Immediate outcome assessment of the rapid response team of home health care services at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.

Background: Paediatrics rapid response team (RRT) is a newly developed service under paediatrics home health care (HHC) programme which is a standby visiting team that responds to non-critical emergency calls. The current study aimed to compare the total emergency visits and hospital admissions before and after implementation of RRT project. Method: A retrospective chart review was conducted from December 2018 to December 2020. Paediatric patients registered under the home health care (HHC) programme were the target population. The admission and hospitalization rates were assessed before and after the implantation of an RRT. The variables related to patient profile were assessed to explore the association between hospitalization and admission. Result: Data for 117 patients and a total of 114 calls attended under HHC covered by RRT were analysed. In the first year after the implementation of RRT, the mean number of ER visits per patient per year was reduced from 4.78 ± 6.10 to 3.93 ± 4.12 with (P value, 0.06). Also, a slight decrease in the mean number of admissions from 3.74 ± 4.43 to a mean of 3.46 ± 4.1 with (P value, 0.29). Follow-up after receiving an RRT call for an initial complaint was statistically significant in reducing both ER visits and hospital admissions within 7 days with a P value of 0.03 and 0.04, respectively. Conclusion: The RRT was effective in decreasing the ER visits and hospital admissions for a very special group of patients. Additionally, the emplacement of proper triaging code at the time of attending to patients helped in reducing unnecessary ER visit and hospital admission.

Juvenile Hemochromatosis: Rheumatic Manifestations of 2 Sisters Responding to Deferasirox Treatment. A Case Series and Literature Review.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an inherited iron overload. The most common form of HH is type 1 hereditary hemochromatosis (HFE-related), which is associated with mutation of the HFE gene located on chromosome 6 and inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Type 2 hereditary hemochromatosis or juvenile hemochromatosis is less frequent autosomal recessive disease that results from mutations in the HJV gene on chromosome 1 (type2a) or the HAMP gene on chromosome19 (type2b). Mutation of type 2 transferrin receptor gene and mutation of the ferroportin gene result in hemochromatosis type 3 and hemochromatosis type 4, respectively. Juvenile hemochromatosis is characterized by an early onset of excess accumulation of iron in various organs. It could affect the liver, heart, pancreas and joints, resulting in arthropathy. Most juvenile hemochromatosis cases exhibit severe symptoms due to early onset. Cardiac and hypogonadism are the dominating features of the disease. Prevalence of arthropathy in juvenile hemochromatosis is higher than classic HH. Early diagnosis and intervention of juvenile hemochromatosis may prevent irreversible organ damage. The diagnosis can be made based on laboratory testing (of increased transferrin saturation, serum iron and ferritin levels), liver biopsy, imaging or genotype. According to international guidelines, treatment of HH is indicated when serum ferritin concentrations are above the upper limit of normal. We report two sisters who presented to the rheumatology clinic with arthralgia, which was subsequently found to have a homozygous mutation variant of unknown significance in the HFE2 gene: c.497A>G;p.(His166Arg) and has been treated with deferasirox (Exjade®). Musculoskeletal symptoms completely resolved in both patients in two months and remained so for one year on treatment.

Prevalence of fall injuries and risk factors for fall among hospitalized children in a specialized childrens hospital in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Fall injuries among children during hospital stay is a major patient safety issue. Inpatient pediatric falls can lead to numerous negative consequences. In contrast to adults, there is a paucity of information on the prevalence and risk factors associated with children's falls during hospitalization. OBJECTIVES: Identify the prevalence of fall injuries among hospital.ized children and describe the demographic and environmental factors that could predict a higher risk of severe outcomes of fall. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional prevalence study. SETTING: Specialized children's hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data was obtained through the electronic Safety Reporting System (SRS). All reported fall events during hospitalization in children less than or equal 14 years of age for the period from 1 April 2015 to 30 April 2016 were included. Fall events that occurred in the day care unit and the outpatient clinic were excluded. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and possible risk factors for fall events. SAMPLE SIZE: 48. RESULTS: The prevalence of falls among the 4860 admitted children was 9.9 (95% CI=7.5, 13.1) per 1000 patients (48/4860). A majority of the falls were among boys (n=26, 54%), in the age group from 1-5 years old (n=22, 46%), in children at high risk of falling (n=35, 73%), with normal mobility status (n=21, 44%), and with no history of previ.ous falls (n=33, 69%). Severe injuries accounted for 25% of falls (n=12). However, falls among the moderate risk category (n=9, 69%) were more often severe than falls among the high risk category of children (n=12, 34%) (P=.03). CONCLUSION: Risk factor identification is required to prevent falls and their severe outcomes. LIMITATIONS: Underreporting and single-centered study. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: None.

Atypical antiglomerular basement membranes disease with nephrotic-range proteinuria, mesangial proliferation, and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis pattern of injury.

Antiglomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease is an uncommon autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of IgG autoantibodies targeting the alpha-3 chain of type IV collagen. Some of the atypical forms of the disease have been described. Herein, we describe a case of atypical anti-GBM in a 27-year-old Saudi male who presented with lower limb edema, gross hematuria, elevated serum creatinine concentration, and nephrotic-range proteinuria. All serology tests were negative, except for anti-GBM which was weakly positive. Renal biopsy showed proliferative glomerulonephritis (GN) with nodular transformation of the glomerular tufts, mesangial hypercellularity (mesangial cell proliferation), segmental endocapillary hypercellularity and three incomplete cellular crescents, and recapitulating membranoproliferative GN pattern of glomerular injury. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated diffuse, intense linear positivity for IgG and Kappa and Lambda light chains, and compatible with anti-GBM disease. The patient was treated with cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids in addition to therapeutic plasma exchange which resulted in mild improvement in renal function over a period of six weeks. We emphasize the importance of recognition of atypical pathological and serological patterns of anti-GBM disease, which is crucial for proper and early diagnosis and possibly improved clinical outcome and we highlight the importance of clinicopathological correlation in cases with atypical clinical and pathological presentations.