Epilepsy surgery in a developing country (Lebanon): ten years experience and predictors of outcome.

We present our 10-year experience and preoperative predictors of outcome in 93 adults and children who underwent epilepsy surgery at the American University of Beirut. Presurgical evaluation included video-EEG monitoring, MRI, neuropsychological assessment with invasive monitoring, and other tests (PET, SPECT, Wada). Surgeries included temporal (54%), extratemporal (22%), and multilobar resections (13%), hemispherectomy (4%), vagal nerve stimulation (6%), and corpus callosotomy (1%). Mesial temporal sclerosis was the most common aetiology (37%). After resective surgery, 70% had Engel class I, 9% class II, 14% class III, and 7% class IV. The number of antiepileptic drugs before surgery was the only preoperative factor associated with Engel class I (p=0.005). Despite the presence of financial and philanthropic aid, many patients could not be operated on for financial reasons. We conclude that advanced epilepsy presurgical workups, surgical procedures, and favourable outcomes, comparable to those of developed countries, are achievable in developing countries, but that issues of financial coverage remain to be addressed.

Profile of injured patients presenting to a tertiary hospital in a developing country.

BACKGROUND: In most developing countries including Lebanon, trauma research is lacking and warranted. Objectives of the current study were to describe trauma patients referred to a tertiary care center during one year and identify outcomes and patterns of injury. METHODS: Review of hospital charts of every 12th consecutive patient presenting to the emergency unit (ED) after a traumatic event during the year 2001-2002. Data collected include: demographics, injury description, and hospital data. RESULTS: A total of 736 patients were included, 212 pediatric, 455 young, and 62 geriatric patients. The most common body regions injured were the extremities followed by the face. The most encountered mechanism of injury was fall from less than 15 feet (38.2%) followed by penetrating/gunshot injury (14.8%), and road traffic accidents (11.8%). The rates of hospital admission and surgical intervention were highest among geriatric patients (p = 0.03 and p < 0.001). Most injuries occurred during the evening shift and the average time spent in the ED was 86 minutes. The police was informed in 6.6% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Falls represent a worrisome mechanism across all age groups. This may be an indication for unaddressed occupational hazards for the working young and lack of awareness about the need for more children supervision. More rigorous investigation of intentional and unintentional firearm injuries, and their predisposing factors are needed.

Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in intractable childhood epilepsy: open-label study and review of the literature.

Our aim was to investigate the long term effectiveness of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) against intractable childhood epilepsy in the era of new antiepileptics and to determine the predictors of a favorable response in a prospective open-label add-on study. Of thirty-seven 9.9+/-0.9-year-old patients (11 with partial seizures, 26 with generalized seizures of whom 9 had West syndrome and 17 Lennox-Gastaut syndrome) followed for 15+/-3 months, 43% had a >50% decrease in seizures (including 15% seizure free, 229+/-58 compared with 104+/-3 seizures/month, P=0.035: generalized 246+/-318 to 117+/-200, P=0.025, partial 191+/-437 to 72+/-179, P>0.05; power=0.2). Males were more likely to respond than females (P=0.011, odds ratio=9.3). Review of the literature revealed nine other articles reporting efficacy of IVIG against epileptic seizures. Only one other used statistical methods and, unlike ours, showed only a trend toward seizure frequency reduction without achieving statistical significance, presumably because it was underpowered. These results indicate large-scale controlled studies of IVIG in epilepsy are still needed.

Common dermatologic diseases among students at a tertiary care center in Lebanon.

UNLABELLED: There are few publications on prevalence of skin diseases in Lebanon. OBJECTIVES: To find the prevalence of dermatologic diseases among students seen at the university health services of the American University of Beirut. PATIENTS & METHODS: Medical charts were retrospectively reviewed. Chi-square tests were used to assess any significant difference between male and female prevalence amongst all types of skin diseases met; p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: 2903 visits were reviewed, ages ranged from 16 to 33 years old, of whom 1688 were females (58.15%) and 1215 were males (41.85%). Acne vulgaris was the most prevalent, followed by hair problems and contact dermatitis. Acne vulgaris and hair problems were significantly higher among females, and verruca among males (p < 0.001 in all). CONCLUSIONS: Dermatologists must be aware of the psychological effects of skin diseases on their patients. Acne, hair problems, and contact dermatitis are the most common diseases seen. Patients seem to be more concerned about diseases that affect their image in society.

Sustaining compliance with hand hygiene when resources are low: A quality improvement report.

BACKGROUND: Sustainability of hand hygiene is challenging in low resource settings. Adding ownership and goal setting to the WHO-5 multimodal intervention may help sustain high compliance. AIM: To increase and sustain compliance of nursing and medical staff with hand hygiene in a tertiary referral center with limited resources. METHODS: A quality improvement initiative was conducted over two years (2016-2018). After determining baseline compliance rates, the WHO-5 multimodal intervention was implemented with staff education and training, system change, hospital reminders, direct observation and feedback, and hospital safety climate. Additionally, the medical staff was responsible for continuous surveillance of compliance (ownership) until rates above 90% were achieved and sustained (goal setting). RESULTS: Of 2987 observations collected between August 2016 and April 2018, 1630 (54.5%) were before, and 1357 (45.5%) were after patient encounters. The average overall compliance with hand hygiene was sustained at 94% for nursing and medical staff. Two instances of drops below 90% were associated with incidence of nosocomial Rotavirus infections. There were no similar infections during intervention periods with compliance rates above the set goal. Analysis using p-charts revealed significant improvement in compliance rates from baseline (χ2 (1) = 7.94, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Adding ownership and goal setting to the WHO-5 multimodal intervention may help achieve, and sustain high rates of compliance with hand hygiene. Involving health care workers in quality improvement initiatives is feasible, durable, reliable, and cheap, especially in settings with limited financial resources.

Electroencephalographic changes in pyridoxine-dependant epilepsy: new observations.

OBJECTIVE: Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) is a rare disease, of which the EEG manifestations are only partially characterised. We report our observations of EEG recordings in four patients with PDE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: EEG tracings from four patients fulfilling the clinical criteria for PDE were reviewed. Relative to the time of treatment with pyridoxine, EEG recordings were available before treatment in two patients (at ages four and 10 months), immediately after treatment in two patients and during long-term follow-up with treatment in all four patients. RESULTS: Pre-pyridoxine interictal EEG findings included: diffuse slowing, bilateral independent multifocal epileptiform discharges, generalized bursts of polyspike slow waves and focal or generalized sharp waves. In addition, the EEG was often asymmetrical and included: generalized semi-rhythmic sharp and slow waves, a burst suppression pattern and continuous generalized spike and slow waves. In one patient, who was followed subsequently, a decrease in multifocal spikes and sharp waves and permanent cessation of clinical seizures, within 10 minutes of concurrent reduction of spikes in the pre-existing generalized spike slow wave pattern, was observed immediately after pyridoxine treatment. However, despite the clinical response in this patient we observed persistent generalized burst suppression for four days, and fluctuation of the EEG with diffuse slowing on day four and transient exacerbation of discharges with continuous spike slow waves on day 22. This was followed by intermittent sharp waves at eight and 20 months, mild slowing at 31 months and normal EEG at 43 months. Long-term EEG findings in the other three patients receiving pyridoxine ranged between normal and intermittent multifocal sharp waves. CONCLUSION: Our data confirm previous observations and provide the following new findings: (1) the presence of burst suppression pattern after cessation of seizures can occur for up to five days after initiation of pyridoxine and should not exclude the diagnosis of PDE, (2) possible fluctuation and even transient worsening of electrographic discharges were observed for up to three weeks after initiation of pyridoxine and (3) the abnormal EEG can persist for up to 43 months before normalizing (range 1-43 months) and in other cases in which it continues to be abnormal it may still improve after increasing the dose of pyridoxine.

Spirituality among parents of children with cancer in a Middle Eastern country.

PURPOSE: Family caregivers of children with cancer face emotional, psychological, and spiritual challenges coping with their child's illness. For ensuring comprehensive multidisciplinary pediatric care, there is a need to understand and define what spirituality means for them in relation to their child's illness. The purpose of this study is to understand the meaning of spirituality for parents of cancer patients in Lebanon. METHODS: This qualitative study followed the Heideggerian interpretive phenomenological method. Through purposeful sampling, 11 parents (mother or father) of children with cancer receiving treatment at a tertiary care center in Beirut, Lebanon were interviewed. Data were analyzed following the hermeneutical process as described by Diekelmann and Ironside (1998). RESULTS: A constitutive pattern and overarching theme, "spirituality is a two-level relationship. It is a relation with God and with people. It is the act of receiving and giving back" and five major themes emerged from the data. These were "Being there for me; " "Connectedness with other parents is a blessing and a torment; " "The power of knowing; " "Communication with Unknown" and "Spirituality is not religiosity". CONCLUSION: Lebanese parents of children with cancer defined the elements of their own spirituality. Relational aspects dominated and communication was an important factor. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This is the first study in the Middle East to address the meaning of spirituality in this population, and would pave the way for a customized palliative care program and integrative approach to patient care.

Novel mutation causing partial biotinidase deficiency in a Syrian boy with infantile spasms and retardation.

We report a case of partial biotinidase deficiency (plasma biotinidase levels: 1.30 nm/minute/mL) in a 7-month-old boy who presented with evidence of perinatal distress followed by developmental delay, hypotonia, seizures, and infantile spasms without alopecia or dermatitis. His neurologic symptoms improved markedly on biotin supplementation and antiepileptic drug therapy. DNA mutational analysis revealed that the patient was homozygous for a novel E64K mutation and his parents were heterozygous for the same mutation. Whereas preexisting perinatal distress probably contributed to the severity of the patient's symptoms, the described mutation is novel and is possibly responsible for at least some of his clinical manifestations.

Febrile seizures. From molecular biology to clinical practice.

Febrile seizures occur between the age of 3 months and 5 years with a temperature of 38 degrees C or higher, and are either simple or complex. Eight gene loci have been identified to be associated with certain cases of autosomal dominant familial febrile seizures, and 12 genes have been associated with some of the familial epilepsy syndromes that can start with febrile seizures. The mutations and the protein products are known for only some of these 20 genes. The risk of recurrence of convulsions in a further febrile illness is on average 30%, and of developing epilepsy is on average 6%, but both vary depending on the presence and number of risk factors in any given patient. The immediate treatment of a febrile convulsion is intravenous or rectal diazepam, but febrile status epilepticus requires intravenous Phenobarbital and possibly other medications. Long-term antiepileptic drugs are not recommended in most patients with febrile seizures. However, exceptions should be considered on an individual basis in patients with complex febrile seizures with multiple risk factors for development of later epilepsy.

Outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia traced to contaminated hospital water used for dilution of an alcohol skin antiseptic.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the source of an epidemic of Burkholderia cepacia bloodstream infections during 7 years (411 episodes in 361 patients). DESIGN: Outbreak investigation. SETTING: A 250-bed university hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. METHODS: Matched case-control and retrospective cohort studies, and microbiological surveillance and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length ascertainment were employed. Special media and filtration techniques were used to isolate organisms from water and diluted alcohol solutions. RESULTS: In a group of 50 randomly selected case-matched patients from 1999, the positive blood cultures were concomitant with fever in 98%, intravenous phlebitis in 44%, and recurrent bacteremia in 20%. Fever disappeared approximately 6 hours after intravenous catheter removal. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism revealed strain homogeneity in patient, water, and alcohol isolates. Contaminated tap water had been used to dilute alcohol for skin antisepsis and for decontamination of the caps of heparin vials. Only sporadic cases directly attributable to breach of protocol were reported after single-use alcohol swabs were substituted. CONCLUSION: This is potentially the largest single-source nosocomial bloodstream infection outbreak ever reported, and the first report of an alcohol skin antiseptic contaminated by tap water as a source for nosocomial bacteremia.

The lived experience of parents of children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit in Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Family caregivers have a significant responsibility in the care of their child in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Parents staying with their child in the PICU have particular needs that should be acknowledged and responded to by clinicians. Several studies have been conducted in the USA and Europe to try to understand the experience of family caregivers of children admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. There are no such studies in Lebanon or the Middle East where the culture and support systems differ from other countries. OBJECTIVE: To understand the lived experience of Lebanese parents of children admitted to the PICU in a tertiary hospital in Beirut. DESIGN: Phenomenological study. METHODS: The study followed purposeful sampling in which 10 parents (mother or father) of children admitted to PICU were interviewed. Data were analyzed following the hermeneutical process as described by Diekelmann and Ironside (1998). RESULTS: A constitutive pattern "Journey into the unknown" which constitutes an overarching theme and four major themes with subthemes emerged from the data. These were: We are human beings with dignity "; "looking for a healthier environment"; Dependence on God and "The need to be in the loop" reveal the parents' journey into the unknown. CONCLUSION: This qualitative study adds to the knowledge that would help health care workers understand the experience of Lebanese parents with a child in PICU and to highlight the significance of this experience to them. The findings could be used to inform the development of a PICU parental satisfaction instrument for the sample group.

Quality of life after surgery for intractable partial epilepsy in children: a cohort study with controls.

PURPOSE: Investigate if quality of life (QOL) normalizes on long-term follow-up after surgery for partial epilepsy in children. METHODS: This is a cohort study with controls in which a consecutive cohort of nineteen 2-14-year-old children who underwent focal resections for intractable partial seizures between 1996 and 2006, were matched with 19 non-surgery intractable partial epilepsy patients, and with 19 healthy subjects. The two epilepsy groups were matched for age, sex, socio-economic status (SES), cognitive level, seizure type, and seizure frequency. The healthy group was matched with the two epilepsy groups for age, sex, SES, and cognitive level. QOL was assessed using the QOLCE (Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire). RESULTS: In the surgery group (follow-up 3.84+/-2.26 years), 78.9% had Engel class-I versus 21.1% in non-surgery (p=0.01) (follow-up 3.44+/-2.95 years). Surgery patients were similar to healthy subjects in the social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and overall QOL (p>0.05) but had lower scores in the total QOL, physical, and health domains (p<0.05). Surgery patients scored better than non-surgery in the behavioral domain and the HASES (Hague Side Effects Scale) score (p<0.05). Non-surgery patients scored worse than healthy in total QOL, physical, behavioral, health, and overall QOL (p<0.05). IQ, HASS (Hague Seizure Severity Scale), and HASES scores were positively associated with total QOL score (p<0.05). Subgroup analysis on seizure-free surgery patients showed that they did not differ from healthy subjects in any of QOL domains (p>0.05, power>0.8). CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that epilepsy surgery for partial seizures in children is associated with better QOL as compared to children with intractable epilepsy who are not operated on, and suggest that in those who achieve seizure freedom normal QOL may at least potentially be possible.

Approach to pediatric epilepsy surgery: State of the art, Part II: Approach to specific epilepsy syndromes and etiologies.

The second of this 2-part review depicts the specific approach to the common causes of pediatric refractory epilepsy amenable to surgery. These include tumors, malformations due to abnormal cortical development, vascular abnormalities and certain epileptic syndromes. Seizure freedom rates are high (usually 60-80%) following tailored focal resection, lesionectomy, and hemispherectomy. However, in patients in whom the epileptogenic zone overlaps with unresectable eloquent cortex, and in certain epileptic syndromes, seizure freedom may not be achievable. In such cases, palliative procedures such as callosotomy, multiple subpial transections and vagus nerve stimulation can achieve reduction in seizure severity but rarely seizure freedom. Integration of the new imaging techniques and the concepts of neuronal plasticity, the epileptogenic lesion, the ictal onset, symptomatogenic, irritative, and epileptogenic zones is an expanding and dynamic process that will allow us, in the future, to better decide on the surgical approach of choice and its timing.

Approach to pediatric epilepsy surgery: State of the art, Part I: General principles and presurgical workup.

In 1990, the National Institute of Health adopted epilepsy surgery in children as an option when medications fail. In the past few years several concepts have become increasingly recognized as key to a successful approach to epilepsy surgery in children. These include the concepts of neuronal plasticity, the epileptogenic lesion, the ictal onset, symptomatogenic, irritative, and epileptogenic zones. In addition, several techniques have increasingly been utilized to delineate the above areas in an attempt to determine, in each patient, the epileptogenic zone, defined as the zone the resection of which leads to seizure freedom. When seizure semiology (which defines the symptomatogenic zone), ictal EEG (which identifies the ictal onset zone), and structural imaging (which identifies the epileptogenic lesion) can be reconciled to infer the location of the epileptogenic zone, surgery is usually, subsequently, undertaken. When these diagnostic modalities are discordant, not definitive, or when the epileptogenic zone is close to eloquent cortex, invasive EEG, complemented by other imaging techniques may be needed. These include magnetoencephalography, single photon emission tomography, various types of positron emission tomography, various magnetic resonance imaging modalities (functional, diffusion weighted, other) and other emerging and experimental techniques. While MRI, video-EEG, and neuropsychological assessments are well established components of the presurgical evaluation, the use of the new emerging imaging technologies is dictated by the degree of anatomo-electro-clinical correlations, and, awaiting multicentric studies and more detailed guidelines, remains center-dependent.

Determinants of university students physical exercise: a study from Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Studies to assess the patterns of physical exercise among University students in Lebanon are lacking. The current study looks at the prevalence of physical exercise among university students in Beirut and predictors of performing physical exercise. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, a proportionate random sample of university students selected from five major universities were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire related to physical exercise, demographic, scholastic, and health risk behavioral characteristics. Physical exercise was divided into: "No"" (< 0.5 h) and "Yes" (> 0.5 h) per week. Chi-square tests and binary regression were conducted to determine the predictors of performing physical exercise. RESULTS: Of 2,013 students, only 26.4% engaged in physical exercise. Predictors of performing physical exercise for males, were adoption of exercise as the method of weight control, while for females, they were living abroad, drinking excessive alcohol, and adopting exercise for weight control. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of physical exercise among Lebanese university students is low. Weight control remains the most important predictor of physical activity in males and females.

Health care workers' exposure to blood-borne pathogens in Lebanon.

BACKGROUND: Accidental exposure to blood-borne pathogens (BBPs) is a risk for health care workers (HCWs). AIM: To study the pattern of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs) at a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: This study reports a 17-year experience (1985-2001) of ongoing surveillance of HCW exposure to BBFs at a 420-bed academic tertiary care hospital. RESULTS: A total of 1,590 BBF exposure-related accidents were reported to the Infection Control Office. The trend showed a decrease in these exposures over the years with an average +/- standard error of 96 +/- 8.6 incidents per year. In the last 6 years, the average rate of BBF exposures was 0.57 per 100 admissions per year (average of needlestick injuries alone was 0.46 per 100 admissions). For 2001, the rates of exposure were found to be 13% for house officers, 9% for medical student, 8% for attending physicians, 5% for nurses, 4% for housekeeping, 4% for technicians and 2% for auxiliary services employees. The reason for the incident, when stated, was attributed to a procedural intervention (29%), improper disposal of sharps (18%), to recapping (11%) and to other causes (5%). CONCLUSIONS: The current study in Lebanon showed that exposure of HCWs to BBPs remains a problem. This can be projected to other hospitals in the country and raises the need to implement infection control standards more efficiently. Similar studies should be done prospectively on a yearly basis to study rates and identify high-risk groups.

Normalization of quality of life three years after temporal lobectomy: a controlled study.

PURPOSE: The goal of epilepsy surgery is not merely to control previously intractable seizures, but also to improve quality of life (QOL). Our goals were to assess, in our Middle Eastern population, the QOL of adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) 3 years after temporal lobectomy as compared with matched TLE patients who did not undergo surgery and with healthy individuals in the same community. METHODS: Twenty consecutive TLE patients who underwent temporal lobectomy 3 years previously were matched in the following variables: age, sex, seizure frequency, seizure duration, age at onset of epilepsy, duration of epilepsy, and number of medications, with 17 TLE patients who underwent the presurgical evaluation and subsequent optimization of medical therapy but did not undergo surgery. They were also matched for age, sex, educational level, income, and residence with 20 healthy individuals. All groups were interviewed by using the ESI-55 questionnaire. RESULTS: Compared with the nonsurgery group, QOL was significantly better in the surgery group (85% seizure free) in the well-being, functioning, and role-limitation domains. QOL was similar in the surgery and healthy control groups in all domains and scales. The nonsurgery group scored significantly lower than healthy controls in the functioning and role-limitation domains. CONCLUSIONS: Intractable TLE was associated with marked impairments in QOL despite continued attempts to optimize medical therapy. Three years after temporal lobectomy QOL in our patient population achieved levels similar to those of matched healthy individuals. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report normalization of QOL after temporal lobectomy, in any population.

A suggested clinical score to predict the severity of adenoid obstruction in children.

Chronic nasal obstruction in children is a very common disorder. Obstructing adenoid is usually the first to blame. Though the clinical assessment is essential, it is often considered unreliable or insufficient. We conducted a prospective clinical study to validate a clinical score predicting the severity of adenoid obstruction in symptomatic children. The clinical score (CS) included mouth breathing, snoring, restless sleep, frequent waking-up at night and obstructive breathing during sleep. Each item received a score of 0 or 1. The palatal airway was evaluated on a lateral nasopharyngeal x-ray. The degree of obstruction was assessed intra-operatively by a laryngeal mirror using a 3-grade scale. The volume of each adenoid specimen was measured. Eighty-six patients were enrolled, 51 boys and 35 girls, aged 13-181 months (mean 52, median 45). The CS correlated very well with the intra-operative findings (p < 0.01) and with the degree of palatal airway obstruction (p < 0.05) but not with the volume of the adenoid removed (p > 0.05). The CS was higher in children younger than 3 years (CS > 3 in 85.7% vs. 29.2%), having more frequent obstructive breathing during sleep (71.43% vs. 21.54%). A CS of three or higher, predicted severe obstruction in 96.5% of patients, as detected intra-operatively. The suggested CS is simple to use and is highly reliable in identifying children in need for adenoidectomy, in the context of normal anterior rhinoscopy and tonsils less than grade three.

Risky weight control among university students.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the current study were to investigate risky weight control measures (vomiting or pills) among university students in Lebanon and to assess their relation to demographic, scholastic, and health risk behavioral characteristics. METHOD: The study used a cross-sectional design. A proportionate random sample of 2,013 students was selected from public and private universities in Greater Beirut. Each participant completed a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. RESULTS: Among participating students, 123 (6.1%) reported practicing risky weight control measures. Multivariate analysis indicated that younger females, cigarette smokers, engaged/married students, and those with a higher body mass index (BMI) were at increased odds of performing risky weight control measures. CONCLUSION: Health awareness measures need to be proposed and, if possible, implemented to better define the motives and methods of weight reduction among Lebanese youth.