Road traffic injuries in Rawalpindi city, Pakistan

Data on road traffic accident [RTA] injuries and their outcome are scarce in Pakistan. This study assessed patterns of RTA injuries reported in Rawalpindi city using standard surveillance methods. All RTA injury patients presenting to emergency departments of 3 tertiary care facilities from July 2007 to June 2008 were included. RTA injuries [n=19 828] accounted for 31.7% of all injuries. Among children aged 0-14 years females suffered twice as many RTA injuries as males [21.3% versus 11.4%], whereas this trend reversed for the age group 15-24 years [41.9% versus 21.7%]. One-fifth of injuries were either fractures or concussion. Severity and outcome of injuries were worse for the age group 45 years and older. For every road traffic death in Rawalpindi city, 29 more people were hospitalized and 177 more received emergency department care. These results suggest the need for better RTA injury surveillance to identify preventive and control measures for the increasingly high road disease burden in this city

audit of inguinal hernia repairs - a PESSI experience

Inguinal hernia repair is the most commonly performed operation in general surgical practice. Advanced techniques like open and laparoscopic mesh repairs are the preferred operations these days. Social Security Health Care System working under PESSI [Punjab Employees Social Security Institute] provides a closed system of surveillance of operated patients. Patients once operated are on record and present for follow up to the relevant surgical unit for over a period of years, unlike the government hospitals, where patients are lost to follow up once they get discharged. Retrospective study. Department of Surgery, Punjab Employees Social Security Hospital, Ferozepur Road, Lahore from January 2001 to December, 2006. To establish the reliability of non-mesh tissue repair technique as a primary procedure in inguinal hernia. About 500 patients underwent surgery for inguinal hernias. In those with primary inguinal hernia, tissue repair techniques [plication of transversalis fascia and darning of posterior wall with prolene No.1] were used while in those patients who had recurrent inguinal hernias, either tissue repair or mesh repair was carried out. Tissue repair techniques gave us excellent results with a recurrence rate of 0.4% [2/500] over a mean follow up period of 4.5 years. The reliability of inguinal hernia repair technique primarily with a mesh is not established whereas the old traditional tissue repair techniques have decades of experience to justify their reliability as far as recurrence is concerned

Depressive Disorder: Diagnosis and management in general practice in Pakistan

To formulate guidelines for diagnosis and management of depressive illness in general practice in Pakistan. Using guidelines developed through research in primary care, this article explains how depressive illness could be diagnosed using diagnostic and statistical manual [DSM] criteria and managed systematically at general practice level in Pakistan. Diagnosing depression accurately and choosing the right anti-depressant and giving it for adequate length of time are crucial factors in effective management of depression. Depressive illness can be diagnosed and managed effectively in general practice in Pakistan and only a minority of patients would need to be referred to psychiatrists

Prophylactic antibiotics in thyroid surgery

A study of 100 parents for evaluation of the role of prophylactic antibiotics in preventing postoperative infections in thyroid surgery was carried out in Surgical Unit I, Rawalpindi General Hospital from August, 1990 to May, 1992. The study revealed a surgical wound infection rate of 4% in parents given a prophylactic antibiotic and 14% in the group without prophylactic antibiotic. This was accompanied by a longer hospital stay. Infection at the drain insertion site was nil with the use of prophylactic antibiotics where it was 8% in the second group

Nutritional anemia with reference to iron status in women of Islamabad

Iron, copper status and hematological parameters hemoglobin hematocrit, were determined in 102 adult anaemic women. Of the subjects 34% had hemoglobin between 7.8-8.9 g/dl and hematocrit between 25-33%. The serum iron level was low < than 48 ug/dl in 78.0% of the subjects. Majority of the subjects had adequate levels of serum copper and total protein. The present study showed that the consumption of iron rich food was seen in 29% of persons. The high prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia could be attributed to consumption of iron low food. Moreover these food commodities contains antinutritional factors hence rendering poor iron availability

Aetiological agents of diarrhea in infancy and early childhood

Aetiological agents of acute diarrhoea in the first three years of life were determined. The main causative agents were bacteria [25.6%], viruses [20.6%] and parasites [3.6%]. Mixed infection of bacteria and viruses was also found. Sixtyfour per cent children were malnourished and 23% were severely dehydrated. EPEC serotype OIII : K 58 was found to be predominant. Mixed infection mainly affected the infants and diarrhoea was more frequent in males under one year of age