ABSTRACT
Background:Accurate diagnosis and widespread use of diagnostic tests with easy accessis important to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2. A Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has high cost and can be performed in special laboratories. There have been several easy to perform rapid antigen detection tests developed and recommended to use at point of care for timely detection of positive patients and their isolation to limit the spread of infection. The aim of the study was to compare the cost effectiveness and the role of RT-PCR and rapid antigen testing in diagnosing different suspects of COVID-19.Methods:In this cross-sectional study the data of all the suspected cases who underwent COVID-19 testing over a period of seven weeks at divisional level was used for analysis.Results:The widespread use of rapid antigen testing makes it more cost effective in detecting COVID-19 cases than the highly sensitive and specific RT-PCR testing. Conclusions:Rapid antigen tests can be used as a screening testing tool in high-risk groups to identify the infected persons quickly and for preventing the transmission of infection particularly in low resource settings.
ABSTRACT
Background: Medical implants are devices that are placed inside or on the surface of the body for functional, cosmetic or therapeutic purposes. Orthopaedic implants are usually associated with infections which lead to devastating complications for the patients. The study was conducted to evaluate the association of various factors considered to affect orthopaedic implant infections.Methods: The 100 patients with orthopaedic implant infections were included. Various patient parameters including risk factors, intervention form and type of onset of infection were recorded. Microbiological workup was done by standard techniques along with biofilm detection.Results: Early onset of infection was prevalent in cases with open fractures. Smoking and tissue destruction were the major risk factors. Longer duration of surgery was associated with early onset and polymicrobial infections. 15.5% of the isolates were strong biofilm producers. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant biofilm producer. More biofilm producing organisms were recovered from stainless steel implants.Conclusions: Orthopaedic device-related infections lead to extreme morbidity in patients and puts a great encumberance on hospital resources. Various factors affect the outcome of orthopaedic implants. Appropriate infection control and institution specific interventions will help in reducing the magnitude of the problem.