ABSTRACT
[This retracts the article DOI: 10.7759/cureus.21315.].
ABSTRACT
Background and objective Basic Life Support (BLS) is critical because it keeps patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries alive and maintains viability until a team of paramedics or hospital staff can provide expert care. There are many events that can result in serious injury and cause a person to stop breathing. BLS awareness among the population who have relatives with heart diseases greatly increases their confidence to act quickly when necessary and reduces their level of hesitation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the level of clinical competence in the population who have relatives with heart diseases for them to recognize and respond to individuals in need of BLS in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology We conducted a quantitative, observational, and analytical cross-sectional study to achieve our objective. The targeted population involved only Saudis. The study was conducted electronically using social network apps in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire evaluated if the subject had a family member with heart disease. Data collected included sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge and awareness about BLS as related to specific objectives. Results Of the 414 participants, 58.8% were females; 33.3% were between the ages of 40-49 years, and 30.7% were between 18-29 years old. The prevalence of participants who reported participating in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training was 19.8%. The main reasons for not participating in these training were a lack of knowledge about the courses (60.5%), being too busy (16.2%), and thinking that they did not need them (12.3%). Being younger than 29 years in age was one of the factors associated with participating in CPR training [odds ratio (OR): 11.85, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.54-91.42, p=0.017] versus those aged over 59 years. Gender was significantly associated with the rate of participation in CPR training: females had significantly lower rates of participation than males (15.2% vs. 25.7%, OR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.32-0.84, p=0.008). Of note, 25.5% of the participants had adequate knowledge regarding CPR. Having trained in CPR was significantly associated with a higher level of knowledge among the participants (1.82-fold) (OR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.08-3.06, p=0.023). Conclusion Based on our findings, there is limited awareness and training related to CPR among people with relatives suffering from cardiac diseases in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. This may be associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality related to heart diseases in the region.
ABSTRACT
Elastofibroma is a benign soft tumor that is composed of elastic fibers in a background of collagenous and adipose tissue. However, the presence of multiple elastofibromas is considered a rare occasion. We report the case of a 39-year-old man who presented to our general practice clinic with a complaint of upper back swelling for the last three months. The swelling was completely painless. It was not associated with ulceration of the overlying skin. He reported that the swelling had not been increasing in size. There was no history of anorexia, weight loss, or preceding trauma. On examination, both shoulders had a normal range of motion with no restriction due to the mass lesions. To further characterize the mass lesions, the patient underwent a computed tomography scan of the thorax. It demonstrated bilateral lenticular subscapular mass lesions that were ill-defined but had similar attenuation to that of adjacent skeletal muscle along with the presence of interspersed streaks of fat. Such findings represent the diagnosis of elastofibroma. However, the patient was concerned about the possibility of the malignant nature of these lesions and insisted on having the surgical resection of the mass. The histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of elastofibroma. Elastofibroma is a benign soft tissue tumor that is diagnosed incidentally in the majority of cases. However, multiple elastofibroma, as in the present case, is considered unusual. The case demonstrated the radiological and histopathological features of elastofibroma. The imaging findings are characteristics and can prevent unnecessary biopsy or surgical intervention. However, if clinically indicated, surgical resection is considered curative.
