scholarly journals Prognostic value of initial Glasgow Coma Score in comatosed patients on medical floor

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Arif Nadeem ◽  
Khadija Irfan ◽  
Khawaja A Irfan Waheed
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Glasgow Coma Score ◽  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Medical Advice ◽  
Against Medical Advice ◽  
Lost To Follow Up ◽  
Category Score

Objective: An open non-randomized prospective observational study of comatosed patients was conducted to correlate initial Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) with the outcome in patients having medical coma at Mayo Hospital, Lahore between January 2002 to September 2003. Methods: A total of 273 patients were followed throughout their hospital stay to determine the outcome after the current episode of coma. A thorough history and examination was obtained for each case. The 3 category Glasgow Coma Score was recorded as an indication of the degree of unconsciousness. One of three possible outcome categories was established, recovery (discharge), death, and referral or self discharge (by attendants) against medical advice. Results: The outcome of 248 patients (90.84%) was established i.e. 152 (61.29%) were discharged after recovery and 96 (38.71%) died. The remaining 25 (09.16%) patients were lost to follow up. Four subcategories of the Glasgow Coma Score were made, at 3-point intervals. In the lowest score category ( score 3-5) there was 59.67% mortality and only 30.66% patients were successfully treated and discharged. In the category of GCS 6-8, 30.91% died and 60% were discharged, while in the 9-11 category, 26.47% died and 66.18% were discharged. In the highest score category (12-15), 27.27% deaths occurred, probably related to the severity of main event, and 62.50% were discharged. Conclusion: The depth of coma as reflected by the initial GCS can reliably be used to predict the outcome in comatosed patients.

scholarly journals Determinants of discharge against medical advice from a rural neurosurgical service in a developing country: A prospective observational study

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 290
Author(s):  
Toyin Ayofe Oyemolade ◽  
Amos Olufemi Adeleye ◽  
Oluwakemi C. Ogunyileka ◽  
Folawemimo M. Arogundade ◽  
Ayodele J. Olusola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Literacy ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Medical Advice ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Against Medical Advice ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Discharge Against Medical Advice

Background: In low-resource regions of the world, discharge against medical advice (DAMA) is one empiric contributory factor to poor in-hospital outcome that is not often mentioned. This study aims to investigate the determinants of DAMA from a rural neurosurgical service in a developing country. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of all patients who discharged against medical advice in our service between November 2018 and October 2019. Results: There were 88 patients, 67 (76.1%) males, in the study, (M:F = 3.2:1), representing 17.4% of our patient population in the study period. The peak incidence was in the 20–29 years age group which accounted for 37.5% of the cases. About 55% of the patients presented directly to our center; 31.8% were referred from other hospitals, while 3.4% came from traditional caregivers and 1.1% from religious homes. Head injury was the most common indication for presentation (76.1% of the cases). The duration of hospital stay ranged from 2 h to 14 days. Majority of the patients (87.5%) left the hospital within 8 h of presentation. The reason for DAMA was financial constraints in 50% of cases, inadequate health literacy in 20.5%, financial constraints and poor health literacy together in 12.5%, religious misgivings in 4.5%, and traditional belief in 2.3%. Neurotrauma was predictive of early DAMA (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The rate of DAMA was high in our study. Financial constraints with other socioeconomic limitations were the most common causes of DAMA in our environment.

Counting Polar Symptoms: How to Represent Results?

Homeopathy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lex Rutten ◽  
José Eizayaga ◽  
Harleen Kaur ◽  
Chetna Deep Lamba ◽  
Jyoti Sachdeva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Chronic Cough ◽  
Prognostic Value ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Centre Of Mass ◽  
Central Council ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background Polar symptoms (PS)—symptoms with opposite values—are frequently used in homeopathy, but have many misleading entries in the repertory. This is caused by using absolute occurrence of symptoms, causing the same medicine to appear in both (opposite) symptom rubrics, and by lack of comparison with other medicines. Some PS, like ‘aversion/desire for sweets’ have a frequency distribution that is not evenly distributed around the neutral value: a desire for sweets is much more common than aversion. A desire for sweets is an indication for a specific medicine only if this desire occurs more frequently in this specific medicine population than in the remainder of the population. We need to find the best way to represent this difference. Methods A multi-centre, explorative, prospective, observational study was conducted by nine centres of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy. Two-hundred and sixteen patients were enrolled with chronic cough lasting more than 8 weeks, and received usual homeopathic care. During intake, 30 general PS, 27 polar cough symptoms and 3 non-polar cough symptoms were checked. Different ways of representing results were explored, including two quantities borrowed from mechanics: Centre of Mass (CoM) and Leverage. Results At the fourth follow-up, three medicines with more than 10 cases with good results were identified: 20 Phosphorus, 19 Pulsatilla and 13 Sulphur. The mean value of the frequency distribution of some symptoms in the whole sample was considerably different from the neutral value. Comparing a medicine population with the remainder of the respective population can give results that differ from polarity analysis. For some symptoms, the ‘distance’ (Leverage) between the CoMs of the medicine population and the remainder of the population was clearer than the likelihood ratio (LR). Conclusion If the LR value is not clear about the prognostic value in PS, notions from mechanics such as CoM and Leverage can clarify how to interpret a polar symptom.

scholarly journals Safety of High-Dose Dabigatran in Elderly and Younger Patients with a Low Bleeding Risk: A Prospective Observational Study

Cardiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Aharon Erez ◽  
Gregory Golovchiner ◽  
Robert Klempfner ◽  
Ehud Kadmon ◽  
Gustavo Ruben Goldenberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Bleeding Risk ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
High Dose ◽  
World Population ◽  
Younger Patients ◽  
End Point

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) at risk for stroke, dabigatran 150 mg twice a day (DE150) is superior to warfarin for stroke prevention. However, there is paucity of data with respect to bleeding risk at this dose in elderly patients (≥75 years). We aimed to evaluate the safety of DE150 in comparison to warfarin in a real-world population with AF and low bleeding risk (HAS-BLED score ≤2). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this prospective observational study, 754 consecutive patients with AF and HAS-BLED score ≤2 were included. We compared outcome of elderly patients (age ≥75 tears) to younger patients (age &#x3c;75 years). The primary end point was the combined incidence of all-cause mortality, stroke, systemic emboli, and major bleeding event during a mean follow-up of 1 year. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were 230 (30%) elderly patients, 151 patients were treated with warfarin, and 79 were treated with DE150. Fifty-two patients experienced the primary endpoint during the 1-year follow-up. Among the elderly, at 1-year of follow-up, the cumulative event rate of the combined endpoint in the DE150 and warfarin was 8.9 and 15.9% respectively (<i>p</i> = 0.14). After adjustment for age and gender, patients who were treated with DE150 had a nonsignificant difference in the risk for the combined end point as patients treated with warfarin both among the elderly and among the younger population (HR 0.58, 95% C.I = 0.25–1.39 and HR = 1.12, 95% C.I 0.62–2.00, respectively [<i>p</i> for age-group-by-treatment interaction = 0.83). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Our results suggest that Dabigatran 150 mg twice a day can be safely used among elderly AF patients with low bleeding risk.

scholarly journals The role of rehabilitation measures in reintegration of children with brain tumours or leukaemia and their families after completion of cancer treatment: a study protocol

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. e014505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Leandra Peikert ◽  
Laura Inhestern ◽  
Corinna Bergelt
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Oncological Rehabilitation ◽  
Rehabilitation Measures

IntroductionFor ill children as well as for their parents and siblings, childhood cancer poses a major challenge. Little is known about the reintegration into daily life of childhood cancer survivors and their families. The aim of this prospective observational study is to further the understanding of the role of rehabilitation measures in the reintegration process of childhood leukaemia or brain tumour survivors and their family members after the end of cancer treatment.Methods and analysisThis prospective observational study consists of three study arms: a quantitative study in cooperation with three German paediatric oncological study registries (study arm 1), a quantitative study in cooperation with a rehabilitation clinic that offers a family-oriented paediatric oncological rehabilitation programme (study arm 2) and a qualitative study at 12-month follow-up including families from the study arms 1 and 2 (study arm 3). In study arm 1, children, parents and siblings are surveyed after treatment (baseline), 4–6 months after baseline measurement and at 12-month follow-up. In study arm 2, data are collected at the beginning and at the end of the rehabilitation measure and at 12-month follow-up. Families are assessed with standardised questionnaires on quality of life, emotional and behavioural symptoms, depression, anxiety, fear of progression, coping and family functioning. Furthermore, self-developed items on rehabilitation aims and reintegration into daily life are used. Where applicable, users and non-users of rehabilitation measures will be compared regarding the outcome parameters. Longitudinal data will be analysed by means of multivariate analysis strategies. Reference values will be used for comparisons if applicable. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic analysis.Ethics and disseminationThis study has been approved by the medical ethics committee of the Medical Chamber of Hamburg. Data will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.

scholarly journals DRUG-RELATED PROBLEMS AND ITS PRESCRIBING INDICATORS IN STROKE PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

2021 ◽  
pp. 141-144
Author(s):  
DURGA PRASAD THAMMISETTY ◽  
DIVITI RANGANAYAKULU ◽  
DEVANNA NAYAKANTI
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Drug Interactions ◽  
Hospital Stay ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Drug Related Problems ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Prescribing Indicators

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the drug-related problems (DRPs) and the World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators among stroke patients. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted among stroke inpatients of Acute Medical Care and General Medicine Department of a tertiary care hospital located in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India. A suitable data collection form was used to collect the data about demographics, clinical characteristics, WHO prescribing indicators, and DRPs. Descriptive statistics were used to represent the demographics, distribution of DRPs, and prescribing indicators in the study. Chi-square test was employed to test the significant association between the demographics and the occurrence of DRPs. Results: Among 174 patients included in the study, 89 had one or more DRPs. A total of 122 DRPs were identified in the study population. Drug interactions (48.4%) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) (17.2%) were commonly observed DRPs. A significant direct association was observed between the occurrence of DRPs and number of comorbidities (p<0.001), polypharmacy (p<0.001), and hospital stay (p<0.05). The average number of drugs per prescription was 7.2. Of drugs prescribed, 67.6% were in their generic names. The percentage of encounters in which an antibiotic, injection was prescribed was 65.5% and 89.6% respectively. The percentage of drugs prescribed from an essential drug list was 91.2%. Conclusion: The rate of drug interactions and ADRs was high in treatment of stroke patients. Patients suffering from comorbidities, polypharmacy, and long hospital stay were positively associated with occurrence of DRPs in stroke. Regular monitoring and screening for drug interactions and ADRs were advised to reduce the burden DRPs in stroke patients admitted in a critical care unit.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Aetiology and Outcome of Acute Kidney Injury in a Tertiary Care Hospital of India- A Prospective Observational Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
VS Gaurav Narayan ◽  
SG Ramya ◽  
Sonal Rajesh Kumar ◽  
SK Nellaiappa Ganesan
Keyword(s):  
Acute Kidney Injury ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Kidney Injury ◽  
Rapid Decline ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Medical Intensive Care

Introduction: The Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a rapid decline in renal filtration function. The aetiological spectrum, prevalence of AKI and outcome is highly variable. This variation exists due to the difference in the criteria used, study population and demographic features. Huge differences are noted when AKI is compared in developing and developed countries. Hence, it is important to analyse the spectrum of AKI to facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment which shall help in improving the outcome. Aim: To study the prevalence, aetiology and outcome of AKI in the medical intensive care. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study conducted in a medical intensive care for 18 months where 1490 patients were screened and 403 patients were included as AKI by KDIGO criteria. History, examination, appropriate investigations and treatment details including dialysis were noted. The serum creatinine levels were obtained every day, to know the time of onset of AKI, at the time of death or discharge, and after one month for patients who turned up for follow-up. Patients were categorised based on outcome as survivors and nonsurvivors. Survivors were divided into as fully recovered and partially recovered and those who left the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) against medical advice were termed as lost to follow-up. Results: A total of 403 patients (27.04% of 1490) of medical intensive care admissions were found to have AKI. Sepsis was the most common cause of AKI. At the end of the month, 78.4% of AKI patients fully recovered, 1.2% partially recovered and the mortality was 14.9%. Mortality was higher in AKI associated with chronic medical conditions like cardiac failure, chronic liver disease and stroke. Conclusion: If treated early, AKI is mostly reversible. Regional differences in AKI should be studied extensively and local guidelines should be formulated by experts for prevention and early treatment, to improve the disease outcome.

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