Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis: a rare cause of periodic paralysis - a case report.

Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP) is a rare complication of hyperthyroidism characterized by episodes of muscle weakness and hypokalemia. Patients may present with a sudden onset of muscle weakness. Though hyperthyroidism occurs more commonly in females, TPP typically occurs in young males in their third decade. Case Presentation: This is a case of a 32-year-old male who presented to the emergency room with a sudden onset of weakness in bilateral upper and lower limbs, which progressed to complete paralysis in an hour. A provisional diagnosis of hypokalemic periodic paralysis was made and admitted. Later, on further diagnostic workup, the final diagnosis of TPP was made. Discussion: Clinical features of hyperthyroidism in patients with TPP may be subtle. With immediate potassium supplementation, serious cardiopulmonary complications can be prevented and may hasten the recovery of muscle weakness. Nonselective ß-adrenergic blockers can lessen and prevent the recurrence of paralytic attacks. Conclusion: This case is reported with the objective of generating awareness regarding the clues to the diagnosis, appropriate management, and definitive treatment to a render euthyroid state in order to prevent future recurrence of similar episodes and prevent any complications, and eventually to raise the index of suspicion among treating physicians in cases that present with paralysis in clinical practice.

Successful Endoscopic Management of Suspected Foreign Bodies in Upper Gastrointestinal Tract among Patients Undergoing Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Most ingested foreign bodies pass through the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously. However, some foreign bodies may get impacted in the upper gastrointestinal tract. A variety of endoscopic techniques and instruments are indicated for the removal of such impacted foreign bodies. This study was conducted to find out the prevalence of successful endoscopic removal of foreign bodies. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients who presented at the Department of Gastroenterology with complaints of upper gastrointestinal foreign body ingestion from 2/11/2008 to 23/07/2020 after taking ethical approval of the research proposal was taken from Institutional Review Board (Reference no 13). Convenient sampling was done. The data were entered into Microsoft Excel and analyzed in Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 22. RESULTS: A total of 119 cases were identified with foreign bodies ingestion. In hundred patients, foreign bodies 100 (84 %) (77.41-90.58 at 95% Confidence Interval) were extracted completely. Complete extraction failed in 19 (16%) patients. Six (5%) patients were treated by push technique and 10 (8.4%) patients with failed retrieval, received surgical intervention for foreign body removal. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic removal technique of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract was successful in most of the cases and is associated with few complications.

Split Versus Non-Split Morning Dosing Regimen for Assessment of Quality of Bowel Preparation for Colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Different bowel preparation regimens are available. Currently we are giving the entire preparation on the day of colonoscopy. Multiple studies have shown splitting the regimen might improve the quality of bowel preparation with lesser side effects and better compliance. The study was done to compare the efficacy and tolerability of split bowel preparation regimen with non-split dosing regimen. METHODS: Single centered observational comparative study was done in a tertiary care hospital. One hundred ninety eight patients requiring elective colonoscopy were assigned to receive one of the two preparations (split versus morning) prior to colonoscopy. Main outcomes were bowel preparation quality and patient compliance and tolerability. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two regimen for the mean total Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (6.79VS 6.74,P value -0.777).Patient compliance was better for split dosing compared to single dosing (99 vs 5 p value-<0.001).There were more side effects in the single dosage compared to split dosing except for sleep disturbance which was more in split dosing. CONCLUSIONS: The study found that split-dose and single dose polyethylene glycol solution for bowel preparation before colonoscopy had similar efficacy in the quality of bowel preparation. Split-dose polyethylene glycol appears to be superior to single-dose PEG for patient compliance and side effects.

Clinico-epidemiological profile of Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas infections, and their antibiotic-resistant pattern in a tertiary care center, Western Nepal.

BACKGROUND: Infections caused by Acinetobacter species and Pseudomonas species, especially multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains pose a serious management challenge with a public health threat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective study of patients who were infected with Acinetobacter spp or Pseudomonas aeruginosa was carried out at Manipal Teaching Hospital from 2014 to 2016. RESULTS: A total of 170 cases of infections with Acinetobacter spp. and 313 cases with Pseudomonas aeruginosa were studied. The rate of nosocomial infections was higher than non-nosocomial infections. ICU was found as the major hub for both the organisms; (53.5% of cases due to Acinetobacter spp. and 39.6% due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Most isolates were of respiratory tract origin (Acinetobacter 74.7% and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 65.8%). Percentage resistance of Acinetobacter spp. towards polymyxin B was found to be quite low (18.8%). Similarly, resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa against amikacin were also found to be low, i.e., 17.4%. A higher prevalence of multidrug resistance was seen among Acinetobacter spp than among Pseudomonas aeruginosa (75.9% vs. 60.1%). The hospital stay was longer for patients infected with MDR isolate (p=0.001 for Acinetobacter spp. and p=0.003 for Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The mortality rate was higher in infections due to Acinetobacter spp (15.9%) as compared to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.3%). CONCLUSION: This study reveals that infections caused by Acinetobacter species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are associated with prolonged hospital stay and high in-hospital mortality. These emphasize the need for prudent use of antibiotics and aggressive infection control strategies.