Evaluation of relationship between inflammatory markers and hyperemesis gravidarum in patients admitted to emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is defined as severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and considered as one of the most frequent causes to emergency department (ED) admissions. Previous research has shown that HG is associated with systemic inflammation, but there have been no prospective studies to explore this link. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of inflammation in HG pathophysiology and to investigate the association between severity of HG and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and CRP in patients who were admitted to ED with nausea and vomiting. METHODS: This prospective study has been conducted in a tertiary clinic between 2015 and 2016. A total of 162 patients with <16 weeks gestation with singleton pregnancies and without any chronic diseases enrolled in the study. The study group consisted of 113 patients with HG and the control group included 49 healthy subjects. PUQE Index and VAS were used to evaluate the severity of symptoms. RESULTS: Demographical data were similar between both groups. The study group demonstrated significantly higher NLR, PLR and CRP levels (NLR 3.39 vs 2.5, p = 0.001; PLR 134.3 vs 111.2, p = 0.005; CRP 0.85 mg/dL vs 0.19 mg/dL, p = 0.001). While NLR and PLR levels were not correlated with severity of HG, CRP levels were associated with severity of disease (p = 0.001) regarding to PUQE index. CONCLUSION: NLR and PLR are easily obtained and routinely used diagnostic tools for various inflammatory diseases. Measurement of this markers might provide useful information in HG pathogenesis and diagnosis.

Comparison of social supports for geriatric patients admitted to emergency department for trauma and medical reasons.

OBJECTIVES: Developments in medical technology have increased life expectancy around the world thereby, the population of elderly patients increases. While diagnosing the elderly patients, besides factors like physiological changes, comorbidities, multiple medications and admittance to the Emergency Department (ED) for serious causes, a lack of information and experience complicate the work of emergency physicians. Elderly people are admitted to ED with medical or traumatic complaints; nevertheless, independent of the reason for admittance to the ED their presenting condition should be simultaneously assessed for comorbidities. In this study, we aimed to compare social support and stress levels in geriatric patients admitted to the ED for trauma and medical reasons. METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, descriptive, epidemiologic trial conducted in the ED of a training and research hospital between October 1st, 2015, and April 1st, 2016. Participants consisted 197 patients who were older than 65 years and presented to ED with medical reasons or trauma whose Emergency Severity Index (ESI) was ≥3. A socio-demographic and clinical data form, and the DUKE Social Support and Stress Scale (DUSOCS) were completed for each patient. RESULTS: Patients presenting with medical problems had higher family support levels than patients presenting with traumatic incidents, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.028). Concurrently, when both groups' family stress and social stress levels are viewed, patients presenting with trauma had higher levels of stress, and this difference was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the patients admitted to the ED for trauma have lower social support levels than patients admitted for medical reasons. Moreover, social stress levels were also higher in these patients.

The evaluation of a new marker of transmyocardial repolarization parameters in ischemic stroke patients; T peak-T end (T p-e), T p-e/QTc.

The cardiovascular manifestations of acute ischemic stroke have been well known. Several electrocardiography (ECG) abnormalities have been reported in patients following acute stroke, including QT interval prolongation, ST segment deviation and T-wave changes. This study aimed to investigate the changes in transmyocardial repolarization parameters, in ischemic stroke patients. The study is a prospective, blind, and controlled clinical study. The patients without cardiac disease who received ischemic stroke diagnoses were included in the study. ECG was received from the patients in the first hour and 72 h. The P, QT, T p-e, T p-e dispersion, and the T p-e/QT ratio were calculated. Moreover, fifty-five stroke patients and 35 control subjects were included to the study. All dispersion values and T p-e/QTc ratio in patients group were higher than those of control group (p < 0.05 for all values). When evaluated between ECGs' on first and third days, it was found that decreasing on all dispersion values and T p-e/QTc ratio in ECGs on third day than ECGs on first day (p < 0.05 for all values). QT, QTc, and T p-e dispersions values in patients who have insular lobe involvement were higher than those of patients who do not have insular lobe involvement (p < 0.001 for all values). In this study, we showed that acute stroke increases that P d, QTd, QTcd and new repolarization markers T p-e and T p-e/QTc, during first 24 and 72 h in acute stroke patients without cardiovascular disease compared with the control group. The physicians should be aware about ventricular dysrhythmias in patients with ischemic stroke and these patients closely observed with cardiac monitoring, especially within first 24 h, and especially patients with insular lobe involvement.