Sultan Qaboos University medical journal
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The standard treatment for hydrocephalus is either a ventriculoperitoneal or a ventriculo-atrial shunt. However, these conventional shunts may be associated with considerable complications and high revision rates which make these familiar shunts inappropriate for a certain subset of patients. ⋯ She was treated with open suprapubic cystolithotomy and the redirection of the shunt to the peritoneal cavity. The patient was followed up for 12 months postoperatively and remained free of any urinary tract symptoms.
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Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J · Nov 2013
Discharge against Medical Advice among Children in Oman: A university hospital experience.
Discharge against medical advice (DAMA) is a major problem in healthcare delivery as it can complicate the health problems from which patients are suffering. The aim of this study was to understand DAMA among children in a tertiary teaching hospital in Oman and to evaluate the documentation of the events in the medical records. ⋯ Although the results of this study yielded a low prevalence rate compared to the rates reported in other studies, the occurrence of DAMA for children in a tertiary hospital is a distressing phenomenon. It was evident that the documentation of the DAMA process was poor. More studies should be conducted to understand the details of the problem. Policies should be established and implemented in order to attempt to reduce DAMA among child patients and to protect them from the consequences of such discharges.
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Palpitations are a common symptom of presentation in medical practice. They are usually caused by cardiac arrhythmias, psychiatric problems or other miscellaneous causes, such as anaemia or endocrine causes. They are rarely due to autonomic seizures. ⋯ Positive electroencephalogram findings, as well as the response of the symptoms to antiepileptic drugs, were strongly suggestive of temporal lobe epilepsy as the possible diagnosis. The fact that the cardiac investigations, performed during an interictal period, were unremarkable also supports the hypothesis that the palpitations were linked to seizures. Epilepsy should be considered as a differential diagnosis of palpitations, especially if the palpitations are episodic.
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Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J · May 2013
Does haloperidol prophylaxis reduce ketamine-induced emergence delirium in children?
Ketamine is a non-barbiturate agent with rapid action onset that induces profound sedation; however, some emergency physicians tend not to use ketamine because of the risk of emergence delirium (ED). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of haloperidol prophylaxis in postoperative ketamine delirium in children. ⋯ We found that preoperative administration of haloperidol decreases the incidence of postoperative delirium in a sample of Egyptian children undergoing minor surgery. This is congruent with earlier work conducted in adults. This work carries great hope to decrease and even prevent ED in hospitalised, non-surgical patients.
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Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J · May 2013
Job Stress and Burnout among Academic Career Anaesthesiologists at an Egyptian University Hospital.
There is compelling evidence that anaesthesiology is a stressful occupation and, when this stressful occupation is associated with an academic career, the burnout level is high. This study aimed to assess the predictors and prevalence of stress and burnout, associated sociodemographic characteristics, and job-related features. ⋯ Stress and burnout among academic anaesthesiologists were caused by the lack of job support; this was especially true among residents and assistant lecturers. We can conclude that a well-organised institutional strategy to mitigate the heavy professional demands of academic anaesthesiologists' will relieve their stress and burnout.