Microbial profile of corneal ulcer in a tertiary eye care hospital at Tamil Nadu

Background-Visual impairment due to corneal ulceration has for long been acknowledged as leading cause of blindness both worldwide and in India only next to Cataract. The aetiology for infective corneal ulcer varies considerably with occupation of patients in different regions of India. Thus, continuing with empirical management without lab diagnosis leads to protracted clinical course. So, understanding the microbial profile of corneal ulcers in agriculture dependent population of Southern Assam helps in improved management of this morbidity. Aims- To 1) Find the prevalence of infected corneal ulcers in untreated patients attending Ophthalmology department of a tertiary care hospital of Southern Assam. 2) Study the pattern of microbial aetiology in the infected corneal ulcer cases. 3) Find the association of infected corneal ulcers with various attributing factors. Method-Corneal scrapings from 86 routine untreated cases of corneal ulceration from Ophthalmology Department were studied prospectively from Dec2017 to Jan2019 and subjected to Gram staining and direct examination with 10%KOH. Culture on SDA and Blood Agar were incubated at 25°C and 37°C respectively and followed up for 3 weeks before declaring sterile. Antimicrobial sensitivity was performed for bacterial isolate and yeast-like species. Slide culture and LPCB tease mount were done for identification of moulds. Result- Out of the 86 cases, 58 were positive in direct microscopy, of which 44 were culture positive. Of the 28 samples negative in direct microscopy, 2 were positive by Culture. Bacterial isolates were found in 5 cases and fungal aetiology in 41 cases. Conclusion- The prevalence of infected corneal ulcer as per standard of Culture positivity is 53.5% (46/86). Mycotic involvement was found in 90% cases. Important fungal isolates identified were Aspergillus species, Penicillium species, Curvularia species, Fusarium species, Sarocladium species. Higher prevalence was significantly associated with harvesting season, agricultural practice and history of trauma while diabetes and steroid intake were not significantly associated with mycotic ulcers. Keywords: Corneal ulcer, Assam, Fungal, Fusarium, Sarocladium, Pseudomonas.

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School-based vision screening in Quetta, Pakistan: a qualitative study of experiences of teachers and eye care providers

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10404-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Stevens Bechange ◽

Munazza Gillani ◽

Emma Jolley ◽

Robina Iqbal ◽

Leena Ahmed ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Screening Programme ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Vision Screening ◽

Care Providers ◽

Eye Care ◽

Training Experience ◽

Screening Guidelines ◽

School Based

Abstract Background Visual impairment in children is a significant public health problem affecting millions of children globally. Many eye problems experienced by children can be easily diagnosed and treated. We conducted a qualitative study with teachers and optometrists involved in a school-based vision screening programme in Quetta district of Pakistan to explore their experiences of training, vision screening and referrals and to identify factors impacting on the effectiveness of the programme. Methods Between April 2018 and June 2018, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 14 teachers from eight purposefully selected schools with high rates of inaccurate (false positive) referrals. Interviews were also conducted with three optometrists from a not-for profit private eye care hospital that had trained the teachers. Interviews were audio recorded and professionally transcribed. NVIVO software version 12 was used to code and thematically analyze the data. Results Findings suggest that the importance of school-based vision screening was well understood and appreciated by the teachers and optometrists. Most participants felt that there was a strong level of support for the vision screening programme within the participating schools. However, there were a number of operational issues undermining the quality of screening. Eight teachers felt that the duration of the training was insufficient; the training was rushed; six teachers said that the procedures were not sufficiently explained, and the teachers had no time to practice. The screening protocol was not always followed by the teachers. Additionally, many teachers reported being overburdened with other work, which affected both their levels of participation in the training and the time they spent on the screening. Conclusions School-based vision screening by teachers is a cost-effective strategy to detect and treat children’s vision impairment early on. In the programme reviewed here however, a significant number of teachers over referred children to ophthalmic services, overwhelming their capacity and undermining the efficiency of the approach. To maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of school-based screening, future initiatives should give sufficient attention to the duration of the teacher training, experience of trainers, support supervision, refresher trainings, regular use of the screening guidelines, and the workload and motivation of those trained.

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Assessing the Severity of Acute Pancreatitis with CT Severity Index and Other Conventional Methods in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tamil Nadu, India – A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare ◽

10.18410/jebmh/2021/642 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (41) ◽

pp. 3541-3546

Author(s):

Jayaprakash Subramani ◽

Rajesh Prabhu ◽

Jagadeesapandian Palpandi

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Acute Pancreatitis ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Objective Assessment ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Severity Index ◽

Apache Ii ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Male Predominance

BACKGROUND Acute pancreatitis is not uncommon in surgical practice with variable clinical presentation. Because of its potential notable catastrophic complications, it is mandatory to assess the severity at the earliest. In recent times, the decision making in the management is quite difficult due to its complications and outcome. So, an objective assessment of severity based on clinical and laboratory scoring verses computed tomography (CT) severity is still debate, hence the need for study. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of CT severity index verses APACHE II and Ranson criteria in predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis. METHODS A total number of 36 consecutive cases of acute pancreatitis who were admitted between January 2013 and December 2014 in Apollo Specialty Hospitals – Madurai were included in the study. Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. RESULTS In our study, out of 36 patients, 30 (83.33 %) were males and 6 (16.66 %) were females. The sex distribution shows a clear male predominance. Most of the patients in the present study belonged to the middle age group. Alcohol was the most common cause accounting for 41.7 % of the cases followed by the billiary pathology. CT severity index was the superior tool for prediction of the prognosis and early complications. CONCLUSIONS When using contrast enhanced computed tomography, it was found that there was a significant correlation between the development of organ failure and severity of pancreatitis. The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of Ranson and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation – II (APACHE II) at 48 hours of admission with acute pancreatitis does not correlate in determining the severity of acute pancreatitis. KEYWORDS Acute Pancreatitis, Severity Markers, CT Severity Index

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Study of Microbial Profile, Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Burns Wound Infection with Specific Reference to Phenotypic Detection of MRSA and ESBL Producing Isolates in a Tertiary Care Hospital

International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ◽

10.20546/ijcmas.2019.803.083 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (03) ◽

pp. 671-679

Author(s):

Sundararajan Thangavel ◽

Neelaveni Duraisamy ◽

Gomathi Manian

Keyword(s):

Wound Infection ◽

Antimicrobial Susceptibility ◽

Tertiary Care Hospital ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Specific Reference ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Microbial Profile

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Lung cancer profile at tertiary care hospital, South Tamil Nadu

IP Indian Journal of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine ◽

10.18231/j.ijirm.2019.056 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (4) ◽

pp. 245-251

Author(s):

Prem Ananth P ◽

◽

R Gnanasekaran ◽

N Nagarajan ◽

Deiveegan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Tertiary Care Hospital ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Care Hospital

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A study on the outbreak of dengue fever in a tertiary care children’s hospital in southern Tamil Nadu, India

International Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics ◽

10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20192011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 1194

Author(s):

Belgin Premkumar ◽

Baburaj S. ◽

Margaret Hepzibah N. ◽

Misha K. P. ◽

Binu Abraham

Keyword(s):

Dengue Fever ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Case Fatality ◽

Dengue Shock Syndrome ◽

Viral Disease ◽

Severe Dengue ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Clinical Criteria ◽

Public Health Challenge

Background: Dengue fever is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral disease in the world.Incidence has increased 230-fold with increasing geographic expansion with potential for further spread. The rapidly expanding global footprint of dengue is a public health challenge with an economic burden. This study’s objective is to assess the outbreak of epidemic of dengue fever in a tertiary care children hospital and to describe their socio-demographic, clinical outcome and serological profile.Methods: It is an observational descriptive study conducted for a period of 1 year in less than 12 years old children in a tertiary care hospital at Southern Tamil Nadu.Results: Among the 360 children admitted with dengue fever, there were 198 boys (55%) and 162 (45%) were girls. Maximum incidence of dengue incidence was seen in infants less than 1 year (25%). The highest number of cases were admitted during September and October. The most common affected age group was less than 3 years with 179 (49%). Among the cases, 297 (82%) were of severe dengue which constitute dengue haemorrhagic fever-183(38%) and Dengue shock syndrome 114 (62%). Serological analysis showed NS1 Ag was positive in 144 children (40%), Dengue IgM was positive in 54 children (15%), both IgM and IgG positive in 126 children (35%) and IgG was positive in 36 children (10%). Out of the total children admitted with dengue fever, the case fatality was 0.5% (2 children).Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of WHO clinical criteria for early diagnosis of severe dengue. Moreover, the early and intensive management reduces the mortality significantly.

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