Relationship of Quality of Life with Disability Grade in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Dysthymic Disorder

Background:

There is paucity of information on the relationship of quality of life (QOL) in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and dysthymic disorder (DD) with disability grade in India.

Aim:

To assess the relation of QOL with disability level in OCD and DD.

Materials and Methods:

This hospital based study was conducted in a medical institution in Davanagere, Karnataka, India. Data was collected by using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV Text Revision (DSM IV TR) criteria, WHO QOL BREF and IDEAS. Relationship between disability grade and QOL was assessed by independent sample t test.

Results:

Mild disabled OCD patients had a significantly better QOL in the Q1 domain i.e. perception on quality of life as compared to moderately disabled patients (P < 0.05), while in other domains of QOL, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). But, QOL score in physical domain showed significant difference across disability grades (56.00, SD = 6.89; 48.50, SD = 12.28) in DD, but not in other domains.

Conclusion:

Perception of QOL is better in those with mild disability in OCD, but in DD, physical domain of QOL score is more in mild disability compared to moderate disability.     

Bilateral stenting methods for hilar biliary obstructions

OBJECTIVE:

There is no consensus regarding the most appropriate methods (i.e., the side-by-side versus the stent-in-stent technique) for placing bilateral stents for malignant hilar biliary obstructions. We aimed to perform a quantitative review of the published data regarding the clinical efficacy of the side-by-side and stent-in-stent bilateral drainage techniques for hilar biliary obstructions.

METHODS:

A comprehensive search of several databases was conducted and a fixed-effects or random-effects model was used to pool the data from all of the study end-points.

RESULTS:

Four clinical trials were identified. A comparison of the side-by-side and stent-in-stent groups revealed no significant differences with respect to the rates of successful placement, successful drainage, early complications, late complications and stent occlusions. There were also no significant inter-group differences in stent patency and patient survival and no publication bias was observed.

CONCLUSIONS:

The performance of the side-by-side technique appears to be similar to that of the stent-in-stent technique for bilateral drainage in patients with malignant hilar biliary obstructions.     

Treatment and clinical outcome of needle-track seeding from hepatocellular carcinoma

Background/Aims

Needle-track seeding is a rare but important complication of diagnostic and therapeutic ultrasound (US)-guided procedures in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We examined the frequency of needle-track seeding after US-guided percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) in order to determine the appropriate treatment for needle-track seeding and its clinical outcome.

Methods

We analyzed the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in eight patients who experienced needle-track seeding from HCC after an US-guided procedure (FNAB, PEI, or PTBD) between January 1990 and July 2004.

Results

Seven (0.14%) of 5,092 patients who experienced needle-track seeding (2 after PEI, 4 after FNAB, and 1 after PTBD) during the study period and 1 other patient who experienced needle-track seeding recently were recruited for this study. Two of the eight patients underwent mass excision and the other six patients underwent en-bloc wide excision for the needle-track seeding. Tumors recurred in the needle-tracks in both patients who underwent mass excision but not in the six patients who underwent en-bloc wide excision. Mortality occurred in three patients who experienced the recurrence and progression of intrahepatic HCC.

Conclusions

The incidence of needle-track seeding after US-guided procedures in HCC was 0.14%. En-bloc wide excision seems to be the optimal treatment for minimizing the probability of tumor recurrence due to needle-track seeding.     

Quality of life in rectal cancer patients with permanent colostomy in Xi'an

Objectives

To observe the quality of life (QOL) in rectal cancer patients with permanent colostomy in different periods after operation.

Methods

A 1-,3-,6-month prospective study of QOL in 51 rectal cancer patients with permanent colostomy and 50 without permanent colostomy was assessed using European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL-30 and CR38 questionnaires.

Results

The variation of QOL in different periods was “v” type. In the 1st postoperative month, these patients had the lowest quality of life scores, accompanied significantly varied functions and severe symptoms. Almost of all indexes of these patients had improved consistently in the postoperative period. The scores of global QOL even better than pre-operative level at 6th months post-operation, but the social function, body image, chemotherapy side effects and financial difficulties had not restored to the baseline level. Patients without permanent colostomy had a better score in most of categories of QOL-30 and CR38.

Conclusions

The 1st postoperative month was crucial for patients'' recovery, in which we should pay great attention to these problems which relate to the recovery of rectal cancer patients with permanent colostomy.     

Pre-hospital trauma care: A comparison of two healthcare systems

Introduction:

The management of trauma patients differs depending upon the healthcare system available.

Aim:

To compare the pre-hospital management and outcome of polytrauma patients between two countries with differing approaches to pre-hospital management.

Materials and Methods:

The Scottish trauma and audit group (STAG) and the German trauma registry (GTR) databases were used to compare the management and outcome of trauma patients in Scotland and Germany. Severely injured patients (injury severity score (ISS) > 16) were analyzed for a 3 year period (2000 to 2002). Patient demographics, pre-hospital interventions, ISS, revised trauma score (RTS), time from scene of injury to arrival to the emergency department (ED), 120 day mortality and standardized mortality ratios using TRISS methodology were compared.

Results:

There were 227 patients identified from the STAG registry and 6878 patients from the GTR registry. There was a significant difference in ISS (24.9 vs. 29.8, P = 0.001, respectively). No significant difference was observed for the RTS (P = 0.2). There was a significantly higher rate of pre-hospital interventions in the German group (P < 0.001). The mean time from an injury to arrival to the ED (73 vs. 247 minutes, P = 0.001) was longer for the Scottish patients. There was no difference for an unadjusted mortality rate between the groups, but the standardized mortality ratio was significantly greater for the Scottish population (3.8 vs. 2.2, P = 0.036).

Conclusion:

Despite variation in pre-hospital transfer times and interventions, no significant difference was demonstrated in RTS upon arrival, or for the unadjusted mortality rates.     

Symptom Burden and Quality of Life in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Patients: AIIMS Study of 100 Patients

Aim:

Head and neck cancers (HNCa) are the most common cancers among males in India and 70-80% present in advanced stage. The study aims to assess symptom burden and quality of life (QOL) in advanced incurable HNCa patients at presentation.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred patients were asked to fill EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL questionnaire, which consisted of Global QOL, physical functioning (PF), emotional functioning (EF), fatigue (FA), nausea-vomiting (NV), pain (PA), dyspnea (DY), sleep (SL), appetite (AP), and constipation (CO). Additional questions pertaining to swallowing (SW), hoarseness (HO), cough (CG), weight loss (WL), using pain killers (PK), taste (TA), bleeding (BL), hearing (HE), pain in neck lump (PALMP), opening mouth (OM), and oral secretions (OS) were asked based on a modified EORTC-HN35 questionnaire. Scoring was according to EORTC scoring manual. Mean, median and range were calculated for each item for the entire cohort.

Results:

The female:male ratio was 17:83.42% of them were ≥60 years of age. Sixty-six patients had T4, 25 had T3, 36 had N2, and 33 had N3 disease. Median QOL was 50 (range 0-83.33) and PF was 77.78 (0-100). Median score for EF and FA was 50. Median score for PA, PK, and SL was 66.67 while that for AP was 33.33. Median value for SW, HO, WL, BL, PALMP, OM, and OS was 33.33 (100-0) while TA, CG, NV, DY, and HE had a median score of 0.00.

Conclusion:

Advanced HNCa has a significant burden of symptoms. These results would help in giving patients better symptom directed therapies and improve their QOL.     

Quality of Life in Cancer Patients Receiving Palliative Care

Background:

The main focus of palliative care services is to improve the patient’s quality of life (QOL), which is defined as the subjective evaluation of life as a whole or the patient’s appraisal and satisfaction with their current level of functioning compared with what they perceive to be possible or ideal.

Aims:

In this prospective study we attempt to validate the Hindi version of a questionnaire designed by the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy (FACIT) measurement system; to measure the subjective QOL of cancer patients receiving home-based palliative care, determine ease of use of the questionnaire and correlate the QOL of these patients with the objective assessment of their Karnofsky’s performance status and their numerical pain score.

Settings and Design:

One hundred cancer patients receiving free home-based palliative care in New Delhi, India.

Materials and Methods:

A multidisciplinary palliative home care team using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G^©) questionnaire in Hindi.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Microsoft Excel Correlation.

Results:

The FACT-G^© questionnaire in Hindi is a useful tool in measuring QOL and can be used to monitor the patient’s progress and symptom control during the course of the disease. It is simple to use and does not take too much time to complete. The results are tabulated in English and can be used for comparison purposes globally; the scoring process is very simple.

Conclusions:

Increasing QOL and KPS showed a positive correlation whereas increasing pain and better QOL show negative correlation, as do better performance status and increasing pain score.     

Prevalence of Fatigue Among Cancer Patients Receiving Various Anticancer Therapies and its Impact on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background:

Fatigue is disabling and continuous phenomenon in cancer patients during and after various anticancer treatments which can continue for many years after treatment and definitely it has profound effect on Quality of Life (QOL). However, determining its severity is still underestimated among the cancer patients and also very few studies in the literature exist reporting on Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) among Indian population.

Aims:

To find out the prevalence of rate of fatigue in cancer patient receiving various anti cancer therapies. To find out the relative impact of fatigue on QOL.

Materials and Methods:

This cross-sectional observational study included a total 121 cancer patients receiving radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and concurrent chemo-radiation with the age group of above 15 years who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the patients were assessed for severity of fatigue using Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) and for QOL using FACT-G scale while they were receiving the anticancer therapies as an in-patient in the regional cancer centers in Madhya Pradesh, India.

Results:

The severe fatigue was more prevalent in chemotherapy [58/59 (98.30%)], and concurrent chemo-radiation (33/42 (78.57%)) as compared to radiotherapy (Moderate-9/20 (45%) and Severe-9/20 (45%)). Moderate correlations were exhibited between fatigue due to radiotherapy and QOL (r = -0.71, P < 0.01), whereas weak correlation was found between fatigue due to chemotherapy and concurrent chemo-radiation (r = -0.361, P < 0.01 and r = -0.453, P < 0.01, respectively).

Conclusion:

Severity of fatigue was found more after chemotherapy and concurrent chemo-radiation therapy while impact on QOL was more after the radiotherapy.     

Study of Nurses�� Knowledge about Palliative Care: A Quantitative Cross-sectional Survey

Context:

Studies have documented that nurses and other health care professionals are inadequately prepared to care for patients in palliative care. Several reasons have been identified including inadequacies in nursing education, absence of curriculum content related to pain management, and knowledge related to pain and palliative care.

Aims:

The objective of this paper was to assess the knowledge about palliative care amongst nursing professionals using the palliative care knowledge test (PCKT).

Settings and Design:

Cross-sectional survey of 363 nurses in a multispecialty hospital.

Materials and Methods:

The study utilized a self-report questionnaire- PCKT developed by Nakazawa et al., which had 20 items (statements about palliative care) for each of which the person had to indicate ‘correct’, ‘incorrect’, or ‘unsure.’ The PCKT had 5 subscales (philosophy- 2 items, pain- 6 items, dyspnea- 4 items, psychiatric problems- 4 items, and gastro-intestinal problems- 4 items).

Statistical Analysis Used:

Comparison across individual and professional variables for both dimensions were done using one-way ANOVA, and correlations were done using Karl-Pearson''s co-efficient using SPSS version 16.0 for Windows.

Results:

The overall total score of PCKT was 7.16 ± 2.69 (35.8%). The philosophy score was 73 ± .65 (36.5%), pain score was 2.09 ± 1.19 (34.83%), dyspnea score was 1.13 ± .95 (28.25%), psychiatric problems score was 1.83 ± 1.02 (45.75%), and gastro-intestinal problems score was 1.36 ± .97 (34%). (P = .00). The female nurses scored higher than their male counterparts, but the difference was not significant (P > .05).

Conclusions:

Overall level of knowledge about palliative care was poor, and nurses had a greater knowledge about psychiatric problems and philosophy than the other aspects indicated in PCKT.     

Attitudes and Beliefs About Chronic Pain Among Nurses–Biomedical or Behavioral? A Cross-sectional Survey

Context:

Studies have documented that nurses and other health care professionals are inadequately prepared to care for patients in chronic pain. Several reasons have been identified including inadequacies in nursing education, absence of curriculum content related to pain management, and attitudes and beliefs related to chronic pain.

Aims:

The objective of this paper was to assess the chronic pain-related attitudes and beliefs among nursing professionals in order to evaluate the biomedical and behavioral dimensions of their perceptions on pain.

Settings and Design:

Cross-sectional survey of 363 nurses in a multispecialty hospital.

Materials and Methods:

The study utilized a self-report questionnaire – pain attitudes and beliefs scale (PABS) – which had 31 items (statements about pain) for each of which the person had to indicate the level at which he or she agreed or disagreed with each statement. Factor 1 score indicated a biomedical dimension while factor 2 score indicated a behavioral dimension to pain.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Comparisons across individual and professional variables for both dimensions were done using one-way ANOVA and correlations were done using the Karl–Pearson co-efficient using SPSS version 11.5 for Windows.

Results:

The overall factor 1 score was 52.95 ± 10.23 and factor 2 score was 20.93 ± 4.72 (P = 0.00). The female nurses had a higher behavioral dimension score (21.1 ± 4.81) than their male counterparts (19.55 ± 3.67) which was significant at P < 0.05 level.

Conclusions:

Nurses had a greater orientation toward the biomedical dimension of chronic pain than the behavioral dimension. This difference was more pronounced in female nurses and those nurses who reported very “good” general health had higher behavioral dimension scores than those who had good general health. The study findings have important curricular implications for nurses and practical implications in palliative care.     

Elevated procalcitonin is associated with increased mortality in patients with scrub typhus infection needing intensive care admission

Context:

Procalcitonin is a biomarker of bacterial sepsis. It is unclear if scrub typhus, a rickettsial illness, is associated with elevated procalcitonin levels.

Aim:

To assess if scrub typhus infection is associated with high procalcitonin levels and whether high levels portend a poorer prognosis.

Setting and Design:

Retrospective study of patients with severe scrub typhus infection, admitted to the medical intensive care unit of a tertiary care university affiliated teaching hospital.

Materials and Methods:

Eighty-four patients with severe scrub typhus infection that also had procalcitonin levels were assessed.

Statistical Analysis:

Relationship between procalcitonin and mortality explored using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results:

The mean (±standard deviation) age was 40.0 ± 15.5 years. Patients were symptomatic for 8.3 ± 4.3 days prior to presentation. The median admission procalcitonin level was 4.0 (interquartile range 1.8 to 8.5) ng/ml; 59 (70.2%) patients had levels >2 ng/ml. Invasive mechanical ventilation was required in 65 patients; 20 patients died. On univariate analysis, admission procalcitonin was associated with increased odds of death [odds ratio (OR) 1.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03 to 1.18]. On multivariate logistic regression analysis including procalcitonin and APACHE-II score, the APACHE-II score was significantly associated with mortality (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.30, P = 0.004) while a trend was observed with procalcitonin (OR 1.05, 95%CI 1.01 to 1.13, P = 0.09). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, AUC, for mortality was 0.77 for procalcitonin and 0.78 for APACHE-II.

Conclusions:

Procalcitonin is elevated in severe scrub typhus infection and may be associated with higher mortality.     

Effects of fentanyl on procedural pain and discomfort associated with central venous catheter insertion: A prospective,randomized, double-blind,placebo controlled trial

Context:

Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion induces pain and discomfort to a conscious patient despite application of a local anesthetic (LA) field block and this pain can be greatly lessened by using additional analgesics.

Aim:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of fentanyl along with LA field infiltration in controlling pain and discomfort associated with CVC insertion.

Settings and Design:

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at tertiary referral center.

Materials and Methods:

Fifty-four patients scheduled for planned CVC were randomly assigned to receive either fentanyl (2 μg/kg) or 0.9% normal saline. Pain and discomfort using a verbal numeric rating pain scale at 5 times points during CVC insertion were assessed and analyzed.

Results:

The median interquartile range pain score is worst for placebo group after LAI (5 [3-6]) and in the immediate postprocedure period (5 [4-5]) which was significantly attenuated by addition of fentanyl (3.5 [2-5] and 3 [2-4]) (P = 0.009 and 0.001 respectively). Overall, fentanyl and placebo group were not statistically different with median discomfort score except at T10 (P = 0.047).

Conclusions:

Preprocedural bolus fentanyl infusion provides adequate analgesia and can be safely used for alleviating pain during CVC insertion in conscious patients.     

Quad Shot: A Short but Effective Schedule for Palliative Radiation for Head and Neck Carcinoma

Background:

To evaluate a 2-day course of palliative radiation in patients diagnosed to have inoperable or metastatic head and neck carcinoma.

Aim:

To evaluate the symptom relief and quality of life in these patients after this short course of radiation.

Settings and Design:

A pilot study was conducted in a tertiary care institute in India.

Materials and Methods:

Fifteen patients with stage IV B/C disease, KPS 50-70, were inducted after informed consent. External radiation was given in 2 days, two fractions per day, 6 h apart to a total dose of 14 Gy. Washington University quality of life questionnaire (QOL) was used for assessing QOL before and after radiation. Patients who had more than 50% regression of disease received a second course of similar radiation. All patients were followed up for a mean duration of 6 months.

Statistical Analysis:

The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to evaluate the difference between the QOL scores before and after treatment.

Results and Conclusions:

Out of these 15 patients, majority (13) were males and the mean age of the patients was 62 years. After the first course, all patients had good symptom relief, improvement in the QOL, and 13 out of 15 had more than 50% objective response. The short duration of the treatment was favored by the outstation patients and their attendants. It may be concluded that this short course of radiation is an effective tool for palliative radiation and merits a larger randomized trial.     

Gender and ethnic differences in the post-liver transplant outcomes of patients with autoimmune hepatitis with acute liver failure at initial presentation: a case-control study

Introduction

Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) may initially present as acute liver failure (ALF). The outcome of liver transplantation (LT) in patients with AIH and ALF is not very well defined. We determined the outcome of LT in UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) status 1 adult patients with and without AIH using post-MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) UNOS data.

Material and methods

For each AIH patient, 3 patients with non-AIH, matched for age ±5 years and donor risk index (DRI) ±5 years, were identified; 200 patients (50 AIH, 150 non-AIH) were found eligible for the study.

Results

Patients with AIH were more likely to be female (p = 0.003), non-Caucasian (p = 0.009), have higher bilirubin (p = 0.003), longer waiting time (p = 0.01), and lower creatinine (p = 0.019). African American patients with AIH were younger (p = 0.003), had lower bilirubin (p = 0.037), and were more likely to have had a prior LT compared to Caucasians (p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that 5-year post-LT survival was similar in those with and without AIH (p = 0.3). African American with AIH showed a trend for lower 5-year survival compared to Caucasians (55% vs. 80%, p = NS). Women had a better outcome, especially in those with non-AIH (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

Patients with AIH transplanted as status 1 have similar outcomes to those without AIH. Women with non-AIH-related ALF have better survival than their male counterparts.     

Nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding – risk factors and the value of emergency endoscopy

Introduction

Upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding (UGIB) remains a valid issue of modern medicine. The mortality and recurrence rates remain high and have not decreased as expected over the past decades. Aim of the study: to assess the treatment outcomes of nonvariceal UGIB depending on the timing of endoscopy (urgent vs. elective) and to perform an analysis of risk factors for death in patients with nonvariceal UGIB.

Material and methods

Comparative evaluation of treatment outcomes in two groups of patients. Group A consisted of patients undergoing elective endoscopy (n = 187). Group B consisted of patients undergoing emergency endoscopy (n = 295). Moreover, the influence of selected factors on the risk of death and bleeding recurrence was analyzed in the combined population of the two groups. This was done by constructing a logistic regression model and testing dependence hypotheses.

Results

In group A the mortality rate was 9.1%, and the recurrence rate was 18.2%. In group B the values were 6.8% and 12.2%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found (p = NS). In group B the number of surgical interventions, blood transfusions and intensive care admissions was significantly lower (p < 0.05). An analysis of the combined material showed that the factors which correlated with an elevated risk of death included: old age, hemodynamic state (shock), elevated Charlson Comorbidity Index score, hemoglobin concentration, bleeding from a malignant lesion, recurrent bleeding and the need for surgery (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The use of emergency endoscopy improves the treatment outcomes in patients with UGIB, although no statistically significant decrease in the mortality and recurrence rates could be observed.     

Caring for Dying Patients: Attitude of Nursing Students and Effects of Education

Background:

Education about caring for dying patients could be effective in changing nursing students’ attitude toward caring for dying patients.

Aim:

The aim of the present study was to examine the nursing students’ attitude toward caring for dying patients and effects of education on their attitude.

Materials and Methods:

The present study enjoys a quasi-experimental method with using one-group pre-test/post-test design conducted in Bam in southeast of Iran. The attitude of nursing students was measured using Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying (FATCOD) scale before and after an educational intervention. Data were analyzed using non-parametric tests in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 18 software.

Results:

Of 32 students, 30 participated in this study (response rate of 94%). Only 20% of the students reported previous experience of dying patients in their clinical courses. Students showed moderately negative to neutral attitudes toward caring for dying patients. Education has improved students’ attitude significantly (mean score of FATCOD before study were 3.5 ± 0.43 and after intervention were 4.7 ± 0.33) (P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Educational programs about death and caring for dying patients should be added to undergraduate nursing curricula. Further research recommended examining nursing students’ knowledge about caring for dying patients and the effect of education on their knowledge.     

Scrub typhus: Clinical spectrum and outcome

Background:

Scrub typhus is one of the differential diagnoses for fever with thrombocytopenia. ARDS associated with Scrub typhus has high morbidity and mortality.

Aims:

To evaluate clinical features, lab values, and outcome in patients with scrub typhus and comparison in patients with or without ARDS.

Methods:

A prospective observational study was conducted on 109 patients with febrile illness and thrombocytopenia during a period of 12 months. All 109 patients were tested with both Immune-chromatography test and Weil felix test. Patients having either Immune-chromatography test/Weil felix test positive have been included and considered as scrub typhus positive whereas negative for both Immune-chromatography and Weil felix test were excluded. Clinical features, lab parameters, and outcome were evaluated in all patients with scrub typhus. Statistical analysis used in this study was T-test.

Results:

Among 58 patients who were included (After exclusion of 51 patients among total of 109 patients) 34 patients had no ARDS and 24 patients had ARDS. The clinical feature like dyspnoea, cough, low blood pressure (MAP<65 mmHg), IVC collapsibility (by ultrasound) and laboratory parameters like decreased Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Serum albumin, and increased serum creatinine, serum total bilirubin, SGOT, SGPT, LDH, CPK, and serum lactate were statistically significant (P < 0.0001) in scrub typhus patients group with ARDS. The higher titers of Weil-felix can be correlated with more severe form of disease according to our observation. All 34 Scrub typhus patients without ARDS recovered completely. Among 24 Scrub typhus patients with ARDS, 22 patients recovered, and 2 patients died.

Conclusion:

Scrub typhus is an important differential diagnosis in a patients having fever with thrombocytopenia. Scrub typhus associated with ARDS has high morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis and treatment with doxycycline can prevent the occurrence of ARDS     

Comparison of post-operative ICU sedation between dexmedetomidine and propofol in Indian population

Context:

Critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation frequently need sedatives and analgesics to facilitate their care. Dexmedetomidine, a short-acting alpha-2-agonist, possesses anxiolytic, anesthetic, hypnotic, and analgesic properties.

Aims:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine in comparison to propofol in the management of sedation for post-operative intensive care unit (ICU) patients, as a sedative agent.

Settings and Design:

Teaching hospital, A phase III, prospective, open, randomized and comparative.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty patients who were ambulatory and who required the post-operative mechanical ventilation or post-operative sedation were enrolled, in which 15 patients received Dexmedetomidine and remaining 15 patients received propofol. All these patients were treated for the period of 8 to 24 h.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Data were analyzed using Student''s t-test and Chi-square test. The value of P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results:

Demographic data were comparable. Pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure were comparable. Depth of sedation and extubation time were similar. To maintain analgesia throughout the study period, patients receiving propofol infusions required significantly more analgesics than patients receiving Dexmedetomidine.

Conclusions:

Dexmedetomidine appears to be a safe and acceptable ICU sedative agent when both the clinician''s and patient''s perspectives are considered.     

Role of acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II scoring system in determining the severity and prognosis of critically ill patients in pediatric intensive care unit

Objective:

This study was conducted to validate the use of Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scoring system in pediatric population in predicting the risk of mortality and to compare the predicted death rate (using APACHE II) with the actual death rate of the patients.

Design:

Hospital-based prospective study.

Setting:

Tertiary care Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Western Rajasthan, India.

Methods:

A total of 100 critically ill children between 1 and 18 years of age admitted to PICU and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled. APACHE II score was calculated in each patient on the day of admission. The predicted mortality was calculated on the basis of this score.

Results:

The mean APACHE II score was 21.35 ± 5.76. Mean APACHE II score among the survivors was 16.60 ± 6.12, and mean APACHE II score among the nonsurvivors was 26.11 ± 5.41, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.00). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for APACHE II score was found to be 0.889 (P = 0.008) indicating good discrimination.

Conclusion:

APACHE II scoring system has a good discrimination and calibration when applied to a pediatric population.