RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Children's bones are at high risk of fracture as they grow. The clinical characteristics of fractures in children differ from those in adults. Studying fractures in healthy children is critical for identifying cases of fragility fractures. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical characteristics of limb fractures as well as clinical indicators of fracture healing outcomes in healthy Saudi children seen in an emergency room. METHODS: A retrospective review of the treatment course of all pediatric fractures and related factors treated at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital (KASCH) in Riyadh between 2016 and 2018 was conducted. Children with a primary bone disorder or chronic comorbidities known to affect bone health were excluded. RESULTS: The study included 143 patients (mean age ± SD = 8.23 + 3.76 years), and 71% (n = 102) were males. Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) were the most common mechanism of injury, accounting for 50 (35%) cases, followed by fall injuries, sports injuries, and pedestrian accidents at 45 (31.4%), 16 (11.2%), and 13 (9.1%), respectively. A total of 178 fractures were reported, with the femur (n = 75, 42.1%) being the most common of the reported fracture sites, followed by the forearm (n = 44, 24.7%). The most common type of fracture was transverse fracture (n = 96, 54% of patients). Vitamin D levels were measured in 53/143 cases. Of these, vitamin D deficiency was found in 38 (71.7%) patients. The average time for fracture healing was 32.9 ± 30.2 weeks. The mechanisms of injury, including MVAs and sports injuries, as well as femur and forearm fractures, were clinical factors that were independently associated with a longer duration of fracture healing time (p < 0.001), but age, gender, and vitamin D status were not associated with that outcome. CONCLUSION: MVAs and fall injuries were the most common causes of fracture in our patients. MVAs and sports injuries were associated with prolonged healing time. Large prospective, multicenter, or field studies may be required to further explore clinical characteristics, outcomes, and environmental factors.
RESUMEN
Organ transplantation is still the treatment of choice for end-stage organ failure. Despite the establishment of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT), the organ supply still does not meet the increasing demand. This study aims to assess the knowledge of Saudis about organ donation both among the public and the medical staff and to assess the trend in the change from 1996 until now. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Saudis above the age of 18 years. A self-administered, 25-item, questionnaire was completed by participants including both outpatients and medical staff at King Abdulaziz Medical City using a convenient sampling technique. A total of 376 individuals answered the questionnaire; 238 (63.1%) heard about SCOT, of whom 124 (70.5%) were males. Health-care professionals had better attitude and knowledge on organ donation (P <0.05). Compared to the results from 1996to 2017, there was (51.22%) to (30.4%) decrease in people who allowed their families to donate their organs; on the other hand, there was an increase in the percentage of people who had the correct knowledge that Islam supports organ donation. Unsatisfactory levels of awareness impacted negatively on the knowledge and attitude of the population that is showed by the minor improvements over the years, and the slight proportion of participants who owned a donor card. Although 97.6% of the participants knew about the concept of organ donation, only 66.5% were familiar with the positive Islamic opinion. Based on the results of the comparison with the study in 1996, we conclude that more efforts from both the governmental and religious authorities are needed to increase awareness.
