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Background and Objectives Burns is one of the most common and potentially dangerous public health problems. Burn patients' hospitalization facilitates the provision of medical services. However, prolonging the length of hospital stay can not only impose an economic cost, but also cause various infections in patients. Various factors affect patients’ hospitalization length including patients age and gender, burn cause, anatomic place and its severity. Identifying and considering these factors will reduce burn patient’s hospitalization and its consequences. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting hospitalization length in burn patients admitted to Sina Hospital as burn referral hospital in Northwest of Iran. Material and Methods In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of burn patients who were admitted to Sina Hospital in Tabriz during 2018, were included. Data collection was performed using a goal-based researcher data collection form. The form included patient’s demographics (age, gende, marital status, education level, occupation, comorbidity) and Status of vital signs at admission including respiratory rate, heart rate, body temperature, Glasgow Coma Scale score (less than 12 moderate injuries, 13 and 14 mild injuries, 15 or more normal) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, burn place, date, cause, TBSA, burn severity, length of stay and outcome. Data were analyzed using Stata 16 software and through quantile regression modeling. Data normality was evaluated using Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, skewness and kurtosis. Due to the skewness of the hospitalization variable distribution (hospitalization length was a non-negative variable with right skew and skewness coefficient of 4.72 and kurtosis coefficient equal to 6.53), to obtain a complete picture of how the conditioned distribution of the response variable changes from variables Independently, Quantile regression was used for modeling with a significance level of P

Although, Canadian C-spine rule and the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS) criteria in ruling out clinically important cervical spine injuries have been validated using large prospective studies, no consensus exist as to which rule should be endorsed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the accuracy of the Canadian C-spine and NEXUS criteria in ruling out clinically important cervical spine injuries in trauma patients. Finally, we introduced the modified Canadian C-spine rule. A prospective diagnostic accuracy study was conducted on trauma patients referred to four emergency departments of Iran in 2018. Emergency physicians evaluated the patients based on the Canadian C-spine rule and NEXUS criteria in two groups of low risk and high risk for clinically important cervical spine injury. Afterward, all patients underwent cervical imaging. In addition, modified Canadian C-spine rule was derived by removing dangerous mechanism and simple rear-end motor vehicle collision from the model. Data from 673 patients were included. The area under the curve of the NEXUS criteria, Canadian C-spine, and modified Canadian C-spine rule were 0.76 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.71–0.81)], 0.78 (95% CI 0.74–0.83), and 0.79 (95% CI 0.74–0.83), respectively. The sensitivities of NEXUS criteria, Canadian C-spine, and modified Canadian C-spine rule were 93.4%, 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively. The modified Canadian C-spine rule has fewer variables than the original Canadian C-spine rule and is entirely based on physical examination, which seems easier to use in emergency departments.

Background Many of the known coronaviruses cause a wide range of respiratory infections in humans, and the novel coronavirus is no exception to this rule. Although no drug has yet been discovered to prevent or treat this disease, chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been widely used in studies showing different results. Methods The present study is an umbrella study. The search was conducted for the articles published from January 2020 to November 2020 using the keywords ("COVID-19" OR "SARS-CoV-2" AND "Hydroxychloroquine" OR "Chloroquine" AND "Systematic Review" OR "Metanalysis"). This study was limited to human samples and systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis. The quality of the articles was also evaluated independently by two researchers. Results To evaluate the clinical efficacy of HCQ and CQ, a total of 176 papers and 643569 cases ranging from patients with mild pneumonia to intubated critically ill patients were evaluated. Finally, 8 studies were included. Conclusion There are conflicting results regarding HCQ or CQ efficacy and safety in the systematic reviews. More evidence is needed to confirm whether these drugs are useful in COVID-19 infection, and their usage as the standard care cannot be recommended based on the majority of the studies included in this umbrella review.

Background Determining people’s healthy behaviors related to COVID-19 could be effective in providing preventive measures. The present study aims to investigate preventive behaviors associated with COVID-19 including wearing masks and keeping physical distance among the passengers on buses and public taxis measures to evaluate the ventilation systems in these vehicles. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 753 passengers on buses and taxis in Tabriz, northwestern Iran, from 15 February to 1 March 2021. Multistage sampling method was used to select the participants. Tabriz was socioeconomically divided into three areas, including high, moderate, and low socioeconomic status. Three researchers were observed passengers behaviors standing at the selected stations and assessed their behaviors according to study checklist. Results In total, the data were gathered from 358 (47.5%) female and 395 (52.5%) male in public transport systems. The results of this study indicated that female passengers used masks significantly more than men (P N = 103, 54%) and those who were in city center (N = 88, 48.5%). According to the multivariate regression analysis, for not wearing mask: being male [OR 4.94; 95%CI (2.62–9.28)] and using bus [(OR 3.27, 95%CI (1.73,6.19)], and for not physical distancing: having age under 25 years [OR 2.58; 95%CI (1.53,4.36)] and low socioeconomic status (SES) [OR 5.19; 95%CI (3.25,8.30)], and for no ventilation: using bus [OR 1.57; 95%CI (1.05,2.34)] were significant predictors. Conclusion Our results suggest that gender, type of vehicle, age, and SES were significant predictors of non-adherence to COVID-19 preventive behaviors in public transport during the pandemic. Given that social distancing is less observed in the public transportation system in Tabriz, Iran, it is necessary for government to consider and monitor guidelines to protect the passengers from COVID-19 infections by providing measures to maintain physical distance in public transportation systems. It may be possible to force vehicle owners who do not comply with health protocols to keep some distance by imposing fines.

To the best of our knowledge, aspirin (ASA) is known as a commonly used medication worldwide. Although the cardiovascular aspects of ASA are well-established, recently, it has been identified that ASA can yield multiple extra-cardiovascular therapeutic potencies in facing neurodegenerative disorders, various cancers, inflammatory responses, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In this review, we aimed to highlight the proven role of ASA administration in the variety of non-cardiovascular diseases, particularly in the field of anesthesiology.

Context: The safety and efficacy of several repurposed drugs, including hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, with or without azithromycin, were presumed to be miraculous in treating patients with COVID-19. However, as it later transpired, these therapeutic agents seem to be associated with critical adverse cardiac events. Objectives: Given the skepticism around the advantages and disadvantages of the aforementioned treatment strategies, the present study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and cardiac toxicity of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without azithromycin in the setting of COVID-19 infection. Method: This was an umbrella review conducted on patients with COVID-19 who received hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without azithromycin from January 2020 to November 2020. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Embase databases. Results: Three studies (systematic review and meta-analysis) were analyzed to evaluate the arrhythmogenic potential of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without azithromycin in patients with COVID-19 and identify the clinical efficacy of such a combination. Conclusions: We found no benefit for patients with COVID-19 who received hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine alone or in combination with azithromycin. Moreover, it is noteworthy that these medications, particularly when considering co-administration, could result in both statistically and clinically elevated risks of notorious arrhythmias, such as TdP.

Background: The current study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of mortality in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) through the emergency department and based on Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA), National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and NEWS2 criteria. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, all patients referred to the emergency department with a need of admission to ICU for any reason, were evaluated. Demographic data such as age and sex were recorded for data collection. Also, the main diagnosis, length of stay and hospitalization outcome along with data related to qSOFA, NEWS and NEWS2 indices were included in the researcher's checklist. Results: Of 89 included patients, 52 (58.4%) were male and 37 (41.6%) were female, with mean age of 60.25±20.8. Our findings indicated that qSOFA is a good predictor for mortality in non-traumatic patients so that qSOFA has 48% sensitivity and 100% specificity in the diagnosis of mortality in non-trauma patients. NEWS also has a sensitivity of 72% and a specificity of 71.4% in the diagnosis of non-traumatic mortality. And NEWS2 has 72% sensitivity and 78.6% specificity in non-traumatic mortality diagnosis. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that the sensitivity and specificity of qSOFA, NEWS and NEWS2 in predicting the mortality of non-traumatic patients who were admitted in emergency departments and hospitalized in ICU, are high and reliablen.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global public health problem. Pain is one of the most generally experienced symptoms by CKD patients. Pain management is a key clinical activity; nonetheless, insufficient pain management by health professionals keeps it up. Opioids as pain relievers are a class of naturally-derived and synthetic medications. They act through interactions with receptors in peripheral nerves. Numerous pharmacokinetic alterations happen with aging that influence drug disposition, metabolism, and quality of life. Acetaminophen alone, or combined with low-potency opioid dose is regarded as the safest pain-relieving choice for CKD. Morphine and codeine are probably eluded in renal impairment patients and used with excessive carefulness. Tramadol, oxycodone, and hydromorphone can be used by patient monitoring, while methadone, transdermal fentanyl, and buprenorphine seem to be safe to use in older non-dialysis patients with renal impairment. Consistent with the available literature, the main aim of this review was to explore the occurrence of chronic pain and its opioid treatment in CKD patients. According to this review, more and well-made randomized controlled trials are necessary to find appropriate opioid doses and explore the occurrence of side effects.

Background: Nasogastric tube (NGT) insertion is one of the most common procedures in the Emergency Department (EDs). Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the ease of NGT installation using the conventional method and the SORT method. Methods: We conducted a randomized clinical trial in a university hospital on 200 patients who required NGT insertion during Mar-Sep, 2019. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 100 patients each, receiving the SORT and conventional methods. Finally, the feasibility of NGT insertion was examined in the two groups using the frequency of NGT insertion attempts, pain during insertion (based on the VAS score of 1 - 10), patient satisfaction with the procedure (rating of 1 - 10), and incidence of complications. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, body mass index, sex, and history of NGT use. However, the mean patient satisfaction score was higher (P < 0.05), whereas the mean pain score was lower (P < 0.05) in the group receiving the conventional method compared to the other group. Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference in complications (P > 0.05). Conclusions: The study showed that using the conventional method in comparison with the SORT method was significantly better for NGT insertion in conscious patients in terms of patient satisfaction and pain relief. Therefore, it is recommended not to use the SORT method in conscious patients.

Objectives In the present study, we sought to investigate the association between red cell distribution width (RDW) and stroke severity and outcome in patients who underwent anti-thrombolytic therapy with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Results In this prospective study, 282 stroke patients who underwent tPA injection were included. The categorization of RDW to 13% values revealed insignificant difference in stroke severity score, accounting for the mean 36-h NIHSS of 8.19 ± 8.2 in normal RDW values and 9.94 ± 8.28in higher RDW group (p = 0.64). In seventh day, NIHSS was 6.46 ± 7.28 in normal RDW group and was 8.52 ± 8.35 in increased RDW group (p = 0.058). Neither the 36-h, nor the seventh day and 3-month mRS demonstrated significant difference between those with normal and higher RDW values.

Objective: Fluid overload is an independent marker for mortality in critically ill patients. Assessment of fluid status and fluid responsiveness is crucial for the management of these patients. In this study, we compared the lactate level, inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter and non-invasive cardiac output (CO) monitoring in prediction of mortality in emergency department. Methods: This was a cross sectional observational study which comprised of 68 patients and was performed in ED of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from Sept 2016 until Sept 2017. IVC diameter was measured before the P-wave on ECG to avoid interference with a-wave and v-wave on the venous pressure curve, and during maximal inspiration and expiration to avoid Valsalva-like maneuvers. An arterial lactate sample was taken from all patients before performing the initial resuscitation. All patients underwent non-invasive CO monitoring by CO2 rebreathing technique. Mortality was noted on day 28. Results: Deceased patients had a significantly low level of IVC diameters, less CO values and more lactate levels. However, based on ROC curve analysis, the prediction accuracy and validity of both CO values obtained by rebreathing CO2 and IVC diameter was poor and the highest accuracy was obtained by lactate level assessment. Conclusion: Initial lactate value is a reliable parameter for prediction of mortality in non-traumatic critically ill patients. IVC diameter changes during spontaneous ventilation and non-invasive CO monitoring does not possess acceptable accuracy for prediction of mortality in these patients. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2032 How to cite this:Shahsavarinia K, Taqizadieh A, Moharramzadeh P, Amirchoupani R, Mahmoodpoor A. Comparison of cardiac output, IVC diameters and lactate levels in prediction of mortality in patients in emergency department; An observational study. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(4):788-792. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2032 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Objective: The third international consensus definition for sepsis and septic shock (sepsis 3) task force recently introduced qSOFA (quick sequential organ failure assessment) as a score for detection of patients at risk of sepsis outside of intensive care units. We performed this study to evaluate the validity of qSOFA for early detection and risk stratification of septic patients in emergency department. Methods: We conducted this study in an emergency department of the largest university affiliated hospital in northwest of Iran from Sept 2015 to Sept 2016. One hundred and forty patients who were SIRS positive with a suspected infection without alternative diagnosis and a microbiological proven infection were enrolled in this study. qSOFA was calculated for each patient and correlated with sepsis grades and mortality. Results: From 140 patients 84 (60%) had positive qSOFA score and 56 (40%) patients had negative qSOFA score. Our results showed that near half of patients with positive qSOFA expired during their stay in hospital while this was about 5% for patients with negative qSOFA. ROC curve of study regarding prediction of outcome with qSOFA showed an area under curve of 0.59. (P value: 0.04). Time spent to sepsis detection was 16 minutes shorter with qSOFA score compared to SIRS criteria in this study. Conclusion: In patients with suspected sepsis, qSOFA has acceptable value for risk stratification of severity, multi organ failure and mortality. It seems that education of medical staff and frequent screening of patients for warning signs can help to increase the value of qSOFA in prediction of mortality in critically ill septic patients. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2031 How to cite this:Shahsavarinia K, Moharramzadeh P, Arvanagi RJ, Mahmoodpoor A. qSOFA score for prediction of sepsis outcome in emergency department. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(4):668-672. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.4.2031 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Introduction: Infectious diseases have threatened human health throughout the history. One way of transmission of such diseases is exposing to the needle sticks. The present study was carried out aiming to introduce and investigate risk factors related to needle sticks and ways of prevention of infectious diseases related to needle stick among health care staff. Methods: Searching key words including needle sticks, occupational injuries, occupational exposures (OEs) and infectious diseases, the researchers undertook a comprehensive investigation regardless of publication year of the reviewed articles in references including, Medline, CINAHL, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Then the collected articles were scrutinized and processed. Results: Dealing with needle sticks can transmit more than 20 types of pathogens including Hepatitis B, C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Among health care staff, nurses are more vulnerable compared to others. Conclusion: Exposure to blood and other risky body liquids is a serious risk factor among health care workers. Training medical staff, establishing reporting systems, changing high risk behaviors and vaccination can play an important role in prevention of the infectious diseases.

Background: Intravascular volume is the most important factor in determining patients' hemodynamic status. This present study aimed to assay the predictive value of aorta artery diameter and inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter in trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 69 trauma patients who referred to Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz. Inclusion criteria were all trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock. Patients with diseases such as liver disease,cardiovascular,coronary heart disease and concurrent dehydration were excluded. Odds ratios and Adjusted odds ratios for the risk of events were obtained using cumulative logit ordinal regression model with version 15 of Stata software. Results: There were 58 men (84/1%) and 11 women (15/9%) with an average age of 36.4±12.4 year. Findings showed that for one unit increase in the diameter of the aorta by controlling the effect of other variables, the odds of mortality decreased for 2% compared with hospitalization in ward or intensive care unit (ICU). The reduction was also statistically significant (P=0.037). Furthermore, by modifying the effect of other variables, one unit increase in the diameter of IVC during inhale and exhale, increases the odds of hospitalization in ward or ICU. Conclusion: This study showed that the diameter of the aorta and also the diameter of IVC during inhale and exhale can be used to predict the outcome of trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock and eventually to take steps for emergent and effective treatment.

Objective: Scorpion is one of the world’s most venomous arthropods and every year many people are bitten by it. In Iran, scorpion sting is a common health issue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical status of patients with scorpion sting in the emergency department of Sina hospital in 2014. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all patients with a history of scorpion sting during 2014 in the emergency department of Sina hospital in Tabriz entered the study. Required information such as sex, age, location and time of the sting, the patient’s symptoms, etc were extracted from the medical records. These findings were analyzed using SPSS version 15. Results: Based on our results, 47.2% of patients were male. The mean ± SD of their age was 35.63 ± 18.87. Of 176 patients, 83% lived in urban areas, 87% of scorpion sting cases occurred in houses, and 81.3% of stings were done by yellow scorpion. Most of the bites were in upper extremities (47.2%). In evaluation of symptoms and signs of patients, 89.8% had pain, 48.8% had local erythema and redness, 21% had inflation of sting position and 0.6% had pulmonary symptoms. Conclusion: Scorpion stings are more common in young people as they are more active. Scorpion stings occur more frequently during the night and in the summer. In our study, most of scorpion stings occurred in houses.

Introduction: The analysis of causes of death in the hospital and identification and dealing with the causes of death, in one of the best strategies to increase longevity. This study, with the aim of better understanding of the causes of death and by taking into account all hospital wards, describes the causes of hospital mortality occurred in Sina educational and clinical hospital of Tabriz, in order to investigate demographic ,clinical and cause of death variables for each disease separately. Method: This study is done by the sectional descriptive method in 2018 in Sina educational and clinical hospital of Tabriz. This hospital is the most important center for admissions of poisoning and burns in the North West of Iran. For this purpose, after obtaining a license, records of all patients who are admitted to hospital since 21 March 2018 until 19 March 2019, were extracted from the archives center in an elective and emergency form. Demographic and clinical variables were extracted from records and recorded in the questionnaire. The sample in counting the mortality occurred during one year was 626 cases according to documentations, that 88 cases were eliminated from study due to containing incomplete information. The data were analyzed by descriptive tests and SPSS18. Findings: The mortality rate in this study was 1%. 56.5% of those who died were male. Most deaths occurred among patients of over 75 years old. Among the under-15 age group the highest mortality rate were for burns. The most common causes of mortality, were, respectively, burns (19.33%), cancer (16.86%), and infectious disease (16.57%) .Most deaths occurred in the special wards. In 61%, chronic and underlying diseases are reported. Conclusion: Since this hospital is the largest and most important teaching hospitals for burns, in the province, the most common causes of death in this study are result of burns. The high percentage of deaths from burns in children and young people shows the importance of informing the dangers of burn for preventing the occurrence of burns and control its effects.

Introduction: AThe aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization in the health care workers of emergency department of Imam Reza hospital, Tabriz, Iran Methods: In a total of 63 physicians and nurses in the emergency department of Imam Reza hospital, after obtaining written consent and completing a checklist, a sample of nasal mucosa was collected for microbiological examination and isolation of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) strain. Determination of resistance patterns (by diffusion method) was performed according to the standard methods of methicillin. Results: Out of 63 participants, 8 subjects (12.7%) had colonization of S. aureus; 4 of them were physicians (17.3% of the participated physicians) and 4 were nurses (10% of the participated nurses). Out of 8 isolated SA, 2 cases (25%) and overall 3.1% were methicillin-resistant. In our study, there was a significant relationship between co-employment in other hospitals and patient care at home with SA colonization, but there was not a significant relationship with specialty, work experience, sinusitis, history of antibiotic use, history of skin disease, hand washing habits and use of personal protective equipment. Conclusion: Prevalence of MRSA was not high among health workers of emergency department.

Background: Intubation and maintaining airway are crucial in the management of critically ill patients in the emergency department. Correct tracheal intubation should be confirmed by the physician, otherwise oesophageal intubation could lead to hypoxia with detrimental consequences and even death. Sonography can be used to determine proper placement of the tracheal tube. Methods: In this study, 75 patients, with an indication of intubation and age older than 18 years entered the study. An emergency medicine performed real-time sonography of the trachea to evaluate the correct placement of endotracheal tube. Tube passage (snowstorm) and vocal cord angel widening (bullet sign) were evaluated, and then both lungs sliding and diaphragm movement were evaluated to confirm correct tube placement and ventilation. Results: In this study, 75 patients entered the study. The mean age of the patients was 61.12; 47 patients (62.7%) were male and 28 (37.3%) were female. The reason of intubation was the decreased level of consciousness in 22 cases (29.3%), cardiopulmonary arrest in 22 patients (29.3%), respiratory distress in 9 patients (12%), shock in 10 patients (13.3%), and seizure in 1 case. Snowstorm sign was seen in 72 patients (96%). Bullet sign was objected in 24 cases (32%). Lung sliding was seen bilaterally in 63 patients (84%) and unilaterally in 7 patients (9.3 %), but it was not noticed in 6.7% of the patients (5 patients). Conclusions: Transverse tracheal and lung sonography in the emergency department can be a fast measure to confirm correct endotracheal intubation.

Background The increasing gap between organ supply and demand remains a worldwide problem and can be attributed to several reasons. Because health care workers play an important role in management of brain dead patients, we performed a survey to evaluate the attitude and knowledge of personnel in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences hospitals toward organ donation. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was included personnel from 8 university affiliated ICUs in Northwest of Iran from May to July 2014. The questionnaire included parts of demographic data and socioeconomic situations as well as status of knowledge and attitude of personnel regarding organ donation. Results Gender, age, marital status, and type of department in which personnel work did not affect attitude toward organ donation. The most common reasons for disagreement for organ donation were religious considerations, fear of surgery, and body mutilation. Nurses have a better acceptance rate than assistants and nonmedical personnel. Conclusions Increasing the knowledge of health care workers in ICUs has strong impact on transplantation rate. The most important thing that should be clarified for this group is the concept of brain death to achieve a multidisciplinary team that believes in organ donation and transplantation.