Diagnostic Value of Blood Oxygen Saturation and Serum C-Reactive Protein Level in Predicting Lung Sequels in Coronavirus Disease 2019-Infected Patients: A 12-week Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) respiratory sequels is restricted and predisposing factors are not well studied more than two years passing pandemic. This study followed COVID-19 patients 12 weeks after discharge from hospital for respiratory sequels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study on discharged COVID-19 patients in 2021, in Jahrom, Iran. Exposure was COVID-19 clinical features at hospitalization, including symptoms and physical examination and laboratory findings, and primary endpoint was 12-week lung sequel, being evaluated by a chest CT scan. Demographics and previous medical history were considered covariates. SPO2 and CRP 6-week changes were followed as an early tool for prediction of 12-week lung sequel. RESULTS: Totally, 383 participants (17 had sequels) with mean age of 57.43±18.03 years old (50.13% male) completed 12-week study follow-ups. Ninety-one (23.8%) subjects had an ICU admission history. SPO2% in 6th week was statistically significantly associated with a higher rate of 12-week sequelae (P0.001). Also, patients having CT scan scores between 40% to 50% (P=0.012) and higher than 50% (P=0.040) had higher chance of experiencing lung sequelae than patients with CT scan score of below 40%, as well as having ICU admission history and lower SPO2% at 6th week of discharge. There was a statistically significant increasing trend of SPO2% (P0.001) and a statistically significant decreasing trend of CRP levels (P0.001), overall. SPO2% increase after 6 weeks was lower in participants with lung sequels than fully improved ones (P=0.002) and as well as total 12-week change in SPO2% (P=0.001). CRP changes in none of evaluated periods were different among study groups (P0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results were in favor of closely following SPO2 levels after patient discharge, while CRP assessment seems not helpful based on our results.

Alternative Medical Interventions Versus Conventional Treatment of Renal Colic: An Updated Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: To systematically review the recent alternative medical interventions on renal colic pain and compare their efficiency with conventional treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) study, based on the PRISMA guidelines on online databases of PubMed, Scopus, and web of science. We quarried these databases with relevant keywords for clinical trial studies that aimed at reducing renal colic pain in patients refereeing to the ED from after January 2011 to February 2022. Randomized clinical trials that used the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for assessment of renal colic pain before and after medical interventions in adult patients were included in this study. NMA was conducted based on the continuous values of the mean difference of the pain after 30 and 60 minutes of the medication administration. RESULTS: Twenty-four studies that were meeting the inclusion criteria were included in our review with 2724 adult participants who were mostly male. Study arms included conventional medications (NSAID, Opioid, paracetamol), ketamine, MgSo4, desmopressin, and lidocaine. Based on the qualitative synthesis, ten studies (41.7%) did not find significant differences between conventional and alternative treatments. Also, there is no agreement on some more recent medications like using ketamine or desmopressin while MgSO4 and lidocaine use are supported by most studies. NMA revealed that desmopressin is significantly having worse pain reduction properties. NMA did not show any difference between ketamine, lidocaine, and MgSo4, versus the conventional treatment. CONCLUSION: To conclude, lidocaine and MgSo4 might be good alternative treatments for renal colic when conventional treatments are contraindicated or pain is not responding to those. Ketamine might be indicated in patient-based circumstances. Desmopressin may be agreeably avoided in further research or clinics.

Point-of-Care Tests' Role in Time Metrics of Urgent Interventions in Emergency Department; a Systematic Review of Literature.

Introduction: Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) could be helpful in clinical decisions, treatment selection, monitoring, prognostication, operational decision-making, and resource utilization. This study aimed to review the role of POCT in time metrics of performing urgent interventions in the emergency department (ED) or disposition time to proper care. Methods: This was a systematic review of the literature based on the PRISMA statement. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases were searched for studies reporting the application of the POCT in the ED with outcomes of the time to intervention or disposition. Results: After reviewing 3708 articles, 16 studies with 100,224 participants were included in this systematic review. There were 5 randomized clinical trials (RCTs), 5 retrospective cohorts, 2 prospective cohorts, and 4 before-after studies. All studies were performed in an ED setting except for one study of prehospital EMS air medical transport. Different panels, ultrasound, cardiac parameters, echocardiography, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) POCTs were used in the studies. Regarding the outcome measures, studies with many types of patients referring to ED used different indices of time to intervention or time to disposition. Studies on different shock circumstances used the time to the first bolus of hydration or vasopressor or intravenous antibiotics for septic shock patients and central venous catheterization (CVC) placement time in one study. Time to imaging was considered as the outcome in some studies. Overall, there was a high risk of bias, especially in case of the randomization methods, and non-blinded designs in RCTs. There was lower possibility of bias in non-randomized studies but the studies did not have enough follow-ups and in case of studies using advanced panels of POCT, results do not seem to be easily applicable to public health care in many countries. Conclusion: In synthesis of the evidence, all included studies were reporting the benefits of the POCT in decreasing the time to proper interventions and increasing the time to negative interventions in the last lines of critical care as well as the intubation and CVC placement.

Propofol + Granisetron vs. Propofol + Metoclopramide in Symptom Management of Acute Migraine Headache; a Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Acute headache is one of the most common reasons for emergency department (ED) visits. This study aimed to compare the combination of propofol and granisetron with propofol and metoclopramide in symptom management of acute migraine headache. Methods: In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 60 adult patients with acute migraine headache who referred to ED were randomly divided into two groups of propofol + metoclopramide and propofol + granisetron. Pain and nausea/vomiting severity as well as blood pressure were compared between groups 30, 45, and 60 minutes after treatment. Results: The two groups had similar situation regarding mean age (p = 0.606), sex distribution (p = 0.793), baseline severity of pain (p = 0.642), frequency of nausea/vomiting (p = 0.488), and vital signs (p > 0.05). The severity of pain was similar in the two groups 30 (p = 0.731), 45 (p = 0.460), and 60 (p = 0.712) minutes after treatment. The number of patients with resistant nausea and vomiting 60 minutes after treatment was significantly higher in metoclopramide group (30.0% versus 10.0%; p = 0.033). Diastolic pressure 60 minutes after treatment (81.43 ±8.94 vs. 74.97 ± 4.8; p = 0.001) and heart rate 30 minutes after treatment (68.87 ±6.52 vs. 73.57± 7.62; p = 0.013) had statistically significant differences between the groups. Conclusion: The combination of propofol and granisetron was superior to propofol and metoclopramide in case of controlling nausea and vomiting of cases with acute migraine headache; meanwhile, no differences were observed in case of pain relief and hemodynamic status between the two groups.

Self-Referred Walk-in (SRW) versus Emergency Medical Services Brought Covid-19 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the characteristics of the emergency medical services (EMS) brought COVID-19 patients versus self-referred walk-in patients. METHODS: This was a Cross-sectional study of COVID-19 infected cases in Jahrom, south of Iran. Age, sex, the symptoms of beginning days' passing, respiratory distress, PO2 at arrival, admission length and in-hospital death were retrieved for confirming COVID-19 cases in the whole 2020 year. Respiratory distress was considered as the sign that agitates the patient to call EMS care. Survival analysis was used to evaluate the possible difference of the hospitalization outcome in EMS brought or Self-referred walk-in (SRW) patients. RESULTS: There was 704 (27.1%) registries patients transfer to the hospital by EMS and 1895 (72.9%) cases with SRW referred to the hospital. The survival distributions for the EMS group were statistically significant and lower than SRW group (p<0.05). Despite the SRW patients, respiratory distress was associated with lower survival in EMS group (p<0.05). Days passing the symptom's beginning was significantly different between EMS group (6.1±5.3 days) and SRW group (6.9±4.6 days). Cox regression showed higher mortality rate in patients higher than 75 years old in both groups (p<0.05). Higher PO2 at arrival was associated with lower mortality rate of Hazard Ratio of 0.959 (p<0.001) and 0.903 (p<0.001) in EMS and SRW groups, respectively. The history of heart disease and hypertension were associated with 1.011 and 1.088 times more than mortality risk in EMS group; while cancer history was associated with 2.74 times more of mortality risk in SRW group. CONCLUSION: It seems that severe acute respiratory syndrome occurs soon in some patients that lead to the need for an ambulance to transfer the patient to the hospital. Therefore, EMS transfer patients should be considered for more risk of severe COVID-19; considering comorbidities of heart disease and hypertension as red flags.

Incidence of Pediatric Perforated Appendicitis during the COVID-19 Pandemic; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has affected the pattern of referral to medical centers and quarantine against COVID-19 might delay referral and management of surgical emergencies. This study aimed to compare the pooled event rate of pediatric perforated appendicitis before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis study based on the PRISMA guidelines. Scopus, Web of Sciences, and PubMed databases were searched for studies reporting the rate of perforated appendicitis based on the post-appendectomy observations or imaging methods. The Egger bias test and funnel plot were used to detect and depict publication bias. Statistical analysis was performed in Comprehensive Meta-analysis package version 3. RESULTS: Twelve studies were eligible for inclusion in our study. The pooled prevalence of pediatric perforated appendicitis in the pre-COVID era was 28.5% (CI95%: 28.3 to 28.7%) with a heterogeneity of 99%. In the COVID era, the event rate proportion was 39.4% (CI95%: 36.6 to 42.3%) with a heterogeneity of 99%. There was a significant difference in the subgroup analysis within the pre-COVID and COVID era (P<0.001), showing a higher perforation rate in the COVID era. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of perforated appendicitis has significantly increased in comparison to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aluminum Phosphide Poisoning Mortality Rate in Iran; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: According to statistics provided by the forensic medicine facility of Iran, there are a high number of Aluminum phosphide (ALP) poisoning-related deaths in the country; while the mortality rate varies in different studies. This study aimed to determine a pooled estimate of ALP poisoning mortality rate in Iran. METHODS: The present study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of the mortality rate of ALP poisoning in Iran. Through the quarry of Persian and English databases, using "aluminum phosphide", "phosphine", "rice pills", "poisoning", and "Iran" as keywords, and no time restrictions, studies reporting mortality rate in ALP poisoning cases were collected. The random-effects model was used to pool the proportions of mortality and age of survivors versus non-survivors. RESULTS: 21 studies with 3432 cases of ALP poisoning were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled mortality rate of ALP poisoning in Iran was 39.6%, (95% CI: 31.5%-47.9%; I2 = 95%). Since there was significant publication bias, the trim-and-fill correction was conducted and the corrected pooled mortality rate was estimated to be 27.3% (95% CI: 18.9%- 36.5%), which is the rate that should be considered for clinical guidance. Morality rate in male and female patients was 62.3% (95% CI: 53.5%-70.8%) and 37.7% (95% CI: 29.2%-46.5%), respectively (p < 0.01). Survivors had significantly lower mean age than non-survivors (SMD: -0.26 (95% CI: -0.37 to -0.15); p < 0.01; I2=0%). CONCLUSION: According to this report, the Mortality rate of ALP poisoning in Iranian population is about 27%, with men having a higher fatality rate than women. Poisoning at a younger age is associated with better results.

Gender Differences in COVID-19 Deceased Cases in Jahrom City, South of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological features of deceased patients and comparing the discrepancies between male and female patients based on high prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its irreversible effects and the rising mortality rate in Jahrom city. METHODS: This is a descriptive-analytical retrospective study that was conducted from the beginning of March 2020 to the end of November 2020. The study population were included all patients with COVID-19 who admitted to Peymaniyeh Hospital in Jahrom and died of COVID-19. Clinical and demographic data were collected from medical records and analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: In this study, 61 patients (57.54%) were men and 45 patients (42.36%) were women. The mean age was 68.7±18.33 in men and 68.82±14.24 in women. The mean hospitalization length was 9.69±7.75 days in men and 9.69±7.75 days in women patients. There was no statistically significant difference between men and women patients (p>0.05). The results showed that 17 (27.87%) men and 28 (45.9%) of women patients had hypertension and the prevalence of this disease was significantly higher in women than men (p=0.01). In this study, 7 (11.48%) men and 13 (21.31%) women had hyperlipidemia. The frequency of hyperlipidemia in women cases was significantly higher than in men patients (p=0.024). Men cases' diastolic blood pressure (mean=77.53) was significantly higher than women's diastolic blood pressure at the same time with a mean of 71.42 (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The findings of the study represented the mortality rate in men which is higher than women patients. The prevalence of underlying diseases such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia were higher in women than men. Despite higher mortality among women, symptoms such as fever and dyspnea were less common in women than men.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Physical Examination and History Taking in Traumatic Rib Fracture; A Single Center Experience.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of history taking and physical examination in the patients with traumatic rib fractures. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, all patients with multiple traumas who referred to the emergency department were evaluated for the mechanism of injury, chief complaints, vital signs and oxygen saturation. History taking and physical examination were performed according to Barbara Bates reference. Fracture was diagnosed based on chest x-ray results and CT scan, if needed. The results were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) analysis. RESULTS: Isolated rib fractures of thoracic bones were found in 8 out of 99 subjects with mean age of 33.4±19.43 years. In the sensitivity analysis of history taking and physical exam tests, the highest sensitivity was chest tenderness and deformity with 100% sensitivity for each one and the lowest was for the dyspnea with 28.10%; however, the highest sensitivity was for dyspnea with 62.50% sensitivity; and pulmonary hearing aid and chest deformity were not specific (0%). For heart rate, AUC analysis was significant. Heart rate above 80/min was associated with 87.5% sensitivity and 62.5% specificity for rib fractures. CONCLUSION: Proper and physical examination and history taking can help to detect rib fractures with high sensitivity and specificity denoting to the importance of the issue; while, radiographic or surgical approval is required to diagnose rib fractures.

Performance of physiology scoring systems in prediction of in-hospital mortality of traumatic children: A prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: This study is designed to compare the value of four physiologic scoring systems of rapid acute physiology score (RAPS), rapid emergency medicine score (REMS), Worthing physiology scoring system (WPSS) and revised trauma score (RTS) in predicting the in-hospital mortality of traumatic children brought to the emergency department. METHOD: We used the data gathered from six healthcare centers across Iran between the April-October 2016. Included patients were all children with trauma. Patients were assessed and followed until discharge. Moreover, patients were divided to two groups of died and alive, and discriminatory power and general calibration of models in prediction of in-hospital mortality were compared. RESULTS: Data was gathered from 814 children (average age of 11.65 ± 5.36 years, 74.32% boys). Highest measured area under the curve was for RAPS and REMS with 0.986 and 0.986, respectively. Areas under the curve of WPSS and RTS were 0.920 and 0.949, respectively (p = 0.02). Sensitivity and specificity of RAPS were 100.0 and 95.05, respectively. These amounts for REMS were 100.0 and 94.04, respectively. Two models of RTS and WPSS had the same sensitivity of 84.62. Specificity of these two was 98.22 and 96.95, respectively. Three models of RAPS, REMS and RTS had proper calibrations in predicting mortality; however, it seems that WPSS overestimates the mortality in high risk patients. CONCLUSION: As calculations of RAPS is easier than REMS and their proper calibrations, it seems that RAPS is the best physiologic model in predicting in-hospital mortality and classifying in traumatic children based on severity of injury. However, further validation of the recommended score is essential before implementing them into routine clinical practice.

Focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) by emergency medicine residents in patients with suspected cardiovascular diseases.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have assessed the value and accuracy of focused cardiac ultrasound (FOCUS) performed by emergency physicians. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of FOCUS performed by emergency medicine residents compared to echocardiography performed by a cardiologist in emergency department (ED) patients suspected of cardiovascular disease. METHODS: The research involved a prospective observational cross-sectional study enrolling patients over 18-years old suspected of having cardiovascular disease who required an echocardiograph. For each patient, a FOCUS test was conducted by a trained emergency medicine resident. The diagnostic accuracy of ED performed FOCUS was compared to echocardiography performed by a cardiologist (gold standard) in the ED. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratios were calculated for FOCUS. The agreement of EM residents and cardiologists on each finding was evaluated using Cohen's kappa coefficient with 95% CI. RESULTS: Two hundred and five patients, with a mean age of 61.0 ± 17 years (50% male), were included in this study. Agreement between FOCUS performed by an emergency medicine resident and echocardiography performed by a cardiologist in measuring ejection fraction of the left ventricle was 91% (κ = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.79-0.91). Reports of the two groups for identifying right ventricular enlargement showed 96% agreement (κ = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.82-0.90). The agreements for right ventricular pressure overload, wall motion abnormality and pericardial effusion were 100% (κ = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.77-0.89), 92% (κ = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.76-0.90), and 96% (κ = 0.83; 95% CI = 0.77-0.89), respectively. CONCLUSION: FOCUS performed by emergency medicine residents is comparable to echocardiography performed by cardiologists. Therefore, it could be a reliable tool and screening test for initial testing of patients suspected of cardiac abnormalities.

Rapid Acute Physiology Score versus Rapid Emergency Medicine Score in Trauma Outcome Prediction; a Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Rapid acute physiology score (RAPS) and rapid emergency medicine score (REMS) are two physiologic models for measuring injury severity in emergency settings. The present study was designed to compare the two models in outcome prediction of trauma patients presenting to emergency department (ED). METHODS: In this prospective cross-sectional study, the two models of RAPS and REMS were compared regarding prediction of mortality and poor outcome (severe disability based on Glasgow outcome scale) of trauma patients presenting to the EDs of 5 educational hospitals in Iran (Tehran, Tabriz, Urmia, Jahrom and Ilam) from May to October 2016. The discriminatory power and calibration of the models were calculated and compared using STATA 11. RESULTS: 2148 patients with the mean age of 39.50±17.27 years were studied (75.56% males). The area under the curve of REMS and RAPS in predicting in-hospital mortality were calculated to be 0.93 (95% CI: 0.92-0.95) and 0.899 (95% CI: 0.86-0.93), respectively (p=0.02). These measures were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90-0.94) and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.83-0.90), respectively, regarding poor outcome (p=0.001). The optimum cut-off point in predicting outcome was found to be 3 for REMS model and 2 for RAPS model. The sensitivity and specificity of REMS and RAPS in the mentioned cut offs were 95.93 vs. 85.37 and 77.63 vs. 83.51, respectively, in predicting mortality. Calibration and overall performance of the two models were acceptable. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that adding age and level of arterial oxygen saturation to the variables included in RAPS model can increase its predictive value. Therefore, it seems that REMS could be used for predicting mortality and poor outcome of trauma patients in emergency settings.

Validation of thoracic injury rule out criteria as a decision instrument for screening of chest radiography in blunt thoracic trauma.

BACKGROUND: Thoracic injury rule out criteria (TIRC) were first introduced as a decision instrument for selective chest radiography in blunt thoracic trauma in 2014. However, the validity of this model has not been assessed in other studies. In this regard, the present survey evaluates the validity of TIRC model in a multi-center setting. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, clinical presentations and chest radiograms of multiple trauma patients referring to 6 educational hospitals in Iran were evaluated. Data were gathered prospectively during 2015. In each center, data collection and interpretation of radiograms were conducted by two different emergency medicine specialists. Measures were then taken for assessment of discriminatory power and calibration of the model. RESULTS: Data from 2905 patients were gathered (73.17% were male; the mean age was 33.53 ± 15.42 years). Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve of the TIRC model for detection of thoracic traumatic injuries was 0.93 (95%CI: 0.93-0.94). Sensitivity and specificity of the model were 100 (98.91-100) and 67.65 (65.76-69.45), respectively. The intercept of TIRC calibration plot was 0.08 (95%CI: 0.07-0.09), and its slope was 1.19 (95%CI: 1.15-1.24), which are indicative of the model being perfect in detecting presence or absence of lesions in chest radiograms. CONCLUSION: The findings are corroborative of external validation, good discrimination, and proper calibration of TIRC model in screening of multiple trauma patients for obtaining chest radiograms.

Assessment of the interns' ability based on Dundee model in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

INTRODUCTION: The importance of medical profession and the role of the physician in society is no secret to anyone. Skills and competencies in clinical practice are necessary for the medical profession. In fact, in patient care, doctors require practical skills in addition to scientific knowledge. This study examines the potentials of medical school students in three areas of doing the right thing, doing the right thing in an intermediate range, and doing the right thing by the right person. METHODS: This study was done in a descriptive-analytical and sectional model. The population of this study was all interns of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences who were passing internship at Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Emergency wards. About 100 persons were selected by simple randomization. In order to collect data, a questionnaire with 12 questions was designed in two parts. The questionnaire was approved by 7 Faculty members of Clinical Medicine and Medical Education, and its reliability was approved by test-retest method on 20 medical students in the form of a pilot study and through Cronbach's alpha (82%). Collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 14 using descriptive statistical methods. RESULTS: Results showed that within the inner circle, interns evaluated their skills in surgery, internal medicine, and gynecology wards, intermediate and at other wards as weak. Also within the center circle, interns evaluated adequate educational evidence-based training in the field of medicine, and sufficiency of educational training in the field of clinical decision making and clinical care as suitable. CONCLUSION: According to the results, it seems that medical interns' skills in performing most medical skills are moderate. So teaching students by new educational methods and workshop techniques, using experienced teachers will be effective. The use of clinical skills training centers and objective assessment methods for the students' skills, especially before entering the clinical departments, is very important.