When single-inhaler triple therapy is a preferred option in asthma management?

Asthma control is the main goal of management. Unfortunately, most asthma patients with moderate-severe asthma remain uncontrolled despite receiving standard treatment of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) with long-acting ß2 agonists (LABA). The addition of long-acting antimuscarinic agents (LAMA) has been shown to improve different aspects of asthma control, including symptoms, lung functions, and probably exacerbations. Such an option could be considered for low-T2 asthma phenotype. Umeclidinium and glycopyrronium bromide are other LAMA agents that have been recently made available in combination with ICS and LABA in single-inhaler triple therapy (SITT) devices. Here, we discuss the position of SITT as a new novel therapeutic option in asthma management and its clinical benefits, potential cost saving, and improved compliance.

Unmet need in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Middle East and Africa region: An expert panel consensus.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has a significant impact on healthcare systems and health-related quality of life. Increased prevalence of smoking is an important factor contributing to high burden of COPD in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Several other factors including sedentary lifestyle, urbanization, second-hand smoke, air pollution, and occupational exposure are also responsible for the upsurge of COPD in the MEA. Frequent COPD exacerbations accelerate disease progression, progressively deteriorate the lung function, and negatively affect quality of life. This consensus is based on review of the published evidence, international and regional guidelines, and insights provided by the expert committee members from the MEA region. Spirometry, though the gold standard for diagnosis, is often unavailable and/or underutilized leading to underdiagnosis of COPD in primary care settings. Low adherence to the treatment guidelines and delayed use of appropriate combination therapy including triple therapy are additional barriers in management of COPD in MEA. It is necessary to recognize COPD as a screenable condition and develop easy and simple screening tools to facilitate early diagnosis. Knowledge of the disease symptomatology at patient and physician level and adherence to the international or regional guidelines are important to create awareness about harmful effects of smoking and develop national guidelines to focus on prevention on COPD. Implementation of vaccination program and pulmonary rehabilitation are equally valuable to manage patients with COPD at local and regional level. We present recommendations made by the expert panel for improved screening, diagnosis, and management of COPD in MEA.

Framework for obstetrics and gynecology department change management in response to COVID-19 pandemic: A tertiary center experience.

Coronavirus (cov) disease 2019 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome cov 2 has imposed significant demands on healthcare systems across the world. These demands were more significant on obstetrics and gynecology (obgyn) patients, who required services that had to continue despite the closure of other services. This paper describes the change management of an obgyn department at a tertiary health-care center. That experience resulted in a complete management shift in the institution and the formation of an infectious disease epidemic plan for respiratory infections. Description of the change management performed, difficulties encountered, and achievements obtained can assist other departments change management when they face similar situations.

The Saudi Initiative for Asthma - 2021 Update: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma in adults and children.

The Saudi Initiative for Asthma 2021 (SINA-2021) is the fifth version of asthma guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma for adults and children, which is developed by the SINA group, a subsidiary of the Saudi Thoracic Society. The main objective of the SINA is to have guidelines that are up to date, simple to understand, and easy to use by healthcare workers dealing with asthma patients. To facilitate achieving the goals of asthma management, the SINA panel approach is mainly based on the assessment of symptom control and risk for both adults and children. The approach to asthma management is aligned for age groups: adults, adolescents, children aged 5-12 years, and children aged less than 5 years. SINA guidelines have focused more on personalized approaches reflecting better understanding of disease heterogeneity with the integration of recommendations related to biologic agents, evidence-based updates on treatment, and the role of immunotherapy in management. Medication appendix has also been updated with the addition of recent evidence, new indications for existing medication, and new medications. The guidelines are constructed based on the available evidence, local literature, and the current situation at national and regional levels. There is also an emphasis on patient-doctor partnership in the management that also includes a self-management plan.

Hospital preparedness and management of pediatric population during COVID-19 outbreak.

With the recent pandemic of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), there has been a higher number of reported cases in children more than to the prior Corona Virus-related diseases, namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome and the Middle East respiratory syndrome. The rate of COVID-19 in children is lower than adults; however, due to high transmission rate, the number of reported cases in children has been increasing. With the rising numbers among children, it is imperative to develop preparedness plans for the pediatric population at the hospital level, departmental level, and patient care areas. This paper summarizes important considerations for pediatric hospital preparedness at the hospital level that includes workforce, equipment, supply; capacity planning, and infection prevention strategies, it also span over the management of COVID-19 pediatric patients in high-risk areas such as critical care areas, Emergency Department and operative rooms.

Clinical trials for coronavirus disease 2019: What is being evaluated and what is not.

Since the report of the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China in late December 2019, there have been 204 610 cases worldwide as of 18 March, 2020. As part of the response to this outbreak, there has been an impressive amount of research undertaken to better characterize the disease and to evaluate therapeutic options. By March 12, 2020, there are more than 382 studies registered in the clinical trials databases addressing COVID-19 including more than 80 randomized controlled trials.

National Approach to Standardize and Improve Mechanical Ventilation.

NASAM (National Approach to Standardize and Improve Mechanical Ventilation) is a national collaborative quality improvement project in Saudi Arabia. It aims to improve the care of mechanically ventilated patients by implementing evidence-based practices with the goal of reducing the rate of ventilator-associated events and therefore reducing mortality, mechanical ventilation duration and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. The project plans to extend the implementation to a total of 100 ICUs in collaboration with multiple health systems across the country. As of March 22, 2019, a total of 78 ICUs have registered from 6 different health sectors, 48 hospitals, and 27 cities. The leadership support in all health sectors for NASAM speaks of the commitment to improve the care of mechanically ventilated patients across the kingdom.

The Saudi Initiative for Asthma - 2019 Update: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma in adults and children.

This is the fourth version of the updated guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma, developed by the Saudi Initiative for Asthma (SINA) group, a subsidiary of the Saudi Thoracic Society. The main objective of the SINA is to have guidelines that are up to date, simple to understand, and easy to use by healthcare workers dealing with asthma patients. To facilitate achieving the goals of asthma management, the SINA panel approach is mainly based on the assessment of symptom control and risk for both adults and children. The approach to asthma management is now more aligned for different age groups. The guidelines have focused more on personalized approaches reflecting better understanding of disease heterogeneity with integration of recommendations related to biologic agents, evidence-based updates on treatment, and role of immunotherapy in management. The medication appendix has also been updated with the addition of recent evidence, new indications for existing medication, and new medications. The guidelines are constructed based on the available evidence, local literature, and current situation at national and regional levels. There is also an emphasis on patient-doctor partnership in the management that also includes a self-management plan.

Shifting paradigm: From "No Code" and "Do-Not-Resuscitate" to "Goals of Care" policies.

Policies addressing limitations of medical therapy in patients with advanced medical conditions are typically referred to as Code Status (No Code) policies or Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) status polices. Inconsistencies in implementation, understanding, decision-making, communication and management of No Code or DNR orders have led to delivery of poorer care to some patients. Several experts have called for a change in the current approach. The new approach, Goals of Care paradigm, aims to contextualize the decisions about resuscitation and advanced life support within the overall plan of care, focusing on choices of treatments to be given rather than specifically on treatments not to be given. Adopting "Goals of Care" paradigm is a big step forward on the journey for optimizing the care for patients with advanced medical conditions; a journey that requires collaborative approach and is of high importance for patients, community and healthcare systems.

Factors leading to refractory asthma in patients from Saudi Arabia.

AIM: The aim of this study was to study the clinical characteristic of patient with refractory asthma (RA) from Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This paper prospectively studied in a university hospital factors leading to RA in a cohort of patients who have inadequately controlled asthma or with frequent exacerbations despite optimum controller therapy. It also studied patients with asthma that requires extended periods of oral steroids to control. RESULTS: The mean age was 45.1 years (±9.1) where 74 patients were enrolled in this study with the age group (37-48 years) is having the highest percentage (64.8%). Female patients represented 62.2%. The two major comorbid conditions were allergic rhinitis (54.1%) and gastroesophageal reflux (33.8%). The vast majority (72 patients) had at least one trigger factor for asthma (97.3%). The asthma control test showed that 86.4% had an uncontrolled status. Spirometry showed mild disease in 9.5%, moderate in 47.3%, and severe in 43.2%. Eosinophilia was seen in only 16.2%. Immunoglobulin E level between 70 and 700 µg/L was found in 58.1% of patients. CONCLUSION: RA has certain clinical characteristics and associated comorbid conditions as well as precipitating factors that facilitate the identifications of these cases.

Authentic leadership in a health sciences university.

AIM: To study authentic leadership characteristics between academic leaders in a health sciences university. METHODS: Cross-sectional study at a health sciences university in Saudi Arabia. The Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) was utilized to assess authentic leadership. RESULTS: Out of 84 ALQs that were distributed, 75 (89.3%) were eligible. The ALQ scores showed consistency in the dimensions of self-awareness (3.45 ± 0.43), internalized moral prospective (3.46 ± 0.33) and balanced processing (3.42 ± 0.36). The relational transparency dimension had a mean of 3.24 ± 0.31 which was significantly lower than other domains. Academic leaders with medical background represented 57.3%, compared to 42.7% from other professions. Academic leaders from other professions had better ALQ scores that reached statistical significance in the internalized moral perspective and relational transparency dimensions with p values of 0.006 and 0.049, respectively. In reference to the impact of hierarchy, there were no significant differences in relation to ALQ scores. Almost one-third of academic leaders (34.7%) had Qualifications in medical education that did not show significant impact on ALQ scores. CONCLUSION: There was less-relational transparency among academic leaders that was not consistent with other ALQ domains. Being of medical background may enhance leaders' opportunity to be at a higher hierarchy status but it did not enhance their ALQ scores when compared to those from other professions. Moreover, holding a master in medical education did not impact leadership authenticity.

The Saudi Initiative for Asthma - 2016 update: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma in adults and children.

This is an updated guideline for the diagnosis and management of asthma, developed by the Saudi Initiative for Asthma (SINA) group, a subsidiary of the Saudi Thoracic Society. The main objective of SINA is to have guidelines that are up to date, simple to understand and easy to use by nonasthma specialists, including primary care and general practice physicians. SINA approach is mainly based on symptom control and assessment of risk as it is the ultimate goal of treatment. The new SINA guidelines include updates of acute and chronic asthma management, with more emphasis on the use of asthma control in the management of asthma in adults and children, inclusion of a new medication appendix, and keeping consistency on the management at different age groups. The section on asthma in children is rewritten and expanded where the approach is stratified based on the age. The guidelines are constructed based on the available evidence, local literature, and the current situation in Saudi Arabia. There is also an emphasis on patient-doctor partnership in the management that also includes a self-management plan.

The Saudi Thoracic Society guidelines for influenza vaccinations.

Influenza viruses are responsible for the influenza outbreaks that lead to significant burden and cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Based on the core proteins, influenza viruses are classified into three types, A, B, and C, of which only A and B cause significant human disease and so the vaccine is directed against these two subtypes only. The effectiveness of the vaccine depends on boosting the immune system against the serotypes included within it. As influenza viruses undergo periodic changes in their antigen, the vaccine is modified annually to ensure susceptibility. In contrast to other countries, Saudi Arabia faces a unique and challenging situation due to Hajj and Umrah seasons, when millions of people gather at the holy places in Mecca and Madinah, during which influenza outbreaks are commonly found. Such challenges making the adoption of strict vaccination strategy in Saudi Arabia is of great importance. All efforts were made to develop this guideline in an easy-to-read form, making it very handy and easy to use by health care workers. The guideline was designed to provide recommendations for problems frequently encountered in real life, with special consideration for special situations such as Hajj and Umrah seasons and pregnancy.

The Saudi clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis of the first deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremity.

The diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) may be challenging due to the inaccuracy of clinical assessment and diversity of diagnostic tests. On one hand, missed diagnosis may result in life-threatening conditions. On the other hand, unnecessary treatment may lead to serious complications. As a result of an initiative of the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), an expert panel led by the Saudi Association for Venous Thrombo-Embolism (SAVTE; a subsidiary of the Saudi Thoracic Society) with the methodological support of the McMaster University Working Group, produced this clinical practice guideline to assist healthcare providers in evidence-based clinical decision-making for the diagnosis of a suspected first DVT of the lower extremity. Twenty-four questions were identified and corresponding recommendations were made following the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. These recommendations included assessing the clinical probability of DVT using Wells criteria before requesting any test and undergoing a sequential diagnostic evaluation, mainly using highly sensitive D-dimer by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compression ultrasound. Although venography is the reference standard test for the diagnosis of DVT, its use was not recommended.

The Saudi Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of COPD.

The Saudi Thoracic Society (STS) launched the Saudi Initiative for Chronic Airway Diseases (SICAD) to develop a guideline for the diagnosis and management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This guideline is primarily aimed for internists and general practitioners. Though there is scanty epidemiological data related to COPD, the SICAD panel believes that COPD prevalence is increasing in Saudi Arabia due to increasing prevalence of tobacco smoking among men and women. To overcome the issue of underutilization of spirometry for diagnosing COPD, handheld spirometry is recommended to screen individuals at risk for COPD. A unique feature about this guideline is the simplified practical approach to classify COPD into three classes based on the symptoms as per COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and the risk of exacerbations and hospitalization. Those patients with low risk of exacerbation (<2 in the past year) can be classified as either Class I when they have less symptoms (CAT < 10) or Class II when they have more symptoms (CAT ≥ 10). High-risk COPD patients, as manifested with ≥2 exacerbation or hospitalization in the past year irrespective of the baseline symptoms, are classified as Class III. Class I and II patients require bronchodilators for symptom relief, while Class III patients are recommended to use medications that reduce the risks of exacerbations. The guideline recommends screening for co-morbidities and suggests a comprehensive management approach including pulmonary rehabilitation for those with a CAT score ≥10. The article also discusses the diagnosis and management of acute exacerbations in COPD.

Pulmonary rehabilitation: A regional perspective evidenced-based review.

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an integral component of the comprehensive management plan of patients with chronic lung diseases by addressing their functional and psychological deficits. PR is generally recommended to symptomatic patients with chronic lung diseases who develop shortness of breath on their own pace at level ground while receiving optimum therapy. From a regional perspective, this review covers the description of a PR program, its establishment and outcome assessment.

Spirometric reference values for healthy nonsmoking Saudi adults.

OBJECTIVES: To derive prediction equations of spirometric values of healthy Saudi adults and to compare the derived equations with equations reported in selected population. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of healthy nonsmoking men and women Saudi adults. The measured spirometric values were the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 ), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced mid-expiratory flow (FEF 25%-75%). RESULTS: A total of 621 spirometric tests were done. The prediction equations were derived using the following formula: Predicted spirometric value = constant + (b1 × age) + (b2 × height (cm)), where b1 and b2 represent the regression coefficients for age and height, respectively. Variable Constant Age (years) Height (cm) Variable Constant Age (years) Height (cm) Males (n = 292) Females (n = 175) FVC -2.933 -0.018 0.046 FVC -3.470 -0.016 0.045 FEV1 -1.886 -0.019 0.036 FEV1 -2.482 -0.018 0.036 FEV1 /FVC (%) 98.41 -0.095 -0.068 FEV1 /FVC (%) 100.67 -0.142 -0.072 PEF 17.274 -1.243 3.471 PEF -226.648 -0.499 4.076 FEF25%-75% 0.100 -0.024 0.027 FEF25%-75% -1.337 -0.021 0.031 The means of the measured FVC and FEV1 were significantly lower than the predicted values derived by the American equations of -7.2% and -4.6% among males, respectively (P value < 0.00001), and -4.7%, and -5.26% among females, respectively (P value < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: The reference spirometric values derived in our study were significantly lower than the predicted values derived by the American equations.

The Saudi initiative for asthma - 2012 update: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma in adults and children.

This an updated guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma, developed by the Saudi Initiative for Asthma (SINA) group, a subsidiary of the Saudi Thoracic Society. The main objective of SINA is to have updated guidelines, which are simple to understand and easy to use by non-asthma specialists, including primary care and general practice physicians. This new version includes updates of acute and chronic asthma management, with more emphasis on the use of Asthma Control Test in the management of asthma, and a new section on "difficult-to-treat asthma." Further, the section on asthma in children was re-written to cover different aspects in this age group. The SINA panel is a group of Saudi experts with well-respected academic backgrounds and experience in the field of asthma. The guidelines are formatted based on the available evidence, local literature, and the current situation in Saudi Arabia. There was an emphasis on patient-doctor partnership in the management that also includes a self-management plan. The approach adopted by the SINA group is mainly based on disease control as it is the ultimate goal of treatment.