Stroke among Patients Admitted to a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Stroke is the second most common cause of mortality after ischemic heart disease and the leading cause of morbidity around the world. This study aimed to find out the stroke among patients admitted to a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Internal Medicine and Neurosurgery from 15 July 2021 to 15 June 2022 after taking ethical approval from Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 78/79-083). Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 5034 patients, 149 (2.95%) (2.48-3.41, 95% Confidence Interval) patients had stroke. Out of 149 cases, male to female ratio was 1.06 with a mean age of 65.05±14.06 years. The most common presentation was hemiparesis 128 (85.90%). Hypertension 106 (71.14%) was the most common underlying condition. The frontal area 17 (32.02%) was the most common site of ischemic stroke. Putamen (55.26%) was most common site in hemorrhagic stroke. The mean hospital stays was 6.3±5.18 days. There were 5 (3.40%) cases of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: The prevalence of stroke was similar to other studies done in similar settings. Keywords: hemorrhagic stroke; ischemic stroke; prevalence.

Sepsis among Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Centre.

Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening dysfunction and is one of the common causes of admission in intensive care units. Early diagnosis and management improves the outcome of patients. The aim of this study was to find out the prevalence of sepsis among patients admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among patients admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary care centre after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. Data of patients admitted from 1 February 2022 to 31 January 2023 was collected between 6 April 2023 to 27 April 2023. Convenience sampling method was used. The point estimate was calculated at a 95% Confidence Interval. Results: Among 1001 patients, the prevalence of sepsis was 278 (27.77%) (25-30.54, 95% Confidence Interval). Among them, 209 (75.17%) developed septic shock. The mean age was 56.6±19.34 years. Pneumonia 43 (15.46%) and genitourinary infection 43 (15.46%) were the most common sources of infection and the source was unknown in 124 (44.60%) of patients. Hypertension 75 (26.97%) was the most common comorbidity. Acute kidney injury 166 (59.71%) was the most common complication followed by thrombocytopenia 165 (59.35%) and transaminitis 79 (28.41%). Conclusions: The prevalence of sepsis among patients admitted to the intensive care unit was higher than other studies done in similar settings. Keywords: infection; intensive care unit; sepsis; tertiary care centre.