Post-traumatic seizure: a multicentric epidemiological study.

Post-traumatic seizure (PTS) is the development of recurrent seizures following head trauma and has a high clinical relevance. We tried to understand the epidemiology of PTS in a multicentric pro- spective study during the period May 2010 to April 2012. We included 320 patients excluding poor Glasgow coma scale (GCS) ie, <4 and history of previous epilepsy. At a median follow-up of one year, 49 patients (15.31%) developed PTS. Incidence of immediate, early and late onset seizures were 27 (8.4%), 14 (4.4%), 9 (2.8%) respectively. In this study incidence of PTS was high in patients of the age group 20-30 years, with road traffic accident, with poor GCS ie, < 9. High incidence of PTS was associated with x- ray findings of skull fracture and abnormal CT findings. Early use of anticonvulsants is ineffective in preventing early post-traumatic epilepsy.

New onset paediatric epilepsy in 1-5 years age group children--approach to management in a tertiary care centre with newer anti-epileptic levetiracetam.

Epilepsy is a common paediatric neurologic disorder that is difficult to manage in a substantial portion of children, highlighting the continued need for more effective and better tolerated drugs. A multicentric study was conducted from August, 2011 to July, 2013 using levetiracetam (LEV) in newely diagnosed epilepsy in 122 young children of 1-5 years age group to find its role in practical scenario depending upon the knowledge from prior literature available. It has been demonstrated effective as adjunctive therapy as well as monotherapy for new-onset partial seizures and generalised tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) but it acts better as adjunctive therapy than the monotherapy. When LEV was used as adjunctive therapy 15.4% children with partial seizure were seizure-free as compared to 11.12% in GTCS and when LEV was used as monotherapy 16.17% children with partial seizure were seizure-free as compared to 15.38% in GTCS. When LEV was used as add on therapy 16.67% children < 2 years were seizure-free as compared to 17.85% in > 2 years. When LEV was used as monotherapy 25.00% children < 2 years were seizure-free as compared to 18.18% > 2 years. So, it was found more efficacious in partial group of seizures than the GTCS variety. It also shows more efficacy in older age group (> 2 years) than the younger ones (< 2 years). Somnolence and behavioural changes were noted as ad- verse effects in a few cases. So, LEV is an important addition to the treatment of paediatric epilepsy.

ECG manifestations in acute organophosphorus poisoning.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the electrocardiographic changes in 107 patients of acute organophosphorus poisoning admitted at casuality ward of MGM Medical College, Kisanganj from June 2007 to June 2010. Electrocardiographic changes were recorded before the administration of atropine. Prolonged Q-Tc interval was the commonest ECG abnormality, found in 67 patients (62.6%), followed by sinus tachycardia in 36 patients (33.6%). Sinus bradycardia was found in 33 patients (30.8%). Elevation of ST segment was seen in 27 patients (25.2%). T wave inversion was seen in 21 patients (19.6%). First-degree heart block (P-R interval >0.20 seconds) occurred in 9 cases (8.4%). Atrial fibrillation was seen in 5 patients (4.6%). Ventricular tachycardia was seen in 6 cases (5.6%) and ventricular premature complexes in 3 patients (2.8%). Of these 6 cases of ventricular tachycardia 1 responded to intravenous lignocaine, and the other 5 developed ventricular fibrillation leading to death despite other resuscitative measures. All the electrocardiographical abnormalities returned to normal before the patients were discharged. Seventeen patients died. The cause of death was ventricular fibrillation in 5 patients and non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema in others. In conclusion it can be said that ECG should be carefully recorded and analysed in all patients of acute organophosphorus poisoning, and depending upon these changes and other clinical and biochemical parameters, the patients should immediately be shifted to well equipped ICU for better care which will reduce the mortality rate caused by these highly lethal poisons.

Prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers in newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients.

Foot ulcer is one of the most common and dreadest complication of diabetes mellitus.This is also a frequent cause of hospitalisation and disability. Most of the patients with diabetic foot ulcers living in developing countries present to healthcare facilities fairly late with advanced foot ulcers because of poor economic status, inadequate knowledge of self-care, sociocultural reasons and poor and inadequate diabetes healthcare. To determine the prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers amongst the newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients (n = 1674) a cross-sectional study was carried out during the period January 2010 to January 2011 in the department of medicine, NRS Medical College, Kolkata. Diabetic foot ulcers were found in 4.54% newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus patients. Neuropathic type of foot ulcer was present in 46.06% of patients (52.5% in male and 38.88% in female). Ischaemic type of foot ulcer was present in 19.74% of patients (22.5% in male and in 16.66% females). Neuroischaemic type of foot ulcer was present in 34.2% of patients (25% in males and 44.44% in females). Neuropathy occurred most frequently either singly or with peripheral vascular disease. General awareness about the disease, early diagnosis and proper management will prevent this dreaded complication.