Comparing the efficacy and complications of Endoscopic Biliary Drainage (EBD) and Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage (PTBD) in patients with perihilar cholangiocarcinoma.

Introduction and Objective: Hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HCCA) is a rare malignancy in patients with biliary disease. If jaundice and obstruction before surgery are left untreated, then they can cause side effects such as cholangitis, delayed tumor treatment, decreased quality of life, and increased mortality. Surgery is the main treatment for HCCA. Therefore, this study was performed to compare the efficacy and complications of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) and endoscopic biliary drainage (EBD). Methods: This cohort study was conducted on 20 patients with biliary obstruction who had been selected by simple random sampling and divided into two groups of EBD and PTBD. Three weeks after surgery, patients were compared in terms of bilirubin levels and postoperative complications. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (table, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent t-test, Chi-square test, and Fisher's test). Results: Independent t-test did not show a significant difference between the two groups in terms of bilirubin level (P = 0.77). However, despite a decrease in bilirubin level in both groups, independent t-test showed that this difference was not significant (P = 0.08). Fisher's exact test showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative complications (P = 0.02). Conclusion: Using both drainage methods before surgery reduced bilirubin levels in patients, but EBD method had fewer side effects than PTBD method. The EBD method was performed under the direct supervision of a gastroenterologist. In performing this procedure, specialist physicians should have more supervision.

Postendodontic Pain after Pulpotomy or Root Canal Treatment in Mature Teeth with Carious Pulp Exposure: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

This equivalence, randomized, clinical trial aimed to compare the postoperative pain of root canal therapy (RCT) with pulpotomy with mineral trioxide aggregate (PMTA) or calcium-enriched mixture (PCEM) in permanent mature teeth. In seven academic centers, 550 cariously exposed pulps were included and randomly allocated into PMTA (n = 188), PCEM (n = 194), or RCT (n = 168) arms. Preoperative "Pain Intensity" (PI) on Numerical Rating Scale and postoperative PIs until day 7 were recorded. Patients' demographic and pre-/intra-/postoperative factors/conditions were recorded/analysed. The arms were homogeneous in terms of demographics. The mean preoperative PIs were similar (P=0.998), the mean sum PIs recorded during 10 postoperative intervals were comparable (P=0.939), and the trend/changes in pain relief were parallel (P=0.821) in all study arms. The incidences of preoperative moderate-severe pain in RCT, PMTA, and PCEM arms were 56.5%, 55.7%, and 56.7%, which after 24 hours considerably decreased to 13.1%, 10.6%, and 12.9%, respectively (P=0.578). The time span of endodontic procedures was statistically different; RCT = 69.73, PMTA = 35.37, and PCEM = 33.62 minutes (P < 0.001). Patients with greater preoperative pain, symptomatic apical periodontitis, or presence of PDL widening suffered more pain (P=0.002, 0.035, and 0.023, resp.); however, other pre-/intra-/postoperative factors/conditions were comparable. Pulpotomy with MTA/CEM and RCT demonstrate comparable and effective postoperative pain relief.

Stereopsis in Early Diabetic Retinopathy.

PURPOSE: The present study was undertaken to compare the stereoacuities measured by TNO and Titmus tests, in diabetic patients with early retinopathies and those without diabetes (control group). METHODS: In this study, 139 participants (43 with diabetes mellitus, and 96 age-matched controls) were recruited from a retina subspecialist clinic in Qazvin, Iran, from September 2016 to March 2017. The stereo-acuities were measured following subjective refraction by Titmus and TNO tests at 40 cm. The patients with diabetes whose retinal exam revealed no background retinopathy or only microaneurysms (very mild diabetic retinopathy) in the worse eye were enrolled into this study. RESULTS: In the diabetic group, with TNO, the stereoacuity levels in 95.3% of the subjects were in 120, 240, and 480 levels, while in the non-diabetic group, 86.4% of the subjects were in 30, 60, and 120 levels. In the diabetic group, with Titmus, 86.1% of the subjects were in 40, 50, and 60 levels, while in the nondiabetic group 91.7% of the subjects were in 40 levels. The correlation between TNO and Titmus was statistically significant (r = 0.338, P<0.001) for the non-diabetic group, while it was not statistically significant (r = -0.034, P= 0.827) for the diabetic group. CONCLUSION: In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, the global pathway of stereopsis is damaged more than the local. The difference in severity of damage to local and global pathways in patients with diabetes indicates that there may be different underlying mechanisms for these two pathways.

Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate for Pain Management in Patients with Acute Renal Colic; a Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION: It seems that magnesium (Mg) sulfate can be helpful in controlling the acute pain caused by the stone passing from the ureter by reducing ureter smooth muscle contractions. The present study has been designed with the aim of assessing the role of Mg sulfate in controlling the renal colic pain in emergency department (ED). METHODS: This double blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 18 to 60 year-old patients with acute renal colic presenting to the ED of a teaching hospital during 1 year. Patients were allocated to one of the 2 groups receiving either IV morphine or IV Mg sulfate using block randomization method and were then compared regarding pain control characteristics and probable side effects. RESULTS: 90 patients with the mean age of 37.34 ± 12.10 (18 - 60) years were divided into 2 equal groups. The 2 groups were in a similar condition regarding mean age (p = 0.168), sex distribution (p = 0.267), underlying disease (p = 0.414) and alcohol and drug abuse (p = 0.524). Mean pain scores of the patients based on VAS were not significantly different between the 2 groups on admission and 20, 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after drug administration. Success rate in reducing the pain by at least 3 points on VAS was equal and 91.1% for both groups on the 20th minute and reached 100% on the 30th minute for both groups. The number of cases that were pain-free on the 20th minute was significantly higher in the morphine groups (31 versus 16 patients, p = 0.004). However, on the 30th minute both groups experienced a similar condition in this regard (39 versus 29, p = 0.063). None of the patients in the 2 groups experienced the studied side effects. CONCLUSION: It seems that Mg sulfate, as a muscle relaxant agent, can be considered as a safe adjunct medication in controlling the pain of renal colic patients in the ED.

Hopkins Syndrome in a 14 Year Old Boy; a Case Report.

Hopkins syndrome (HS) is a flaccid paralysis resembling poliomyelitis that has been seen in some children who are recovering from an acute episode of asthma. This syndrome should be suspected based on clinical findings even before the occurrence of characteristic breathing patterns and epilepsy. We report a 14-year-old boy who had experienced an episode of HS.

Performance of Local Anesthesia with Lidocaine among Opium Addicts and Non-Addicts; a Case Control Study.

INTRODUCTION: Compared to ordinary people, addicts usually have a lower pain threshold. The current work attempts to compare the performance of local analgesia with lidocaine among opium addicts and non-addicts. METHODS: In this case-control study, opium addicts and healthy patients with skin laceration referring to emergency departments of two educational hospitals were compared regarding the response to local anesthesia with lidocaine, as well as side effects. RESULTS: 197 cases with the mean age of 43.44 ± 20.12 years were studied (72.1% male). 98 (49.8%) cases were addicts and 99 (50.2%) were healthy people. Two groups were similar regarding age (p = 0.281), sex (p = 0.666), and wound size (p = 0.272). The amount of pain reduction 5 (df =1.5, F=0.38, p = 0.88) and 10 (df =1.5, F=0.58, p = 0.72) minutes after lidocaine injection was not different between the groups. Subgroup analysis based on sex and age of patient did not show any differences between the groups (p > 0.1 for all analysis). The mean duration of analgesia was 16.4 ± 5.37 minutes in addicts and 16.95±1.79 in control group (p = 0.334). CONCLUSION: Lidocaine, as a commonly used local anesthetic agents, does not show different effects in addicts and non-addicts in repairing skin laceration.

Evaluation of adjunctive effect of low-level laser Therapy on pain, swelling and trismus after surgical removal of impacted lower third molar: A double blind randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Wisdom teeth remains impacted in the jaw due to several reasons and surgery of impacted wisdom teeth is one of the most common surgeries in dental clinics. Pain, swelling and trismus are the common complications after this surgery which affect quality of life. In articles, various methods are introduced to control immediate inflammatory-response associated with third-molar surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the adjunctive effect of low-level laser Therapy on pain, swelling and trismus after surgical removal of impacted lower third molar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted on two groups of 24 patients (age range of 18-35) that had referred to surgical ward of Faculty of Dentistry, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences for surgery of their mandibular third molar(2015-16). All the subjects were systemically healthy and had at least one impacted mandibular third molar. After surgery, in experimental group, the laser was applied intraorally (inside the tooth socket) and extraorally (at the insertion point of the masseter muscle) immediately after surgery in contact with the target area for 25 seconds each. The laser energy was 2.5 J per area with an energy density of 5 J/ cm2 at the surface of the probe (spot size= 0.5 cm2). In the other group, as the control group, it was pretended to radiate. Trismus, pain, and swelling were evaluated on the first and seventh days after surgery. The obtained data were evaluated using SPSS 16 software and independent samples T-test. FINDINGS: In the group where LLLT had been used, P> 0.05 was calculated for pain, swelling, and trismus on days 1 and 7 after surgery that was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Under limitations of this study, using low-power laser with mentioned parameters, clinically reduces pain, swelling and trismus after surgical removal of impacted mandibular wisdom, but not statistically significant.

Relationship between Dyspnea Descriptors and Underlying Causes of the Symptom; a Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: History taking and physical examination help clinicians identify the patient's problem and effectively treat it. This study aimed to evaluate the descriptors of dyspnea in patients presenting to emergency department (ED) with asthma, congestive heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all patients presenting to ED with chief complaint of dyspnea, during 2 years. The patients were asked to describe their dyspnea by choosing three items from the valid and reliable questionnaire or articulating their sensation. The relationship between dyspnea descriptors and underlying cause of symptom was evaluated using SPSS version 16. RESULTS: 312 patients with the mean age of 60.96±17.01 years were evaluated (53.2% male). Most of the patients were > 65 years old (48.7%) and had basic level of education (76.9%). "My breath doesn't go out all the way" with 83.1%, "My chest feels tight " with 45.8%, and "I feel that my airway is obstructed" with 40.7%, were the most frequent dyspnea descriptors in asthma patients. "My breathing requires work" with 46.3%, "I feel that I am suffocating" with 31.5%, and "My breath doesn't go out all the way" with 29.6%, were the most frequent dyspnea descriptors in COPD patients. "My breathing is heavy" with 74.4%, "A hunger for more air" with 24.4%, and "I cannot get enough air" with 23.2%, were the most frequent dyspnea descriptors in CHF patients. Except for "My breath does not go in all the way", there was significant correlation between studied dyspnea descriptors and underlying disease (p = 0.001 for all analyses). CONCLUSION: It seems that dyspnea descriptors along with other findings from history and physical examination could be helpful in differentiating the causes of the symptom in patients presenting to ED suffering from dyspnea.

Disclosing a diagnosis of acute coronary artery disease.

The disclosure of bad news is one of the most difficult tasks of a physician. This study explores how physicians prefer to disclose bad news to patients with acute coronary disease in emergency centres in Iran, and to their families.

Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Measurement Using as a Rapid Alternative to the Westergren Method.

INTRODUCTION: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) remains as one of the most reliable tests in clinical practices. Yet its use is time consuming and requires a large blood sample. The aim of this study was assessing a faster and reliable method of ESR estimation. METHODS: An ESR estimation method was described and performed on 108 patients using capillary tube (micro ESR) and capillary peripheral blood. Micro ESR results at different intervals were measured and compared with Westergren ESR (conventional ESR) estimation by Pearson and Spearman's coefficients. A regression equation was derived to predict conventional ESR values based on micro ESR results. The agreement of two measurements was demonstrated using the Bland-Altman plot. RESULTS: Micro ESR results at 20 minutes showed the earliest close correlation with conventional ESR results at one hour (r = 0.987). The presented regression equation was able to closely predict ESR values (r(2) = 0.974) and the Bland-Altman plot showed an acceptable agreement between converted and conventional ESR measurements. CONCLUSION: Using capillary tube and capillary blood sample (micro ESR) appears to be a faster, cheaper, more reliable, and precise tool for ESR measurement in the ED. The results have acceptable correlation with conventional ESR, especially at 20 minutes of measurement.

Comparison of morphine-midazolam versus morphine injection for pain relief in patients with limb fractures - a clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Pain relief, using opiates as a primary choice, is an important part of treating limb fractures. Yet, in order to reduce opiate consumption, other combinations have been introduced. This study aimed to compare pain reduction by a combination of morphine-midazolam with morphine injection in patients with limb fractures. METHODS: A randomized double-blind study of patients with upper or lower extremity fractures was conducted. Patients' response to treatment with either morphine-midazolam solution or morphine at 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, and 180 minutes were assessed. The Kaplan-Meier curves and generalized estimating equations were examined to evaluate the success of treatment. RESULTS: A total of seventy-two patients aged 18-60 (80.6% male; mean age: 35±17.9 years) were included. At 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes, successful pain control was seen in 8.83 22.2%, 33.3% and 63.9% of the patients in the morphine group, and 11.1%, 27.7%, 44.4% and 63.8% in the midazolam-morphine group. By the third hour, pain-control was achieved in all patients receiving morphine while pain persisted in one patient receiving morphine-midazolam. Log-rank test showed no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.55). CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that adding midazolam to morphine did not improve its pain-relief profile.

Analgesic Effects of Inhalation of Nitric Oxide (Entonox) and Parenteral Morphine Sulfate in Patients with Renal Colic; A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the analgesiceffects of Nitrous oxide and morphine sulfate in patients with acute renal colic due to urolithiasis. METHODS: This was randomized clinical trial being performed in Imam Hossein hospital affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences during a 1-year period from May2013 to May2014.  A total of number of 100 patients, with an age range of 20-50 years, who presented with renal colic secondary to urolithiasis confirmed by ultrasonography were randomly assigned to receive morphine sulfate injection (0.1 mg/kg) with 100 mg diclofenac suppository (n=50) or Entonox exhalation (50% nitric oxide and 50% oxygen) for 30-minutes with 100 mg diclofenac suppository (n=50). Quantitative measurement was of pain was performed according to a visual analogue scale (VAS), before, 3, 5, 10 and 30-minute after the intervention. The pain severity and side effects were measured between two study groups. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the patients in two study groups were comparable. The frequencies of pain persistence (at least 50%) at 3-, 5-, 10- and 30-minute intervals in morphine sulfategroup were 96%, 80%, 50% and 8%, respectively; these frequencies in Entonex  were 82%, 42%, 12% and 2%, respectively (p<0.001). Cox regression modeling showed that use of Entonox was the only effective agent in the success of treatment, compared to the use of morphine, i.e. use of Entonox increased the success of treatment up to 2.1 folds compared to the use of morphine (HR=2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.6; p=0.006). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study demonstrate that inhalation of Entonox is an effective and safe analgesic regimen for acute renal colic. It acts more rapidly and is more potent in relieving renal colic when compared to morphine sulfate.Entonox can be regarded as an appropriate alternative to analgesics like opioids in this ground.

Atypical Presentation of Massive Pulmonary Embolism, a Case Report.

The lack of pathognomonic signs and symptoms makes the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) difficult. Here, we report a case of a 42-year-old man presented to the emergency department with worsening epigastric pain, hypotension, frank bradycardia, and final diagnosis of PE. Although previous studies have indicated that abdominal pain was observed in 6.7% of patients with PE, the exact reason for abdominal pain in PE still remains unknown. Tension on the sensory nerve endings, hepatic congestion, and distention of Gilson's capsule are some of the possible mechanisms of abdominal pain in PE. We conclude that emergency physicians should pay more attention to PE, which is an important differential diagnosis of shock state. In this context, rapid ultrasound in shock (RUSH) should be considered as a vital sign that needs to be evaluated when recording the history of patients presented to the emergency department with signs and symptoms of shock.

Development of an Easy-to-Use Tool for the Assessment of Emergency Department Physical Design.

Physical design of the emergency department (ED) has an important effect on its role and function. To date, no guidelines have been introduced to set the standards for the construction of EDs in Iran. In this study, we aim to devise an easy-to-use tool based on the available literature and expert opinion for the quick and effective assessment of EDs in regards to their physical design. For this purpose, based on current literature on emergency design, a comprehensive checklist was developed. Then, this checklist was analyzed by a panel consisting of heads of three major EDs and contradicting items were decided. 178 crude items were derived from available literature. The Items were categorized in to three major domains of Physical space, Equipment, and Accessibility. The final checklist approved by the panel consisted of 163 items categorized into six domains. Each item was phrased as a "Yes or No" question for ease of analysis, meaning that the criterion is either met or not.

Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma; a Case Report.

Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSHE) is a rare entity can have several reasons. Its prevalence in population is 0.1 per 100,000 with the male to female ratio of 1/4:1. For the first time Jackson in 1869 reported a case of SSHE and after that, it was declared as several hundred cases in literatures. Here, a case of SSHE was reported in a 52-year-old male referred to emergency department following severe low back pain.

An isolated bee sting involving multiple cranial nerves.

Hymenoptera stings are self-limiting events or due to allergic reactions. Sometimes envenomation with Hymenoptera can cause rare complications such as acute encephalopathy, peripheral neuritis, acute renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, silent myocardial infarction, rhabdomyolysis, conjunctivitis, corneal infiltration, lens subluxation, and optic neuropathy. The mechanism of peripheral nervous system damage is not clearly known. In our studied case after bee sting on face between the eyebrows with little erythema and 1 × 1 cm in size, bilateral blindness developed and gradually improved. Lateral movement of eyes was restricted with no pain. Involvement of cranial nerves including II, V, and VI was found. With conservative therapy after a year significant improvement has been achieved.

Nitrous oxide/oxygen compared with fentanyl in reducing pain among adults with isolated extremity trauma: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of nitrous oxide/oxygen (N(2)O/O(2)) and fentanyl in relieving pain among patients with an isolated long bone fracture or main joint dislocation of the limbs. METHODS: Patients with isolated long bone fracture or main joint dislocation with moderate to severe pain were randomized into two groups. For the first group, nitrous oxide/oxygen (50:50) was self-administered until pain relief was achieved up to a maximum of 15 min. Fentanyl (2 µg/kg) as a single dose was administered for the second group. Pain intensity was measured with a visual analogue scale before and at minutes three, six and nine after the start of the drug administration. We also recorded observed adverse effects in these two groups. RESULTS: One hundred patients were enrolled in the study. No statistically significant difference in pain score was detected between the two groups with one exception. The mean visual analogue scale scores at 9 min were 2.2 and 3.1 for nitrous oxide/oxygen and fentanyl, respectively (difference -0.9 [95% CI -1.7- -0.1]) (P=0.006). There was no statistically significant difference between two groups regarding adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Neither nitrous oxide/oxygen or fentanyl appeared to be superior to the other in relieving moderate to severe pain among emergency patients presenting with isolated limb fracture or dislocation. In an ED, increased use of nitrous oxide might reduce the overall need for opiate analgesia, and in our setting, the need for constant monitoring.