ABSTRACT
Background: Frequent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) procedures are being performed on a daily basis in Iran. However, no study has been reported on the current PCI practice in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in Iran. We aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and treatment patterns in Iranian ACS patients treated with PCI. Methods: Between February 2017 and July 2017, ACS patients presented to 5 referral hospitals in two major cities of Iran (Tehran and Shiraz) were included in this observational study if aged > 18 years and underwent PCI for ACS during hospitalization; and their clinical and procedural characteristics were collected. All data were entered into SPSS v.21 and descriptive statistics were performed. Results: Of a total of 314 patients, 228 (73%) were males, 162 (52%) were diagnosed with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and 152 (48%) with Unstable angina/ Non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Trans-femoral approach was more often (64%) used for PCI procedures. Stent placement was the most frequent (98%) treatment strategy on PCI, with drug-eluting stent selected in the majority of subjects (98%). The overall rate of PCI success was 95%, with 4.1% PCI-related complications, and 1.6% post-PCI bleeding events. The vast majority of the study patients (99%) were discharged with dual anti-platelet therapy. Conclusion: In this study, we observed a high level of adherence to the currently accepted guidelines in the current PCI practice on ACS patients in Iran. Also we found our practice is highly in line with the global reduction trend in the PCI-related complications.
ABSTRACT
Recently, advances in understanding the etiology of urticaria and updates of diagnostic and therapeutic management guidelines have drawn attention to chronic urticaria (CU) morbidity. The present study aimed to evaluate Iranian dermatologists' practice and real life management of CU patients. A total of 35 dermatologists and 443 patients were included in the study. Number of female patients was 321 (72.5%). Mean (standard deviation) age of the study patients was 38 (13) years and the median (inter quartile range) of disease duration was 12 (6-48) months. Severity of patients' symptoms was mild for 32.1%, moderate for 38.7%, severe for 18.8%, and 10.4% of them had no evident signs or symptoms. The most common diagnostic methods were physical examination (96.6%), differential blood count (83.5%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (77.4%), and C-reactive protein (62.8%). The number of dermatologists prescribed nonsedating antihistamines (nsAH) in regular dose and high dose mono therapy were 26 (74%) and 6 (17%), respectively. About 66% of dermatologists were familiar with British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) guideline. The most common first-line treatment for CU by Iranian dermatologists was nonsedating antihistamines in regular or high doses. The real-life management of patients with CU in Iran was in accordance with the available practice guidelines.
