Vitamin D status and blood group among severe COVID-19 patients.

Objective: Prognosis of COVID-19 infection has been indicated to be associated with vitamin D status and ABO blood group. However, owing to discrepancies and an increased number of cases globally, the findings remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between vitamin D and ABO blood group systems in patients with severe COVID-19. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, COVID-19 patients referred to two hospitals in the capital of Iran, Tehran, admitted to the ICU ward due to the severity of COVID-19 were evaluated. Serum vitamin D and ABO levels were evaluated in these patients. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using SPSSv24. Results: Of 305 patients, 33.1% patients had O+ blood type, 27.8% had A+ blood type and 22.4% had B+ blood type. Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with a mortality rate among these patients, P<0.05. The blood group of the patients was not correlated with mortality. Thirty-seven percent of the patients in the study died because of COVID-19. Conclusion: In our study population, mortality due to COVID-19 was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency but not the ABO blood group. We recommend further studies in this regard that include more variable and detailed biochemical analysis.

Comparative study of the effect of two different doses of remifentanil on bleeding control in lumbar fusion surgery: A randomized clinical trial.

Objectives: Spinal fusion surgery completely prevents movement or friction between the two vertebrae. Remifentanil, a selective drug agonist, suppresses and decreases the vasomotor system upon release of histamine. In this study, the efficacy of remifentanil infusion at doses of 0.1 and 0.3 µg/kg/min in the control of low blood pressure was compared. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 110 candidates for selective spinal fusion surgery were entered and randomized into 2 groups. The first group received 0.1 µg/kg/min and in the second group 0.3 µg/kg/min remifentanil. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, SPO2, and surgeon's satisfaction were measured and compared between groups. Results: the systolic blood pressure was significantly lower in patients receiving 0.3 µg of remifentanil by the time 30, 45, 60, and 90 min during the surgeries (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in terms of PR (P = 0.19) and SPO2 (P = 0.41) between the two groups. We also observed significantly higher duration of surgeries (P = 0.002), duration of anesthesia (P = 0.009), significantly higher bleeding volume (P < 0.001), higher fluid intake (P = 0.01) and higher transfused blood (P = 0.01) in patients that received 0.1 µg remifentanil compared to other patients. Conclusion: Here we showed that administration of 0.3 µg/kg/min remifentanil was associated with significantly lower systolic blood pressure during the surgeries. On the other hand, patients that received 0.1 µg/kg/min remifentanil had significantly higher duration of surgeries, duration of anesthesia, significantly higher bleeding volume, higher fluid intake, and also higher transfused blood.

Paracetamol versus Paracetamol Plus Ondansetron on Acute Postoperative Pain.

This study was performed to determine the comparative efficacy of paracetamol alone versus paracetamol plus ondansetron on acute postoperative pain after abdominal surgeries in Azad University hospitals in 2017 and 2019. In this randomized clinical trial, 62 consecutive patients under abdominal surgeries, were randomly divided into two groups, group 1 patient who received paracetamol alone 1 gram and group 2 patient who received paracetamol 1 gram plus 4 mg ondansetron and the pain severities were determined and compared between groups at recovery and after 4 and 24 hours. The results of this study revealed that there were no statistically significant differences between two groups for the postoperative pain severity and analgesic use ( p > 0.05). It may be concluded that addition of ondansetron to paracetamol would not result in further postoperative pain reduction and additive use of this drug is not recommended.

A prospective study on the incidence of sore throat after use of laryngeal mask airway during general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a useful alternative to intubation of the trachea to maintain the airways. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of sore throat after LMA during general anesthesia in short-duration elective surgery. METHOD: In this prospective study, 76 patients undergoing surgery with general anesthesia in (XXX) during 2018 and 2019 were selected and their demographic information were entered into the data collection form. Laryngeal mask airway was used in the subjects for airway maintenance during the surgery. The incidence of sore throat at postoperative 0, 6, 12 h was measured using Visual Analogues Scale (VAS) as primary outcome and it was then compared with demographic parameters as secondary outcomes. RESULT: The mean age of the patient was 45.48 ± 14.89 years and 46 (60.5 %) of the patients were women. The mean BMI was 24.02 ± 3.05 kg/m2. The average duration of surgery was 56.9 ± 15.9 min. The incidence of sore throat immediately after the surgery and at 6 and 12 postoperative hours was 26.3 %, 23.7 %, and 19.7 %, respectively. The incidence of sore throat after the use of LMA was not significantly correlated with age, sex, and BMI (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our study showed that pain due to sore throat following laryngeal mask airway was reported to be mild in our study. The postoperative sore throat may not associated with demographic variables.

Effect of caffeine on postoperative bowel movement and defecation after cesarean section.

INTRODUCTION: and Importance: Inadequate bowel movement after cesarean section (C-section) can delay the intake of solid diet. Coffee is reported to have beneficial effects on bowel motility after the surgery. This study is designed to evaluate the effects of coffee on bowel movement and defecation following C-section. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial study, women undergoing elective C-section at the hospital of (XXX) during 2019-2020 were included. Following the surgery, the patients were divided in case (coffee) and control (water) group. At three different interval after the surgery, 111 ml of coffee or water was given to these patients. After the intervention, time of bowel movement, first defecation, body mass index (BMI), age, gestational age, parity and gravidity were recorded and evaluated between the two groups. RESULTS: Of total 36 patients (18 in study and control group, respectively), the mean age, gravidity, parity, BMI and gestational age was not significantly different, p-value<0.05. The mean onset of bowel movements in case group was 14.56 h and control group was 16.83 h and the first defecation after cesarean section in case and control group was 27.78 and 31.67 h, respectively. The two groups were significantly different in both the terms, p-value = 0.042 and p-value = 0.002, respectively. CONCLUSION: The postoperative bowel movement and defecation time is shorter with the intake of coffee among patients undergoing C-section.