Trends and characteristics of head and neck injury from falls a hospital based study, Qatar

The aim of this retrospective descriptive hospital-based study was to determine the trend in the number, incidence and pattern of head and neck injuries involved with falls. A retrospective analysis was carried out of 1,952 patients who were treated at the Accident and Emergency and Trauma centers of Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar, for head [n= 1,629], neck [n = 225] and both [n = 98] injuries during the period 2001-2006. Head and neck injuries were determined according to the International Classification of Disease, ICD- Emergency Medical Services [EMS], Hamad Medical Corporation. The majority of the victims were non-Qataris [78.6%], men [86.6%] and in the age group 20-29 years [26.8%]. There was a disproportionately higher incidence of head and neck injuries from falls during weekends [27.1%]. Nearly half of the head and neck injuries from falls occurred at work [49.4%]. Neck injuries [10.2%] were more severe than head injuries [7.3%]. The incidence rate of head and neck injuries per 10,000 population increased from 2.1 in the year 2001 to 5.5 in 2006, particularly among the elderly population above 60 years of age [13.1 in 2003 to 18.6 in the year 2006]. Superficial injury to the head [29.4%] was more common among trauma patients. The present study findings revealed that the incidence of head and neck injuries was higher among young adults and the elderly population

Insertion of urethraI catheter: medical doctor staff competence at Hamad General Hospital Emergency Department

To asses the level of competence at uretheral catheterization among medical staff at the Emergency Department in Hamad General Hospital, a test of urethral catheterization procedure was given to 158 emergency medical staff doctors of different specialties, on a manikin model. The test explored different aspects of the procedure. The results showed that 32% of medical staff were successful in excluding any contraindications before starting the procedure; 71% asked to obtain consent; 89% used aseptic precautions in the technique correctly; 94% carried out the different steps of the procedure technique properly; 53% used the proper size of catheter; and 32% fixed the catheter to the body. Although the majority of the medical staff could perform the main steps of the procedure well, there was a great ignorance about other aspects, such as excluding contraindications, selection of the proper size of the catheter, and catheter fixation. In addition, there was inconsistency between the staff in obtaining informed consent. This concludes that the medical staff had minimal exposure to urethral catheterization procedure, and limited self-perceived confidence and experience in this procedure, despite working in a major emergency department

Biliary Ascariasis

Ascariasis is a common parasitic infestation, it is usually asymptomatic, and is diagnosed either by accidental finding of ascaris eggs on stool examination, or by the patient reporting passage of pencil like structures with stool, but sometimes it might present with more sinister problems like intestinal obstruction, in heavy infestation, biliary involvement with related complications like obstructive jaundice, cholecystitis or cholangitis. In this article we report a case of biliary ascariasis presented as a case of chronic abdominal pain