Medical Bulletin 15/October/2021

Published On 2021-10-16T17:19:10+05:30 | Updated On 2021-10-19T17:31:27+05:30

Overview

Here are the top Medical stories of the day

Serum procalcitonin a reliable biomarker

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a major hospital-acquired infection that accentuates morbidities in an already sick child and negatively impacts recovery and prognosis. Variuos morbidities associated with VAP included prolonged ventilation, long duration of higher antibiotics, increased ICU and hospital stay subsequently leading to increased health care costs.

Early identification of an evolving VAP helps in the early optimization of antibiotic therapy and correlates with early weaning from mechanical ventilation. For this purpose researchers from RML hospital New Delhi conducted a study to determine the role of serum procalcitonin as an early inflammatory marker for an early and provisional diagnosis of VAP among clinically suspected VAP patients in pediatric intensive care unit settings.

For more details, check out the full story on the link below:

Serum Procalcitonin- Reliable Biomarker To Diagnose Ventilator Associated Pneumonia In Kids: Study

Even Episodes of atrial fibrillation linked to ischemic stroke risk

Episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF) lasting at least 5.5 hours are associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke, particularly in the first few days, a study carried out in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) confirms. Further, the risk of stroke was most apparent in the first 1 to 5 days after the AF episode after which it waned away and then dissipated quickly.

The study, published in the journal JAMA Cardiology, supports AF being a causal risk factor than the idea of a risk marker and that paroxysmal atrial fibrillation poses a risk of stroke during and for a short time and the risk decreases rapidly.

For more details, check out the full story on the link below:

Episodes Of Atrial Fibrillation Associated With Ischemic Stroke Risk: JAMA Study

New method to treat dry eye disease

General Anesthesia considered Just as Safe as Spinal Anesthesia

New research shows that the rates of survival, functional recovery, and post-operative delirium are similar for patients whether they underwent general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia for hip fracture surgery. This work, from the largest randomized study ever conducted to compare the two anesthesia techniques, challenges common thinking that patients who get spinal anesthesia fare better. Led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the study was published in the
New England Journal of Medicine and presented at Anesthesiology 2021, the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

"Available evidence has not definitively addressed the question of whether spinal anesthesia is safer than general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery, an important question to clinicians, patients, and families. Our study argues that, in many cases, either form of anesthesia appears to be safe," said lead investigator Mark D. Neuman, MD, MSc, an associate professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care. "This is important because it suggests that choices can be guided by patient preference rather than anticipated differences in outcomes in many cases."

For more details, check out the full story on the link below:

General Anesthesia Just As Safe As Spinal Anesthesia After Broken Hip Surgery

Speakers

Dr. Nandita Mohan

Dr. Nandita Mohan is a practicing pediatric dentist with more than 3 years of clinical work experience. Along with this, she is equally interested in keeping herself up to date about the latest developments in the field of medicine and dentistry which is the driving force for her to be in association with Medical Dialogues. She also has her name attached with many publications; both national and international. She has pursued her BDS from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore and later went to enter her dream specialty (MDS) in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry from Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences. Through all the years of experience, her core interest in learning something new has never stopped.