Efficacy of prophylactic ciprofloxacin in the prevention of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

To assess the efficacy of giving prophylactic ciprofloxacin for the prevention of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis [SBP] in cirrhotics. A prospective study of eighty [80] patients suffering from liver cirrhosis with ascites. Medical Unit-III, Services Hospital, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan. Main Outcome Measures: Whether or not spontaneous bacterial peritonitis develops during a follow-up of one year. From the ciprofloxacin group, seven patients [17%] developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis while in the control group, sixteen patients [40%] developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis during follow-up of one year [p = 0.048]. At one year follow-up, the probability of recurrence was 28% in the ciprofloxacin group and 78% in the control group. These results indicate thatlong-term selective intestinal decontamination with ciprofloxacin is effective and safe in preventing spontaneous bacterial peritonitis recurrence

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: a comparison of clinical diagnosis with endoscopic findings

To compare the clinical diagnosis of patients suffering from dyspepsia with the findings at oesophagogastroduodenoscopy [OGD]. Prospective study of 300 patients suffering from dyspepsia. Medical Unit 3, Services Hospital, Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan. Three hundred consecutive cases of dyspepsia between 20 to 75 years of age [mean age 42 years]. Clinical diagnosis and OGD of dyspeptic patients. Two hundred and forty three [81%] of these patients had abnormal findings at endoscopy, whereas in 57 [19%] the OGD was normal and were also negative for Helicobacter pylori. In 210 patients [70%] the clinical diagnosis tallied with the endoscopic findings, where as in 90 patients [30%] the clinical diagnosis was different from the OGD findings. In a significant number of patients the clinical diagnosis does not tally with the findings at OGD hence early endoscopy should be undertaken in dyspeptic patients for an accurate diagnosis to be made, resulting in earlier alleviation of the patients suffering and cost effectiveness