Incidence of Post-laparotomy Acute Kidney Injury Among Abdominal Trauma Patients and Its Associated Risk Factors at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh.

Background This research study investigates the prevalence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in trauma patients undergoing emergency laparotomies. AKI is a common complication in major surgeries and is associated with various adverse effects. The study aims to explore the relationship between AKI and other comorbidities in this specific context. Methodology This is a retrospective cohort study. All patients who had laparotomy after abdominal trauma at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) and met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Nonprobability consecutive sampling was used. Data were collected by chart review using the Best-Care system at KAMC. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and describe the characteristics of the study participants. Frequencies and percentages were calculated for categorical variables, such as comorbidities. For continuous variables, mean and standard deviations were calculated and tabulated. All statistical calculations were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results This research study included 152 patients who underwent laparotomy, and the majority of patients (146, 96%) did not experience AKI. Several comorbidities were observed, with hypertension and diabetes being the most prevalent at 37 (24.3%) and 35 (23%), respectively. Intraoperative hypotension was experienced by 23 (15.1%) patients, while 129 (84.9%) did not have this issue. Norepinephrine was the most common vasopressor used (25.7%), followed by ephedrine and a combination of norepinephrine and epinephrine. Gender and age groups did not show significant associations with AKI, comorbidities like diabetes, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) demonstrated significant relationships with AKI. There was no significant difference in eGFR and serum creatinine baseline levels between patients meeting AKI criteria and those who did not. Conclusions The low overall incidence of AKI in this patient population is encouraging. However, healthcare professionals must be aware of the significant impact of comorbidities such as diabetes, heart failure, and CKD on AKI development. Vigilant monitoring of postoperative kidney function, particularly serum creatinine levels within the first 48 hours, is essential for early detection and timely intervention. By understanding and addressing these risk factors, healthcare providers can take proactive steps to prevent and manage AKI in patients undergoing laparotomy, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

Comorbid Conditions in Kidney Transplantation: Outcome Analysis at King Abdulaziz Medical City.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is most commonly performed for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and provides the best chance for a cure. The surgery is shown to be beneficial to a patient's quality of life after transplantation in multiple studies. But graft failure is a serious consequence that might happen. The term graft failure refers to the failure of a transplanted kidney to function properly. There are various reasons why this can happen, such as rejection, infection, or medication complications. METHODS:  A retrospective cohort study of comorbid conditions in patients who underwent renal transplantation at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) between 2016 and 2022. Data were collected by chart review using the BestCare system. The data collected included patients' demographics, comorbidities, calculated Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), surgery-related data, laboratory data, and the outcome of transplantation. The categorical data were presented using percentages and frequencies, while the numerical data were presented as mean and standard deviation. The Chi-square test was used for inferential statistics to find the association between categorical variables. RESULTS: A total of 669 patients were included in the current study. Of these, 422 (63.1%) were men, and the mean age was 44 years. The incidence of graft failure within one year at KAMC was found to be 1.2% (eight cases). Regarding the CCI and its association with graft failure within one year, 37 (5.5%) patients had a myocardial infarction (MI) and 17 (2.5%) had congestive heart failure; however, no patients with MI or congestive heart failure experienced graft failure, and no significant association was found between MI or congestive heart failure and graft failure (p-value = 1.000 for both). A total of 417 (62.3%) patients had no or diet-controlled diabetes, 122 (18.2%) had uncomplicated diabetes mellitus (DM), and 130 (19.4%) had end-organ damage. DM and graft failure were not significantly associated (p-value = 1.000). A total of 286 (42.8%) patients had ESRD of unknown etiology, 109 (16.3%) patients had ESRD caused by diabetic nephropathy, and 100 (14.9%) had ESRD resulting from hypertension, apart from other causes. CONCLUSION: Most patients were found to have ESRD of unknown etiology and the most frequently reported known risk factor for ESRD and subsequent transplantation was found to be diabetic nephropathy, followed by hypertension.

Improved Quality of Life of Patients With Sickle Cell Disease after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant: Another Indication for Transplant.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is frequently inherited worldwide. The severity of SCD ranges from mild to severe, and the disease involves multiple complications, including pulmonary hypertension, stroke, recurrent vaso-occlusive crises, end-organ damage, and an increased mortality risk. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative option for patients with SCD. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: The objective was to assess the quality of life of adolescent and adult patients with SCD receiving HCT pre-and post-transplant. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted. Patients with SCD with at least one year of follow-up after HCT were interviewed to assess their quality of life pre-and post-transplant. This study was conducted at the Transplant Center of King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh. The participants were identified through non-probability consecutive sampling. The FACT-G questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life domains. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients were included. The median age of the respondents was 32 ± 6.3 years, and 16 were male (51.6%). The most frequent indication for stem cell transplantation (58%) was a vaso-occlusive crisis. The mean FACT-G scores pre- and post-transplantation were 55.2 ± 18.17 and 91 ± 14.58, respectively. The mean number of annual ER visits was significantly reduced from 27.3 pre-transplant to 6.6 post-transplant (P-value = 0.006). Of the respondents, 51.6% experienced no severe complications post-transplantation, and most (93.5%) reported improved quality of life. CONCLUSION: HCT significantly improved the quality of life of adult patients with SCD, with improvements in most FACT-G score domains. Although it was not measured by the FACT-G, the frequency of ER visits and hospital admissions were reduced significantly post-transplant, reflecting an improvement in the quality of life and a reduction in the cost of therapy for patients with SCD.

Use of the Osteoporosis Self-Assessment Tool as a Screening Tool for Osteoporosis in Saudi Postmenopausal Women.

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is commonly referred to as the "silent disease," as bone loss is gradual and asymptomatic. In older women and men, osteoporosis can lead to increased bone fragility, thus increasing the risk of fractures. These fractures are associated with healthcare costs, physical disabilities, impaired quality of life, and mortality. Therefore, the study's main objective was to assess the applicability of the osteoporosis self-assessment tool (OST) in predicting osteoporosis in Saudi postmenopausal women who are 60 years of age and older and to give a thorough understanding of how such a method can aid in the early diagnosis of osteoporosis in Saudi Arabia and give physicians enough time to treat it.  Methods: This study was done at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where we included postmenopausal Saudi women 60 years of age and older who took the bone mineral density (BMD) test in the family medicine department. The approximate target population in this group, between the years 2016 and 2022, was 2969 patients. All data was taken from the BestCare database at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. Data were typed in an Excel sheet (Redmond, USA), then transferred to the R Studio software. The data collection method was chart review, so no informed consent was needed from patients. Names and medical record numbers were not stored.  Results: The study included 2969 participants. According to the bone mineral density (BMD) T score results, 490 participants (16.5%) were normal, 1746 participants (58.8%) had osteopenia, and 733 participants (24.7%) suffered from osteoporosis. BMD T scores for normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis participants were -0.6 (-0.9, -.3), -1.8 (-2.1), and -3 (-3.5, -2.7), consecutively. Estimated OSTI scores for those patients were 2 (0, 4), 1 (-2, 3), and -1 (-4, 1), consecutively. According to the OSTI score for normal participants, 4.29% were classified as being at high risk of osteoporosis. A high risk of osteoporosis was identified in 0.74% of those with osteopenia. 27.83% of osteoporosis patients were classified as being at high risk of osteoporosis. To differentiate normal individuals from those with osteopenia, the cutoff value with optimal sensitivity was 3.5. At such a cutoff value, the test sensitivity was 81.04%. To differentiate normal participants from those with osteoporosis, the cutoff value with optimal sensitivity was 2.5. At such a cutoff value, the test sensitivity was 86.49%. To differentiate osteopenia from osteoporosis patients, the cutoff threshold with optimal sensitivity was 1.5. At such a threshold, sensitivity was 78.44%.  Conclusion: OSTA is a simple and validated tool that can identify subjects at increased risk of osteoporosis. Its use could facilitate a more cost-effective use of BMD; by avoiding measurements in low-risk groups.