Serum magnesium levels in type 2 diabetic patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome and prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in these patients

Hypomagnesaemia have been reported to occur with an increased frequency in type 2 diabetics compared with their counterparts without diabetes. Abnormalities of magnesium levels, such as hypomagnesaemia, can result in disturbances in nearly every organ system and can cause potentially fatal complications [e.g., ventricular arrhythmia, coronary artery vasospasm, sudden death]. Premature ventricular complexes [PVC] predict cardiovascular mortality among several adult populations. This study was done to find correlation between serum magnesium levels of diabetics and incidence of arrhythmias. We analyzed the serum magnesium levels in fifty consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes presenting with acute coronary syndrome in CCU of Services Hospital, Lahore and prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias in these patients. Serum magnesium levels were measured at presentation and twenty four hour Holter monitoring was done for the detection of arrhythmias. There were 33 male [66%]; 17 female [34%] patients and mean age of presentation was 60 years [ +/- 20 years]. 7 [14%] out of 50 patients had hypomagnesaemia [<1.7mg/dl], 2 females and 5 males. 'Ventricular premature contractions' in hypomagnesemic patients were 1.5 times the patients with normal magnesium level. There was no definite relationship observed between serum magnesium level and 'supraventricular premature contractions'. Although ventricular premature contractions are more common in patients with hypomagnesaemia and may result into life threatening arrhythmias but no life threatening arrhythmias [e.g., ventricular tachycardia and torsade de pointes] were seen in our study population with hypomagnesemia

Antibiotic prophylaxis- is it necessary in clean general surgery?

The aim of this study was to compare the use of prophylactic antibiotics in reducing wound infection in clean elective general surgical operations with no use of prophylactic antibiotics in these operations. Randomized Controlled Trial [RCT]. Six months study from January 2007 to June 2007 conducted at surgical department of Combined Military Hospital Peshawar. One hundred and twenty patients were included in the study and divided into two groups A and B. Group A received prophylactic antibiotics and Group B did not, both groups were compared for post operative wound infection. In Group A, one patient [1.6%] developed infection and in Group B, four patients [6.6%] developed infections. The results were not statistically significant by Chi-Square test [P> 0.5]. preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis is not recommended routinely in clean general surgical operations