Sleep Position and Infant Care Practices in an Urban Community in Kuala Lumpur

Several modifiable risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have been identified such as sleeping prone or on the side, sleeping on a soft surface, bed-sharing, no prenatal care and maternal ante-natal smoking. A crosssectional survey of infant sleep and care practices was conducted among parents of babies aged below 8 months to determine the prevalence and predictors of non-supine sleep position and the prevalence of other high-risk infant care practices for SIDS. Of 263 infants, 24.7% were placed to sleep in the non-supine position and age of infants was a factor positively associated with this (adjusted odds ratio 1.275, 95% CI=1.085, 1.499). The most common modifiable risk factor was the presence of soft toys or bedding in the infants’ bed or cot (89.4%). Results from this study indicate that although the predominant sleep position of Malaysian infants in this population is supine, the majority of infants were exposed to other care practices which have been shown to be associated with SIDS.

A quality assurance study on the administration of medication by nurses in a neonatal intensive care unit

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>This study aimed to determine the rates of non-adherence to standard steps of medication administration and medication administration errors committed by registered nurses in a neonatal intensive care unit before and after intervention.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A baseline assessment of compliance with ten standard medication administration steps by neonatal intensive care unit nurses was carried out over a two-week period. Following this, a re-education programme was launched. Three months later, they were re-assessed similarly.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The baseline assessment showed that the nurses did not carry out at least one of the ten standard administrative steps during the administration of 188 medication doses. The most common steps omitted were having another nurse to witness drug administration (95 percent); labelling of individual medication prepared prior to administration (88 percent), checking prescription charts against patients' identification prior to administration (85 percent) and visually inspecting a patient's identification tag (71 percent) . Medication administration errors occurred in 31 percent (59/188) of doses administered, all due to imprecise timing of medication administration. There were no resultant adverse outcomes. Following implementation of remedial measures, there was a significant reduction in non-adherence of seven of the ten medication administration steps and the rate of medication administration errors (p-value is less than 0.001). However, in 94 percent of doses administered, the nurses still did not get a witness to countercheck calculations of drug dosages before administration.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Non-compliance with the standard practice of medication administration by nurses is common but can be improved by continuing re-education and monitoring, plus the implementation of a standard operating procedure.</p>

Relation of cholesterol and triglycerides levels in smokers and obese individuals with Ischaemic heart disease

Plasma cholesterol and triglycerides levels were measured in healthy non obese smokers, non smokers obese and non obese, non smokers control subjects independent of sex and age. Significantly higher levels of cholesterol [p 0.05] and triglycerides [p 0.05] were found in obese subjects. Similarly higher levels of cholesterol [p 0.05] and triglycerides [p 0.05] were seen in smokers. Our results showed strong positive correlation of obesity and smoking with levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. It has already been suggested that increased cholesterol and triglycerides levels observed in cigarette smokers and obese individuals are associated with higher incidence of coronary heart disease

Hydatid disease - some unusual sites

Three cases of hydatid disease were seen recently at very unusual sites. One patient presented with a cystic swelling on the umbilicus the second in the lumber spine and the third on the buttock. These sites being quite unusual for this disease, are reported here to share with the experience of other colleagues

Risk of myocardial infarction as predicted by serum concentrations of lipoprotein cholesterol in obese and smoker Pakistani population

We measured lipoprotein concentrations in blood samples from obese, smoker and control subjects in Lahore. Significant differences [P<0.05] in the concentrations of high and low density lipoproteins were found. Concentrations of HDLC<35mg /d1 and that of LDLC>200mg/d1 occurred in both groups, 1.3 and 1.25 times more frequently than in control subjects. These risk factors may be used clinically for the prediction and prevention of MI or CHD in both groups

Marked increase in HDL-cholesterol level of healthy individuals during fasting in Ramadan

Twenty five healthy volunteers were selected to study the effects of Muslim fasting [Ramadan] on HDL-cholesterol. Each week of fasting was associated with a gradual increase in HDL-cholesterol. The mean HDL at the start of fasting was 36.78 mg/dl and -43.88 mg/dl at the end of the month [P < 0.05]. This increased persisted ever after two weeks of the end of fasting