Irish journal of medical science
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Cases of intoxication are increasing day by day and these patients are presenting to emergency departments. These patients are usually individuals with poor self-care, inadequate oral intake, and unable to meet their own needs, and may have significant dehydration due to the agents they have taken. The caval index (CI) is a recently used index to determine fluid requirement and response. ⋯ In our study, we found that CI can be used as an index to assist emergency clinicians in determining and monitoring fluid requirement in cases of intoxication presenting to the emergency department.
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Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has a critical role in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs is the mainstay of neovascular AMD treatment. Blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is shown to be a biomarker of inflammation in AMD. We aimed to investigate the role of NLR in predicting favorable short-term anti-VEGF treatment results in neovascular AMD patients. ⋯ NLR can provide additional prognostic information for the identification of patients with a good initial response to anti-VEGF therapy.
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Overweight and obesity epidemic is still expanding, and it is affecting women of childbearing age. Multiple studies have shown unmatched results concerning the effect of body mass index (BMI) besides gestational weight gain (GWG) on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. This study aims to determine the effect of each of the two anthropometric indicators: pre-gestational BMI and gestational weight gain on the course of pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes. ⋯ Both extremes of BMI and GWG are linked to adverse neonatal outcomes. This highlights the importance of weight monitoring even during pregnancy to prevent its negative impact on neonates.
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The aim of our study was to describe the epidemiology of Carbon monoxide poisoning in the Emergency Department. ⋯ Our current study has showed an increase of Carbon Monoxide poisoning in contrary to our study performed in the previous decade. Fortunately, we did find a lower rate of cases with severe poisoning. Beside the implementation of safer standards for residential heating systems, customized public education is advised in order to lower rates of poisoning in the future. A predicted heavy snow fall should be considered a trigger for a public health warning regarding the risk of CO poisoning.
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Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of physiological growth as well as development in biological, emotional, and social domains. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children and adolescent's lives were drastically changed. Many countries including the United Kingdom and Ireland imposed strict universal lockdowns, which included the closing of creches, schools and universities as well as restricting peer interactions, social activities, and recreational pursuits. Evidence is emerging of a catastrophic impact on the younger generation, which leads the authors to explore the ethicality of the COVID-19 response in this population in relation to the four pillars of medical ethics: beneficence, nomaleficence, autonomy, and justice.