Health research-strengthening and capacity development: Research support system model in an academic healthcare system.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare research contributes to the well-being of a population; hence, it is important to use the right system to ensure that junior researchers develop the required skills. Current research-strengthening and capacity development programs might lack a research process-based common framework or model leading to variable and suboptimal outcomes. This study aimed to describe the development and evaluation of a model for health research-capacity development at both individual and institutional levels in a Joint Commission International-accredited governmental healthcare organization in Qatar. METHODS: This retrospective observational study evaluated a research support system employed in Qatar for 1 year and constituted of16 stations, each covering a different topic and supported by an experienced faculty member. We recorded how many faculty members were involved and how many people accessed which stations. We developed an outcomes logistic model and obtained feedback about their experience of using the research support system through a short survey. RESULTS: Twenty-one faculty members supported a total of 77 participants, representing various professions and specialties. The majority of the participants received support on multiple stations, and the most solicited were study design and methodology (n = 45, 58.4%) and research idea (n = 29, 37.7%). The most common type of research that participants required support for was clinical research (n = 65, 84.4%). Moreover, 58.4% of the participants answered the survey, and their responses attested to their perceived benefit of making use of the research support system. CONCLUSION: The research support system presented was positively evaluated by participants and promoted networking. Such aspects are favorable to the development of a research culture within an organization and would be a good addition for implementation in universities running healthcare programs and hospitals with residency programs and a large and varied healthcare workforce. This would contribute to the development of health-related research capacity and quality of research outputs in these institutions.

National Trends and Outcomes of Nonautoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in Alcoholic Liver Disease: Analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

GOAL: The aim of this study was to determine the burden of nonautoimmune hemolytic anemia (NAHA) in hospitalized patients with coexisting alcoholic liver disease (ALD), identify risk factors for NAHA in ALD and describe the hospitalization outcomes. BACKGROUND: ALD can result in structural and metabolic alterations in the red-blood cell membrane leading to premature destruction of erythrocytes and hemolytic anemia of varying severity. STUDY: Hospitalized ALD patients with concomitant NAHA were identified in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database using International Classification of Diseases-9 codes from 2009 to 2014. The primary outcome was to determine the nationwide prevalence and risk factors of NAHA in patients hospitalized with ALD. RESULTS: The prevalence of NAHA was 0.17% (n=3585) among all ALD patients (n=2,125,311) that were hospitalized. Multivariate analysis indicated higher odds of NAHA in ALD patients in the following groups: female gender [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) AOR 1.80, P<0.0001]; highest quartile of median household income (AOR 1.88, P<0.0001); increasing Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index (3 to 4 vs. 0, AOR 2.16, P=0.0042) and cirrhosis (AOR 2.74, P<0.0001). Discharges of ALD with anemia had a significantly longer average length of stay (8.8 vs. 6.0 d, P<0.0001), increased hospital charges ($38,961 vs. $25,244, P<0.0001) and higher mortality (9.0% vs. 5.6%, P<0.0001) when compared with ALD with no anemia. CONCLUSION: NAHA in patients with ALD is an important prognostic marker, predicting a longer, costlier hospitalization and increased inpatient mortality in ALD.

Ethnic differences in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest among Middle Eastern Arabs and North African populations living in Qatar.

Aims: There are very few studies comparing epidemiology and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in different ethnic groups. Previous ethnicity studies have mostly determined OHCA differences between African American and Caucasian populations. The aim of this study was to compare epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcomes of OHCA between the local Middle Eastern Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Arab and the migrant North African populations living in Qatar.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of Middle Eastern GCC Arabs and migrant North African patients with presumed cardiac origin OHCA resuscitated by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Qatar, between June 2012 and May 2015.Results: There were 285 Middle Eastern GCC Arabs and 112 North African OHCA patients enrolled during the study period. Compared with the local GCC Arabs, univariate analysis showed that the migrant North African OHCA patients were younger and had higher odds of initial shockable rhythm, pre-hospital interventions (defibrillation and amioderone), pre-hospital scene time, and decreased odds of risk factors (hypertension, respiratory disease, and diabetes) and pre-hospital response time. The survival to hospital discharge had greater odds for North African OHCA patients which did not persist after adjustment. Multivariable logistic regression showed that North Africans were associated with lower odds of diabetes (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.25-0.91, p = 0.03), and higher odds of initial shockable rhythm (OR 2.86, 95% CI 1.30-6.33, p = 0.01) and greater scene time (OR 1.02 95% CI 1.0-1.04, p = 0.02).Conclusions: North African migrant OHCA patients were younger, had decreased risk factors and favourable OHCA rhythm and received greater ACLS interventions with shorter pre-hospital response times and longer scene times leading to better survival.

Marginal analysis in assessing factors contributing time to physician in the Emergency Department using operations data.

Background: Standard Emergency Department (ED) operations goals include minimization of the time interval (tMD) between patients' initial ED presentation and initial physician evaluation. This study assessed factors known (or suspected) to influence tMD with a two-step goal. The first step was generation of a multivariate model identifying parameters associated with prolongation of tMD at a single study center. The second step was the use of a study center-specific multivariate tMD model as a basis for predictive marginal probability analysis; the marginal model allowed for prediction of the degree of ED operations benefit that would be affected with specific ED operations improvements. Methods: The study was conducted using one month (May 2015) of data obtained from an ED administrative database (EDAD) in an urban academic tertiary ED with an annual census of approximately 500,000; during the study month, the ED saw 39,593 cases. The EDAD data were used to generate a multivariate linear regression model assessing the various demographic and operational covariates' effects on the dependent variable tMD. Predictive marginal probability analysis was used to calculate the relative contributions of key covariates as well as demonstrate the likely tMD impact on modifying those covariates with operational improvements. Analyses were conducted with Stata 14MP, with significance defined at p < 0.05 and confidence intervals (CIs) reported at the 95% level. Results: In an acceptable linear regression model that accounted for just over half of the overall variance in tMD (adjusted r2 0.51), important contributors to tMD included shift census (p = 0.008), shift time of day (p = 0.002), and physician coverage n (p = 0.004). These strong associations remained even after adjusting for each other and other covariates. Marginal predictive probability analysis was used to predict the overall tMD impact (improvement from 50 to 43 minutes, p < 0.001) of consistent staffing with 22 physicians. Conclusions: The analysis identified expected variables contributing to tMD with regression demonstrating significance and effect magnitude of alterations in covariates including patient census, shift time of day, and number of physicians. Marginal analysis provided operationally useful demonstration of the need to adjust physician coverage numbers, prompting changes at the study ED. The methods used in this analysis may prove useful in other EDs wishing to analyze operations information with the goal of predicting which interventions may have the most benefit.

Health care system hazard vulnerability analysis: an assessment of all public hospitals in Abu Dhabi.

Hazard vulnerability analysis (HVA) is used to risk-stratify potential threats, measure the probability of those threats, and guide disaster preparedness. The primary objective of this project was to analyse the level of disaster preparedness in public hospitals in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, utilising the HVA tool in collaboration with the Disaster Medicine Section at Harvard Medical School. The secondary objective was to review each facility's disaster plan and make recommendations based on the HVA findings. Based on the review, this article makes eight observations, including on the need for more accurate data; better hazard assessment capabilities; enhanced decontamination capacities; and the development of hospital-specific emergency management programmes, a hospital incident command system, and a centralised, dedicated regional disaster coordination centre. With this project, HVAs were conducted successfully for the first time in health care facilities in Abu Dhabi. This study thus serves as another successful example of multidisciplinary emergency preparedness processes.

Coronavirus pandemic in the South Asia region: Health policy and economy trade-off.

Background: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) covers Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. We conducted a comparative analysis of the trade-off between the health policies for the prevention of COVID-19 spread and the impact of these policies on the economies and livelihoods of the South Asia populations. Methods: We analyzed COVID-19 data on epidemiology, public health and health policy, health system capacity, and macroeconomic indicators from January 2020 to March 2021 to determine temporal trends by conducting joinpoint regression analysis using average weekly percent change (AWPC). Results: Bangladesh had the highest statistically significant AWPC for new COVID-19 cases (17.0; 95% CI = 7.7-27.1, P < 0.001), followed by the Maldives (12.9; 95% CI = 5.3-21.0, P < 0.001) and India (10.0; 95% CI = 8.4-11.5, P < 0.001). The AWPC for COVID-19 deaths was significant for India (6.5; 95% CI = 4.3-8.9, P < 0.001) and Bangladesh (6.1; 95% CI = 3.7-8.5, P < 0.001). Nepal (55.79%), and India (34.91%) had the second- and third-highest increase in unemployment, while Afghanistan (6.83%) and Pakistan (16.83%) had the lowest. The rate of change of real GDP had the highest decrease for Maldives (557.51%), and India (297.03%); Pakistan (46.46%) and Bangladesh (70.80%), however, had the lowest decrease. The government response stringency index for Pakistan had a see-saw pattern with a sharp decline followed by an increase in the government health policy restrictions that approximated the test-positivity trend. Conclusions: Unlike developed economies, the South Asian developing countries experienced a trade-off between health policy and their economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. South Asian countries (Nepal and India), with extended periods of lockdowns and a mismatch between temporal trends of government response stringency index and the test-positivity or disease incidence, had higher adverse economic effects, unemployment, and burden of COVID-19. Pakistan demonstrated targeted lockdowns with a rapid see-saw pattern of government health policy response that approximated the test-positivity trend and resulted in lesser adverse economic effects, unemployment, and burden of COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccination refusal trends in Kenya over 2021.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination refusal exacerbates global COVID-19 vaccination inequities. No studies in East Africa have examined temporal trends in vaccination refusal, precluding addressing refusal. We assessed vaccine refusal over time in Kenya, and characterized factors associated with changes in vaccination refusal. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Kenya Rapid Response Phone Survey (RRPS), a household cohort survey representative of the Kenyan population including refugees. Vaccination refusal (defined as the respondent stating they would not receive the vaccine if offered to them at no cost) was measured in February and October 2021. Proportions of vaccination refusal were plotted over time. We analyzed factors in vaccination refusal using a weighted multivariable logistic regression including interactions for time. FINDINGS: Among 11,569 households, vaccination refusal in Kenya decreased from 24 % in February 2021 to 9 % in October 2021. Vaccination refusal was associated with having education beyond the primary level (-4.1[-0.7,-8.9] percentage point difference (ppd)); living with somebody who had symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days (-13.72[-8.9,-18.6]ppd); having symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days (11.0[5.1,16.9]ppd); and distrusting the government in responding to COVID-19 (14.7[7.1,22.4]ppd). There were significant interactions with time and: refugee status and geography, living with somebody with symptoms of COVID-19, having symptoms of COVID-19, and believing in misinformation. INTERPRETATION: The temporal reduction in vaccination refusal in Kenya likely represents substantial strides by the Kenyan vaccination program and possible learnt lessons which require examination. Going forward, there are still several groups which need specific targeting to decrease vaccination refusal and improve vaccination equity, including those with lower levels of education, those with recent COVID-19 symptoms, those who do not practice personal COVID-19 mitigation measures, refugees in urban settings, and those who do not trust the government. Policy and program should focus on decreasing vaccination refusal in these populations, and research focus on understanding barriers and motivators for vaccination.

Barriers to accessing surgical care in Pakistan: healthcare barrier model and quantitative systematic review.

Inadequate access to surgical services results in increased morbidity and mortality from a spectrum of conditions in Pakistan. We employed a modification of Andersen's model of health services utilization and developed a 'Healthcare Barrier Model,' to characterize the barriers to accessing health care in developing countries, using surgical care in Pakistan as a case study. We performed a literature search from MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Global Health Database, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and selected 64 of 3113 references for analysis. Patient-related variables included age (elderly), gender (female), preferential use of alternative health providers (Hakeem, traditional healers, others), personal perceptions regarding disease and potential for treatment, poverty, personal expenses for healthcare, lack of social support, geographic constraints to accessing a health facility, and compromised general health status as it relates to the development of surgical disease. Environmental barriers include deficiencies in governance, the burden of displaced or refugee populations, and aspects of the medicolegal system, which impact treatment and referral. Barriers relating to the health system include deficiencies in capacity (infrastructure, physical resources, human resources) and organization, and inadequate monitoring. Provider-related barriers include deficiencies in knowledge and skills (and ongoing educational opportunities), delays in referral, deficient communication, and deficient numbers of female health providers for female patients. The Healthcare Barrier model addresses this broad spectrum of barriers and is designed to help formulate a framework of healthcare barriers. To overcome these barriers will require a multidisciplinary, multisectoral effort aimed at strengthening the health system.

Closed-incision negative pressure therapy at -125 mmHg significantly reduces surgical site complications following total hip and knee arthroplasties: A stratified meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Closed-incision negative pressure wound therapy (ciNPT) has shown promising effects for managing infected wounds. This meta-analysis explores the current state of knowledge on ciNPT in orthopedics and addresses whether ciNPT at -125 mmHg or -80 mmHg or conventional dressing reduces the incidence of surgical site complications in hip and knee arthroplasty. METHODS: This meta-analysis was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines and Cochrane Handbook. Prospective randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with ciNPT use compared to conventional dressings following hip and knee surgeries were considered for inclusion. Non-stratified and stratified meta-analyses of six RCTs were conducted to test for confounding and biases. A P value less than .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The included six RCTs have 611 patients. Total hip and knee arthroplasties were performed for 51.7% and 48.2% of the included population, respectively. Of 611 patients, conventional dressings were applied in 315 patients and 296 patients received ciNPT. Two ciNPT systems have been used across the six RCTs; PREVENA Incision Management System (-125 mmHg) (63.1%) and PICO dressing (-80 mmHg) (36.8%). The non-stratified analysis showed that the ciNPT system had a statistically significant, lower risk of persistent wound drainage as compared to conventional dressing following total hip and knee arthroplasties (OR = 0.28; P = .002). There was no difference between ciNPT and conventional dressings in terms of wound hematoma, blistering, seroma, and dehiscence. The stratified meta-analysis indicated that patients undergoing treatment with high-pressure ciNPT (120 mmHg) displayed significantly fewer overall complications and persistent wound drainage (P = .00001 and P = .002, respectively) when compared to low-pressure ciNPT (80 mmHg) and conventional dressings. In addition, ciNPT is associated with shorter hospital stays. (P = .005). CONCLUSION: When compared to conventional wound dressing and -80 mmHg ciNPT, the use of -125 mmHg ciNPT is recommended in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty.

Current Guidelines and Practice Recommendations to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Conditions After Major Orthopaedic Surgeries.

¼: In 2016, a total of 48,771 hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) were reported in U.S. hospitals. These incidents resulted in an excess cost of >$2 billion, which translates to roughly $40,000 per patient with an HAC. ¼: Current guidelines for the prevention of venous thromboembolism and surgical site infection consist primarily of antithrombotic prophylaxis and antiseptic technique, respectively. ¼: The prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) and in-hospital falls and trauma is done best via education. In the case of CA-UTI, this consists of training staff about the indications for catheters and their timely removal when they are no longer necessary, and in the case of in-hospital falls and trauma, advising the patient and family about the patient's fall risk and communicating the fall risk to the health-care team. ¼: Blood incompatibility is best prevented by implementation of a pretransfusion testing protocol. Pressure ulcers can be prevented via patient positioning, especially during surgery, and via postoperative skin checks.

Coronavirus pandemic in the Nordic countries: Health policy and economy trade-off.

Background: Countries making up the Nordic region - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden - have minimal socioeconomic, cultural, and geographical differences between them, allowing for a fair comparative analysis of the health policy and economy trade-off in their national approaches towards mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study utilized publicly available COVID-19 data of the Nordic countries from January 2020 to January 3, 2021. COVID-19 epidemiology, public health and health policy, health system capacity, and macroeconomic data were analysed for each Nordic country. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to identify changes in temporal trends using average monthly percent change (AMPC) and average weekly percent change (AWPC). Results: Sweden's health policy, being by far the most relaxed response to COVID-19, was found to have the largest COVID-19 incidence and mortality, and the highest AWPC increases for both indicators (13.5, 95% CI = 5.6, 22.0, P < 0.001; 6.3, 95% CI = 3.5, 9.1, P < 0.001). Denmark had the highest number of COVID-19 tests per capita, consistent with their approach of increased testing as a preventive strategy for disease transmission. Iceland had the second-highest number of tests per capita due to their mass-testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation response. Only Norway had a significant increase in unemployment (AMPC = 2.8%, 95% CI = 0.7-4.9, P < 0.009) while the percentage change in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was insignificant for all countries. Conclusions: There was no trade-off between public health policy and economy during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Nordic region. Sweden's relaxed and delayed COVID-19 health policy response did not benefit the economy in the short term, while leading to disproportionate COVID-19 hospitalizations and mortality.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among non-refugees and refugees in Kenya.

Factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (which we define as refusal to be vaccinated when asked, resulting in delayed or non- vaccination) are poorly studied in sub-Saharan Africa and among refugees, particularly in Kenya. Using survey data from wave five (March to June 2021) of the Kenya Rapid Response Phone Survey (RRPS), a household survey representative of the population of Kenya, we estimated the self-reported rates and factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among non-refugees and refugees in Kenya. Non-refugee households were recruited through sampling of the 2015/16 Kenya Household Budget Survey and random digit dialing. Refugee households were recruited through random sampling of registered refugees. Binary response questions on misinformation and information were transformed into a scale. We performed a weighted (to be representative of the overall population of Kenya) multivariable logistic regression including interactions for refugee status, with the main outcome being if the respondent self-reported that they would not take the COVID-19 vaccine if available at no cost. We calculated the marginal effects of the various factors in the model. The weighted univariate analysis estimated that 18.0% of non-refugees and 7.0% of refugees surveyed in Kenya would not take the COVID-19 vaccine if offered at no cost. Adjusted, refugee status was associated with a -13.1[95%CI:-17.5,-8.7] percentage point difference (ppd) in vaccine hesitancy. For the both refugees and non-refugees, having education beyond the primary level, having symptoms of COVID-19, avoiding handshakes, and washing hands more often were also associated with a reduction in vaccine hesitancy. Also for both, having used the internet in the past three months was associated with a 8.1[1.4,14.7] ppd increase in vaccine hesitancy; and disagreeing that the government could be trusted in responding to COVID-19 was associated with a 25.9[14.2,37.5]ppd increase in vaccine hesitancy. There were significant interactions between refugee status and some variables (geography, food security, trust in the Kenyan government's response to COVID-19, knowing somebody with COVID-19, internet use, and TV ownership). These relationships between refugee status and certain variables suggest that programming between refugees and non-refugees be differentiated and specific to the contextual needs of each group.

Comparison of in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest of trauma patients in Qatar.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrests in admitted hospital patients with trauma have not been described in the literature. We defined "in-hospital cardiac arrest of a trauma" (IHCAT) patient as "cessation of circulatory activity in a trauma patient confirmed by the absence of signs of circulation or abnormal cardiac arrest rhythm inside a hospital setting, which was not cardiac re-arrest." This study aimed to compare epidemiology, clinical presentation, and outcomes between in- and out-of-hospital arrest resuscitations in trauma patients in Qatar. It was conducted as a retrospective cohort study including IHCAT and out-of-hospital trauma cardiac arrest (OHTCA) patients from January 2010 to December 2015 utilizing data from the national trauma registry, the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest registry, and the national ambulance service database. RESULTS: There were 716 traumatic cardiac arrest patients in Qatar from 2010 to 2015. A total of 410 OHTCA and 199 IHCAT patients were included for analysis. The mean annual crude incidence of IHCAT was 2.0 per 100,000 population compared to 4.0 per 100,000 population for OHTCA. The univariate comparative analysis between IHCAT and OHTCA patients showed a significant difference between ethnicities (p=0.04). With the exception of head injury, IHCAT had a significantly higher proportion of localization of injuries to anatomical regions compared to OHTCA; spinal injury (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.5-8.3, p<0.004); chest injury (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.62-4.19, p<0.00), and abdominal injury (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.8, p<0.037). IHCAT patients had significantly higher hypovolemia (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.18-2.35, p=0.004), higher mean Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3-1.6, p<0.00), and a greater proportion of initial shockable rhythm (OR 3.51, 95% CI 1.6-7.7, p=0.002) and cardiac re-arrest (OR 6.0, 95% CI 3.3-10.8, p=<0.00) compared to OHTCA patients. Survival to hospital discharge was greater for IHCAT patients compared to OHTCA patients (OR 6.3, 95% CI 1.3-31.2, p=0.005). Multivariable analysis for comparison after adjustment for age and gender showed that IHCAT was associated with higher odds of spinal injury, abdominal injury, higher pre-hospital GCS, higher occurrence of cardiac re-arrest, and better survival than for OHTCA patients. IHCAT patients had a greater proportion of anatomically localized injuries indicating solitary injuries compared to greater polytrauma in OHTCA. In contrast, OHTCA patients had a higher proportion of diffuse blunt non-localizable polytrauma injuries that were severe enough to cause immediate or earlier onset of cardiac arrest. CONCLUSION: In traumatic cardiac arrest patients, IHCAT was less common than OHTCA and might be related to a greater proportion of solitary localized anatomical blunt injuries (head/abdomen/chest/spine). In contrast, OHTCA patients were associated with diffuse blunt non-localizable polytrauma injuries with increased severity leading to immediate cardiac arrest. IHCAT was associated with a higher mean GCS score and a higher rate of initial shockable rhythm and cardiac re-arrest, and improved survival rates.

Hospital-Acquired Conditions: A Review of Classical and Novel Risk Factors Following Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasties.

¼: In 2016, a total of 48,771 hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) were reported in U.S. hospitals. These incidents resulted in an excess cost of >$2 billion, which translates to roughly $41,000 per patient per HAC. ¼: In the settings of total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), increased age, a body mass index of >35 kg/m2, male sex, diabetes mellitus, electrolyte disturbances, and a history of anemia increase the likelihood of surgical site infections. ¼: Institution-specific (surgical) risk factors such as increased tourniquet time, an operative time of >130 minutes, bilateral procedures, a femoral nerve block, and general anesthesia increase the risk of HACs in the settings of THA and TKA.

Craniocerebral gunshot injuries in preschoolers.

INTRODUCTION: Gunshot wounds (GSW) to the head are the most lethal form of trauma; unfortunately, the frequency of children being involved in such form of trauma is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide. We present our experience with four children from 2 to 3 years of age with craniocerebral GSW admitted to the neurosurgery service at a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: For this study, four children, 2 to 3 years old, injured solely from bullet injuries to the head were selected. Their history, arrival Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), clinical presentation at the time of arrival in ER, radiological findings, management, and follow-up reviewed. RESULTS: Out of four children, only one did not survive. The bullet entrance wound was in the parietal region in robbery-related incidences, and, in three cases, the injury was bihemispheric. The time taken to reach the emergency department was less than 2 h for all patients except one. Of four patients, three presented with GCS between 3 and 5 while 1 presented with GCS well above ten. CONCLUSION: Our results show that even in children presenting with low GCS<5, an early act of aggressive surgical intervention can prove to be a life-saving measure.

Colorectal cancer screening in hospitalized patients: results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is preventable with regular screening. This study aims to determine estimates and predictors of inpatient CRC screening during hospitalization in the USA. This nationwide population-based study utilized data from the National Inpatient Sample database from 2005 to 2014 to examine rates of CRC screening among hospitalized patients. There were 6470 inpatient CRC screening nationwide from 129 645 394 inpatient hospitalizations. Multivariable analysis showed that higher rates of inpatient CRC screening were associated with: females compared to males [odds ratio (OR): 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-0.97]; 50-59 years age group compared to 70-79 years (OR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.62-0.94) and more than 80 years (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.35-0.64); Charlson Comorbidity Index score of 0 compared to scores of 1-2 (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.64-0.98), 3-4 (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.49-0.76), more than 5 (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.47-0.79); rural hospitals rather than urban teaching hospital (OR: 0.50; 95% CI: 0.39-0.63) and urban nonteaching hospitals (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.49-0.82); hospitals in the Midwest region (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.14-2.12) compared to the Northeast region; recent years of 2011/2012 (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.44-2.49) and 2013/2014 (OR: 2.70; 95% CI: 2.14-3.41) compared to the period 2005/2006. The CRC screening rate among hospitalized patients admitted in US hospitals is low. There were no association of differences in racial, household income or health insurance status with inpatient CRC screening. Noninvasive screening methods in hospitalized patients like stool-based fecal immunochemical test provide a unique method of increasing cancer screening rates.

Spontaneous fungal peritonitis: Micro-organisms, management and mortality in liver cirrhosis-A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous peritonitis is an infection of ascitic fluid without a known intra-abdominal source of infection. spontaneous fungal peritonitis (SFP) is a potentially fatal complication of decompensated cirrhosis, defined as fungal infection of ascitic fluid in the presence of ascitic neutrophil count of greater than 250 cells/mL. AIM: To determine the prevalence of fungal pathogens, management and outcomes (mortality) of SFP in critically ill cirrhotic patients. METHODS: Studies were identified using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Scopus databases until February 2019. Inclusion criteria included intervention trials and observation studies describing the association between SFP and cirrhosis. The primary outcome was in-hospital, 1-mo, and 6-mo mortality rates of SFP in cirrhotic patients. Secondary outcomes were fungal microorganisms identified and in hospital management by anti-fungal medications. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute quality assessment tools were used to assess internal validity and risk of bias for each included study. RESULTS: Six observational studies were included in this systematic review. The overall quality of included studies was good. A meta-analysis of results could not be performed because of differences in reporting of outcomes and heterogeneity of the included studies. There were 82 patients with SFP described across all the included studies. Candida species, predominantly Candida albicans was the fungal pathogen in majority of the cases (48%-81.8%) followed by Candida krusei (15%-25%) and Candida glabrata (6.66%-20%). Cryptococcus neoformans (53.3%) was the other major fungal pathogen. Antifungal therapy in SFP patients was utilized in 33.3% to 81.8% cases. The prevalence of in hospital mortality ranged from 33.3% to 100%, whereas 1-mo mortality ranged between 50% to 73.3%. CONCLUSION: This systematic review suggests that SFP in end stage liver disease patient is associated with high mortality both in the hospital and at 1-mo, and that antifungal therapy is currently underutilized.

Secondary angiodysplasia-associated gastrointestinal bleeding in end-stage renal disease: Results from the nationwide inpatient sample.

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease is associated with angiodysplasia of gastrointestinal tract leading to increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. AIM: To determine the nationwide prevalence, trends, predictors and resource utilization of angiodysplasia-associated gastrointestinal bleeding in end-stage renal disease hospitalizations. METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2009 to 2014, was utilized to conduct a retrospective study on patients with angiodysplasia associated- gastrointestinal bleeding and end-stage renal disease. Hospitalizations with end-stage renal disease were included in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database and a subset of hospitalizations with end-stage renal disease and angiodysplasia-associated gastrointestinal bleeding were identified with International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification codes for both end-stage renal disease (585.6) and Angiodysplasia (569.85, 537.83). RESULTS: The prevalence of angiodysplasia-associated gastrointestinal bleeding was 0.45% (n = 24709) among all end-stage renal disease patients (n = 5505252) that were hospitalized. Multivariate analysis indicated that the following were significant factors associated with higher odds of angiodysplasia associated-gastrointestinal bleeding in end-stage renal disease patients: an increasing trend from 2009-2014 (P < 0.01), increasing age (P < 0.0001); African American race (P = 0.0206); increasing Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index (P < 0.01); hypertension (P < 0.0001); and tobacco use (P < 0.0001). Diabetes mellitus (P < 0.0001) was associated with lower odds of angiodysplasia associated-gastrointestinal bleeding in end-stage renal disease patients. In comparison with urban teaching hospitals, rural and urban nonteaching hospitals were associated with decreased odds of angiodysplasia associated-gastrointestinal hemorrhage. CONCLUSION: Angiodysplasia-associated gastrointestinal bleeding in end-stage renal disease patients showed an increasing trend from 2009-2014. Advanced age, African American race, overall high comorbidities, hypertension and smoking were significant factors for angiodysplasia-associated gastrointestinal bleeding in end-stage renal disease hospitalized patients.