabstracts.p153002 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 134 (4) ◽

pp. 153P

Author(s):

Ashraf Al-Tarifi ◽

Laila Dabal ◽

Noura Alezaime ◽

Khalid Kardesh ◽

Eyad Bishtawi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Smoking Prevalence ◽

Tertiary Hospital ◽

Attitudes Toward Smoking

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Seroprevalence of Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Infection among Healthcare Workers at a Tertiary Hospital in Saudi Arabia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1102731/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hayat Mushcab ◽

Jaffar Al-Tawfiq ◽

Mohammed Ghamdi ◽

Amani Babgi ◽

Abdulrazack Amir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Seroconversion Rate ◽

Tertiary Hospital ◽

World Health ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Healthcare Organizations ◽

And Control ◽

Assessment Questionnaire

Abstract Background The nature of the healthcare workers' jobs standing at the frontline against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) puts them at a higher risk of unknowingly contracting the disease and potentially contributing to the spread. This study aims to assess the overall positive seroconversion prevalence of SARS-CoV-2. Methods This is a longitudinal cohort study of healthcare workers at a tertiary hospital serving patients in several districts in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Participants were recruited between June - December 2020. Each participant had a serology blood test and completed the World Health Organization's risk factors assessment questionnaire. Results This study included 682 participants working in any capacity at a tertiary hospital, representing 15.7% of our population. Only 87 participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, a prevalence of 12.7% of all participants. Of the 87 participants, 17 participants never tested positive for COVID-19 rt-PCR before the study, a prevalence of 2.9%. Moreover, the improper technique of using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water after the risk of body fluid exposure and wearing personal protective equipment when indicated were found to be statistically significant to having positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG assay with P=0.02, P=0.03, and CI: 95% respectively. Conclusion Positive seroconversion rate was considerably low during the first wave of COVID-19 amongst our healthcare workers and similar to other healthcare organizations in Saudi Arabia. Seropositivity correlated significantly with adherence to infection prevention and control recommendations.

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Clinical and histopathological pattern of colorectal malignancies, the experience in a tertiary hospital in south-western region, Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health ◽

10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20184556 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (11) ◽

pp. 4684

Author(s):

Majed Saleh M. Aldayhum ◽

Anas Abdullah R. Alshehri ◽

Dlaim H. AlQahtani ◽

Eman Yahia Alfussaily ◽

Suha Abdulrahman S. Althibait ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Saudi Arabia ◽

Clinical Presentation ◽

Early Stage ◽

Tertiary Hospital ◽

Central Hospital ◽

Early Stage Disease ◽

Common Cancer ◽

Stage Disease ◽

Common Grade ◽

The Mean

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer all over the world and the second leading cause of the cancer death in both sexes. CRC is the second most common cancer in Kingdom Saudi Arabia. However, this aspect was not recently studied.Methods: This is a retrospectively cohort based study. We collected and analyzed the records of the patients with CRC diagnosed at Aseer Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia from January 2008 to June 2016. A pre-specified data sheet was used to collect information regarding socio-demographics, age, Altitude, site of tumor, clinical presentation, outcome and prognosis as well as histopathological pattern of cancer and the stages of disease. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS.Results: A total of 291 cases of CRC were registered in the Aseer Central Hospital. 171 cases 58.87% were males while 120 cases 41.2% were females. The mean age of patients (SD) at the time of diagnosis was 59.38 years. At the time of diagnosis, 219 patients 84.6% presented with early stage disease and 40 15.4% had distant metastasis advanced stage. The most frequent CRC located in sigmoid 26.5%, rectal 23.7%and 14% in ascending. The moderately differentiate adenocarcinoma grade of tumor is being the most common grade among all variants 75.6%.Conclusions: In this study, we have nearly similar results found in previously published study by Alshehri et al. Males considered most affected, most of the patients were more than 50 years, 84.6% of the patients came with early stage disease. Left side colon were the most common site of CRC.

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Next-day Parathyroid Hormone as a Predictor of Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia

World Journal of Endocrine Surgery ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10002-1192 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 203-207 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MJ Paul ◽

Thomas V Paul ◽

Deepak T Abraham ◽

Anish Cherian

Keyword(s):

Parathyroid Hormone ◽

Total Thyroidectomy ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Calcium Supplementation ◽

Early Discharge ◽

Tertiary Hospital ◽

Vitamin D Supplementation ◽

Postoperative Hypocalcemia ◽

Parathyroid Dysfunction ◽

Pth Level

ABSTRACT Aims Total thyroidectomy is significantly complicated by parathyroid dysfunction and hypocalcemia. These aspects impact the decision regarding the timing of discharge and quantum of calcium supplementation required. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating the accuracy of next-day parathyroid hormone (PTH) level as a predictor of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Secondly, we aimed at establishing our institution's postoperative PTH level, which can accurately predict the development of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia to help us ensure the safe and early discharge of patients. Materials and methods A prospective observational study of 50 continuous patients undergoing thyroidectomy was conducted at a tertiary hospital in South India. Postoperative blood samples were collected for estimation of PTH, calcium, albumin, and phosphorous. The data were collated and results analyzed using Stata I/C 10.1. Results A total of 30% (15/50) of the patients had postoperative hypocalcemia (serum calcium <8 mg/dL). Postoperative PTH was low (<8 pg/mL) in 40% (20/50) of patients. There was a significant association between PTH < 8 pg/mL and the presence of postoperative hypocalcemia (p = 0.029). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.7, and a next-day PTH of <6 pg/mL showed the highest sensitivity and specificity (83 and 60% respectively) for the development of postoperative hypocalcemia, with a positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 83 and 60 respectively. Conclusion The PTH assessment performed the day after surgery is an acceptable test to predict post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia; PTH <6 pg/mL can be used as our institution's cutoff value. Department protocols for calcium and vitamin D supplementation following total thyroidectomy may be formulated based on the appropriately timed local postoperative PTH value to assist safe and early discharge of patients. Clinical significance Discharge protocols for patients undergoing thyroidectomy may be formulated based on the postoperative PTH values, thus enabling safe and early discharge of patients. How to cite this article Cherian AJ, Ramakant P, Paul TV, Abraham DT, Paul MJ. Next-day Parathyroid Hormone as a Predictor of Post-thyroidectomy Hypocalcemia. World J Endoc Surg 2016;8(3):203-207.

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