Status of the management of hypertension and diabetes in rural Kenya: a multi-institutional joint intervention of cross-sectional surveys.

Introduction: the aim of this study was to analyze the status of the management of vascular risk factors (hypertension and diabetes) at hospital level (3, 4 and 5) in Murang'a County (Kenya) health system. Methods: between July and December 2018 we performed a joint intervention about the strategies for improving care management of hypertension and diabetic patients in Murang'a (Kenya). A survey based on the recommendations from WHO about management of diabetes and hypertension was completed for 9 health-care centers. The survey made use of a semi-structured questionnaire, while the units of analysis for the survey were households. Results: the number of patients recorded at medical registers with diabetes and hypertension registered in public hospitals in Murang'a County were 6628 (0.45%) and y 6694 (0.45%), respectively. In the surveyed health-care centers, no hospital use electrogram and only one had troponin test. No hospital stocked Isosorbide dinitrate and Glicerine trinitate to prevent chest pain in patients with a heart condition. Only 3 of the clinics performed visual acuity examination and no facility did neurologic examination for neuropathy complications. No public hospital had HbA1 and did microalbuminuria test available. Conclusion: it is necessary to improve to establish screening methods, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with hypertension and diabetes in Murang'a County at the various levels of health care.

Association between post-procedural hyperoxia and poor functional outcome after mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: The actual effects of oxygen therapy on patients who have suffered a stroke are still unknown, and its recommendation as a routine measure in emergency services remains controversial. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of hyperoxia in functional recovery in patients with ischemic stroke who underwent intra-arterial mechanical thrombectomy (IAMT). METHODS: A prospective observational cohort study that included all adult patients consecutively admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to an ischemic stroke in the anterior cerebral circulation and following an IAMT intervention, between 2010 and 2015. All patients were intubated and connected to mechanical ventilation for the intra-arterial therapy, receiving supplementary oxygen to achieve saturations above 94%. Two groups were established regarding oxygen partial pressure (paO2) reached. It was based on a single ICU admission blood gas analysis. The hyperoxia group was defined as paO2 > 120 mmHg. We measured functional recovery in each of the groups according to the modified Rankin scale after 90 days. RESULTS: For the analysis, a total of 333 patients were included. High levels of paO2 were mostly related to higher scores in modified Rankin scale (mRS) after 90 days. There were 60.6% cases with mRS ≥ 4 and 70.6% with mRS ≥ 3 in the hyperoxia group, compared to 43.0% and 56.1% in the paO2 ≤ 120 group, p < 0.01, respectively. Mortality was higher in the hyperoxia group, 28.6% vs 18.7%, p = 0.04. After regression adjustment by confounding factors, poor functional outcome was still significantly higher in the hyperoxia group, for both mRS ≥ 4 and mRS ≥ 3: OR 2.2.7, IC 95%, 1.22-4.23, p = 0.01 and OR 2.07, IC 95%, 1.05-4.029, p = 0.04, respectively. Both the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Score (NIHSS) values at 24 h after the IAMT and the days of ICU stay were significantly higher in the hyperoxia group. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ischemic stroke in the anterior cerebral circulation treated with IAMT, we found an association between admission PaO2 > 120 mmHg and worse functional outcome 90 days after ischemic stroke, but this association needs further confirmation by other studies.