Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to global healthcare systems. As the pandemic unfolded, it became evident that certain groups of individuals were at an elevated risk of experie...Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to global healthcare systems. As the pandemic unfolded, it became evident that certain groups of individuals were at an elevated risk of experiencing severe disease outcomes. Among these high-risk groups, individuals with pre-existing cardiac conditions emerged as particularly vulnerable. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the length of stay, mortality, and costs of COVID-19 patients with and without a history of cardiac disease. Design: This retrospective study was conducted in Jam Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from March 21, 2021, to March 21, 2022. All patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized during this period were included. Results: A total of 500 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, with 31.6% having a history of cardiac disease and 68.4% without any cardiac disease. Patients with cardiac disease were significantly older (median [range] age, 69.35 [37 - 94] years) compared to non-cardiac patients (54.95 [13 - 97] years) (p Conclusion: Patients with cardiac disease who are hospitalized with COVID-19 have a higher mortality rate, longer hospital stays, greater disease severity, ICU admission, and higher costs. Therefore, improved prevention and management strategies are crucial for these patients.展开更多
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most important hospital infections in hospitalized patients, which is associated with increased mortality and patient costs. The tracheal tube itself seems to be a m...Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most important hospital infections in hospitalized patients, which is associated with increased mortality and patient costs. The tracheal tube itself seems to be a major risk factor for VAP. Contaminated secretions pass through the endotracheal tube and reach the lungs. Also, bacteria form a bacterial biofilm on the tracheal tube and are transferred from there to the lungs. Different tracheal tube designs have been produced to overcome these cases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of an Evac tracheal tube covered with antibiotics and normal on the incidence of pneumonia caused by the ventilator. Research method: 180 patients were randomly intubated in three groups of 60 people with three types of tracheal tubes, Evac and Bactiguard. Clinical examinations, endotracheal tube aspiration culture, and chest radiography were obtained from the patients and the incidence of VAP was calculated based on the CPIS standard. The relationship between the type of endotracheal tube and the incidence of VAP and the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and being discharged alive from the ICU were investigated. Findings and conclusions: The average incidence of VAP for the group of patients intubated with a conventional tracheal tube was 50%, EVAC was 45% and Bactiguard was 40%. The results showed that there is no significant relationship between the incidence of ventilator-induced pneumonia and the type of tracheal tube. The incidence of ventilator-induced pneumonia was not significantly reduced by suctioning subglottic secretions and Bactiguard tracheal tubes. It seems that using one method alone is not effective in reducing ventilator-induced pneumonia.展开更多
Possible strategies to reduce radiation dose during CT scanning have been investigated over recent decades;here the optimization of the tube current and its link with patient’s cancer incidence are being evaluated. 1...Possible strategies to reduce radiation dose during CT scanning have been investigated over recent decades;here the optimization of the tube current and its link with patient’s cancer incidence are being evaluated. 154 consecutive trauma patients with the need for chest CT scan were included. Two different BMI-adjusted CT protocols at a fixed voltage tube and the same scan length were applied. Dose estimation parameters like CT dose index (CTDI), dose length product (DLP) and effective breast dose were calculated. Breast surface dose was obtained by using thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) and eventually, the life attributable risk (LAR) of cancer incidence was estimated. The mean effective dose was 4.87 ± 2.3 mSv and 5.12 ± 2.8 mSv for patients who were scanned with tube currents of 120 mAs and 200 mAs, respectively. There was no significant difference between organ surface doses for females but in males it was notable. The risk of cancer incidence is lower for protocol 1 in comparison with protocol 2. Optimizing tube current of 120 mAs reduced breast surface dose up to 50% in comparison with the tube current of 200 mAs. In trauma patients, using lower tube current based on BMI has notable impact on the absorbed dose in the breast and can reduce the breast cancer risk by nearly 33.6% for women.展开更多
文摘Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to global healthcare systems. As the pandemic unfolded, it became evident that certain groups of individuals were at an elevated risk of experiencing severe disease outcomes. Among these high-risk groups, individuals with pre-existing cardiac conditions emerged as particularly vulnerable. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the length of stay, mortality, and costs of COVID-19 patients with and without a history of cardiac disease. Design: This retrospective study was conducted in Jam Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from March 21, 2021, to March 21, 2022. All patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were hospitalized during this period were included. Results: A total of 500 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized, with 31.6% having a history of cardiac disease and 68.4% without any cardiac disease. Patients with cardiac disease were significantly older (median [range] age, 69.35 [37 - 94] years) compared to non-cardiac patients (54.95 [13 - 97] years) (p Conclusion: Patients with cardiac disease who are hospitalized with COVID-19 have a higher mortality rate, longer hospital stays, greater disease severity, ICU admission, and higher costs. Therefore, improved prevention and management strategies are crucial for these patients.
文摘Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the most important hospital infections in hospitalized patients, which is associated with increased mortality and patient costs. The tracheal tube itself seems to be a major risk factor for VAP. Contaminated secretions pass through the endotracheal tube and reach the lungs. Also, bacteria form a bacterial biofilm on the tracheal tube and are transferred from there to the lungs. Different tracheal tube designs have been produced to overcome these cases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of an Evac tracheal tube covered with antibiotics and normal on the incidence of pneumonia caused by the ventilator. Research method: 180 patients were randomly intubated in three groups of 60 people with three types of tracheal tubes, Evac and Bactiguard. Clinical examinations, endotracheal tube aspiration culture, and chest radiography were obtained from the patients and the incidence of VAP was calculated based on the CPIS standard. The relationship between the type of endotracheal tube and the incidence of VAP and the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and being discharged alive from the ICU were investigated. Findings and conclusions: The average incidence of VAP for the group of patients intubated with a conventional tracheal tube was 50%, EVAC was 45% and Bactiguard was 40%. The results showed that there is no significant relationship between the incidence of ventilator-induced pneumonia and the type of tracheal tube. The incidence of ventilator-induced pneumonia was not significantly reduced by suctioning subglottic secretions and Bactiguard tracheal tubes. It seems that using one method alone is not effective in reducing ventilator-induced pneumonia.
文摘Possible strategies to reduce radiation dose during CT scanning have been investigated over recent decades;here the optimization of the tube current and its link with patient’s cancer incidence are being evaluated. 154 consecutive trauma patients with the need for chest CT scan were included. Two different BMI-adjusted CT protocols at a fixed voltage tube and the same scan length were applied. Dose estimation parameters like CT dose index (CTDI), dose length product (DLP) and effective breast dose were calculated. Breast surface dose was obtained by using thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLDs) and eventually, the life attributable risk (LAR) of cancer incidence was estimated. The mean effective dose was 4.87 ± 2.3 mSv and 5.12 ± 2.8 mSv for patients who were scanned with tube currents of 120 mAs and 200 mAs, respectively. There was no significant difference between organ surface doses for females but in males it was notable. The risk of cancer incidence is lower for protocol 1 in comparison with protocol 2. Optimizing tube current of 120 mAs reduced breast surface dose up to 50% in comparison with the tube current of 200 mAs. In trauma patients, using lower tube current based on BMI has notable impact on the absorbed dose in the breast and can reduce the breast cancer risk by nearly 33.6% for women.