RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To assess patterns & outcomes of dog bite injuries coming to a public sector tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: This was a one-year descriptive cross sectional study from 1st June 2018- 31st May 2019 using consecutive sampling technique. Data of 7512 patients was collected from animal-bite clinic of a tertiary care hospital. Inclusion criteria was animal bite cases that were reported during the dates 1st June 2018 to 31st May 2019, Incomplete records were excluded. Data comprising of time of bite, the location of the victim at the time of bite within the city, animal responsible for the bite, gender and age of victim, date of presentation, site and category of bite (as per WHO criteria) was recorded by the primary investigator. The study was conducted at Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre. RESULTS: Among 7512 participants 85.8% were males, 32.2% victims reported time of bite between morning and noon, 78.8% of bites involved lower limbs. 51.6% of the bites belonged to category 2. Stray dog bites were observed in 90.3% of cases. Outcome showed 54.9% completed their vaccination, while 44.3% did not show for complete follow up, 3.99% bites were grievous & 0.03% reported with developed rabies. CONCLUSION: Research reveals Males belonging to adult age group were most vulnerable, most bites were inflicted in early hours, most common animal inflicting the bites were stray dogs. Many victims did not complete their vaccination from the same centre. Peak of the summer was associated with a decline in number of incidents.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To find out awareness levels about legislation/authorisation and objectives of autopsy among common people, and to assess correlation between opinions and academic levels. METHODS: The cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted from March 2019 to September 2019 after approval from Ziauddin University, Karachi, and comprised adult subjects from the community having various academic backgrounds. Data was collected on their knowledge, perceptions and concerns regarding autopsy. Data was analysed using SPSS 20. RESULTS: Of the 260 individuals approached, 106(40.8%) were males and 143(55%) were females, while 11(4.2%) did not specify their gender. Overall, 123(47.3%) were aged 18-25 years. After 7(2.7%) dropouts, the total number of respondents was 253(97.3%). Of them There were 208(82%) subjects who marked "Yes" to knowing the meaning of autopsy, and 115(55.3%) of them had high academic level, while 93(44.7%) had low educational level. Also, 93(44.7%) participants correctly knew the purpose behind an autopsy. Regardless of the academic level, 135(21.7%) subjects marked "Organ removal" as their concerns regarding an autopsy, while 114(18.3%) marked "Disfigurement of body". CONCLUSIONS: Although majority of the subjects had a positive perception of autopsy, in-depth questioning revealed a clear lack of correct knowledge on the matter.