Assessing Patient Safety Culture: Insights from a Neurological Institute.

Introduction-Aim: Assessment of patient safety culture is important for enhancing hospital service quality and clinical outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the safety of patient culture among health professionals in a neurological institute, in order to identify areas of improvement. The second objective of our study was to determine the influence of the sociodemographic data of the participants on the awareness of patient safety. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among healthcare workers exercising at a neurological institution using a validated Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture questionnaire containing ten safety care dimensions. RESULTS: A total of 123 responses to the questionnaire were analyzed, accounting for 34.5% of the total (Cronbach's alpha=0.677). Among the participants, 61.8% considered the level of awareness regarding patient safety to be acceptable. The dimensions considered as strengths were "Organizational learning and continuous improvement" with the highest positive response (60.3%) "Relationship patient-staff member" (58.9%) and "Teamwork within units" (58.9%). However, the dimensions considered as weaknesses were "Management support for patient safety" with 28.5% of positive responses and "Communication openness and non-punitive response to error" (40%). CONCLUSION: Patient safety culture among healthcare professionals is at an average with "Organizational learning and continuous improvement" being a positive aspect. However, improvements should be made in all dimensions to enhance and promote patient safety within the institution.

Infective endocarditis secondary to a hemodialysis catheter revealed by subarachnoid hemorrhage: Case report.

INTRODUCTION: Endocarditis associated with medical care is a rare and serious entity. The risk of occurrence is increased in hemodialysis patients due to the immunosuppression and the multiplicity of vascular accesses of different kinds. The mode of revelation can be variable given the diversity of symptoms it causes. Herein, we describe the case of endocarditis associated with medical care in a patient with renal failure who presents with neurological symptoms. OBSERVATION: A 38-year-old patient with a history of kidney disease in the hemodialysis stage presented to the emergency room with altered neurological status in the context of fever. The patient's condition requires airway control, sedation, and vasopressor medication. Brain imaging revealed Fisher 4 subarachnoid hemorrhage with brain turgor. Transthoracic and transesophageal cardiac ultrasound exploration revealed infective mitro-aortic endocarditis with trigonal abscess fistulized in the left ventricle and destruction of the aortic valve with massive regurgitation. The additional imaging in a second step did not highlight any images of mycotic aneurysm. The indication for early surgery was not approved given the hemodynamic instability and the poor intracerebral hemodynamics demonstrated by transcranial doppler ultrasound. The initial outcome under antibiotic treatment and renal replacement was favorable. But the subsequent course was fatal due to septic shock with multiple organ failure. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of infective endocarditis should always be considered in hemodialysis patients presenting in a septic state with signs of systemic involvement. It is a source of mortality in these debilitated patients.

Exclusion of complications of central venous catheters: Ultrasound versus X-ray.

INTRODUCTION: The placement of central venous catheters (CVC) is a frequent procedure in intensive care. It is not devoid of complications, the diagnosis of which relied for a long time on the chest X-ray. Currently, ultrasound appears to be an interesting alternative. AIM: To report the impact of the use of ultrasound on the time to exclusion of mechanical complications after CVC placement. METHODS: This is a prospective, multicenter, comparative, double-blind study. Were included the patients in whom the placement of a CVC was decided. After placement, a chest X-ray was ordered and an ultrasound was performed to look for signs of misplacement and pneumothorax. The two examinations were interpreted by two different doctors. The primary endpoint between the ultrasound group and the RTX group was the time "T1" represented by the time required to exclude complications. RESULTS: 30 patients were included in our study. The mean ultrasound T1time was significantly lower than the mean radiological T1time (p=0.000). Only one case of pneumothorax was observed. It was first detected by ultrasound. For the 29 other patients, exclusion of pneumothorax was confirmed by ultrasound and chest X-ray. No misplacement type complications detected. This was confirmed by ultrasound and radiological exclusions. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound is a faster tool than RTX in excluding mechanical complications after CVC placement. It guarantees a non-irradiating examination as efficient as chest X-ray for intensive care patients.

Myasthenia gravis and COVID-19: A case series and comparison with literature.

OBJECTIVE: To describe presenting symptoms, clinical outcomes, and therapeutic management of concurrent Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections in patients with a pre-existing myasthenia gravis (MG). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study in patients with preexisting MG presenting with concurrent COVID-19 between September 21st and November 4th, 2020 when attending the emergency department or routine neurology consultation at the National Institute Mongi Ben Hamida of Neurology of Tunis, Tunisia. RESULTS: Five patients were identified. The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America scores (MGFA) prior to COVID-19 infection were class I in one patient, class II (IIa, IIb) in two patients, and class IIIb in one patient. Four patients had mild to moderate courses of COVID-19 infection. One patient presented a critical infection with acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS) requiring mechanical ventilation. Two of them also demonstrated signs of MG exacerbation requiring the use of intravenous immunoglobulin in one case. We maintained immunosuppressant therapy to MG in all our patients. All our patients received Azithromycin (AZM) as a part of specific drug treatment of COVID-19 infection. Outcome was favorable in 4 patients and rapidly fatal evolution was observed in the patient with ADRS. DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION: The results from our study suggest that prior MG activity could partially influence the subsequent clinical outcomes. It emerged also that ongoing long-term immunosuppressive immunotherapy to MG should be maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic and that AZM can be used safely in MG patients and concurrent COVID-19 infection.

[Neuroradiological pattern of peripartum cerebro vascular disease medicating transfer to determine care unit]. / Aspects neuroradiologiques de la pathologie vasculaire cérébrale du peripartum nécessitant un transfert en milieu de réanimation.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and puerperium are considered a period of a high risk of stroke responsible in a part of the morbidity and mortality in women. Imaging is the pivotal tool to diagnostics and care. AIM: To investigate the clinical and imaging features cerebrovascular complications during pregnancy and in post partum period. METHODS: We report a retrospective analysis of forty four patients (November 2002 - October 2010) admitted in the intensive car department of the national institute of neurology for cerebro-vascular complications during pregnancy and in post partum period. RESULTS: Cerebro-vascular imaging modalities included cerebral computed tomography (CCT) with and without contrast in 94% of cases, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 30.6% of cases completed by venous angiography MRI in 27.2% of cases and angiography MRI of Willis polygon in 11.3% of cases and by cerebral angiography in 13.6% of cases. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is diagnosed in 61.4 % of cases followed by meningo-cerebral haemorrhage (MCH) in 29.5% and finally cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) and arterial ischemia in 4.5% of cases each one. The cerebro-vascular complications are revelled in 86.3 % of the cases during the postpartum and were associated with the eclampsia or preeclampsia in 90.9 % of the cases (n=40). CCT showed typical lesions of PRES in 23 patients. It confirms the presence of hematoma in the 13 patients with MCH and find hypodense lesion in one case with ischemic stroke. CCT show direct (delta sign) and indirect signs of CVT. MRI confirms the diagnostic of PRES, when done (11 of 12 cases) and show cortical sub cortical hyper signal on T2 and FLAIR and hypo signal on T1 sequences. MRI was normal in one case. It shows hemorrhagic lesion in the 2 cases of MCH, thrombosis in the cases of CVT and ischemic lesion in the cases of ischemic stroke. CCT and MRI done within 48 hours from admission were decisive for early diagnostic and for fast and adequate care. CONCLUSION: Early recognition of stroke in peri partum by cerebral imaging is of paramount importance for prompt diagnosis and treatment to improve maternal morbidity and mortality.

Cardiac injury in traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhagea: prospective study in 35 patients.

BACKGROUND: Various electrocardiographic abnormalities have been noted since 1954 in patients with head trauma complicated by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, very few studies have interested to these ECG modifications in the case of post traumatic SAH (t-SAH) AIM: To assess the incidence of ECG abnormalities during the first five days after admission and the predictive value of these cardiac complications on the mortality in t-SAH. METHODS: This prospective study included 35 patients out of 125 with traumatic SAH diagnosed in the emergency unit in Rabta's hospital (2001-2009). Patients with cardio vascular history, thoracic trauma, non neurological coma and vascular-related neurological coma were excluded. An electrocardiogram monitoring was performed. A brain CT scan was performed in admission, 48 h after and case of neurological aggravation. Serum cardiac troponin IC levels were determined on hospital admission and then on the third and fifth days of hospitalization. The statistical analysis was based on the non-parametric variance test of Kruskal-Wallis to compare the means; on the chi 2 and Fisher tests to compare percentage, with a significant result at 0.05 percentile and on the Odds ratio nonparametric factors for death. Association between 2 quantitative variables have been analyzed by Pearson coefficient of correlation. RESULTS: Mean age of the 35 patients was 39 ± 17 years. Sex ratio was 4 in favor of men. The prevalence of electrocardiographic changes was of 57% (20 patients). Serum Troponin I level showed a peak on the 3rd day then it decreased. The majority of electrical abnormalities occurred during the third after admission and are associated to a markedly increased Troponin I plasma level and to the highest rate of mortality. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between T wave changes and the increase of serum Tn IC level (p= 0; 0002). The relative risk of mortality was higher than 7.2 times in cases with increase serum TnIc level. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that ECG changes were common in patients with t SAH and the major predictive factors of mortality were the increase of serum TnIC and T wave changes.