Background: The critically ill patient is at risk of developing intensive care acquired infection, with the lungs being especially vulnerable. Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) occurring after two days of mechanical ventilation and it is the most nosocomial infection seen in the intensive care unit .The establishment of an accurate diagnosis of ventilator associated pneumonia remains problematic and yet there is still no accepted "gold standard" for the diagnosis.
Patients& Methods: This is a cross section study for 328 patients admitted to intensive care unit at medical city teaching hospital. Full history, physical examination and investigation were done after 48 hours of admission according to clinical pulmonary infection score using clinical criteria (body temperature, WBC count, oxygenation, chest radiography and tracheal aspiration).Arterial blood gases were taken for all patients.
Results: 40 patients developed ventilation associated pneumonia out of 328 patients (12.19%) treated intensive care unit. Most patients who developed pneumonia were at extreme of age and there was no association between the disease and gender. The presence of risk factors like invasive mechanical ventilation (97.5%) nasogastric intubation (90%), tracheostomy (75%), post-operative (30%),insertion of urinary catheter (75%) unconscious patients (57.5%) and vomiting (27.5%) were found as an important risk factors .Gram negative bacteria was the most frequently observed especially pseudomonas aeruginosa (40%) klebsiella (15%)..
Conclusion: ventilator associated pneumonia is an important cause of mortality. The clinical pulmonary infection score was found to be the reliable method for diagnosis of ventilator associated pneumonia. There is general agreement that rapid initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy will improve the outcome.
Background: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction that results in fluctuating muscle weakness as well as significant fatigue. Disease exacerbation is a critical condition, and the predisposing factors for it need to be identified to improve preventive measures.
Objectives: Our study aims to determine the predisposing factors for myasthenia gravis exacerbations in a group of Iraqi patients.
Subjects and Methods: A total number of 30 myasthenia gravis patients were admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of their symptoms, determined as the development of functional disability, dysphagia, or respiratory fai
... Show MoreBackground: Outcome of management of patients with diabetic foot is difficult to predict. Assessment of variables in history , examination and investigations were analyzed with outcome of management and whether can be assigned as prognostic factors .
Methods: prospective study of 300 patients with diabetic foot in Baghdad teaching hospital during the period from April 2000 to March 2004,certain criteria was taken in history and examination, these were investigated and treated either by conservative procedure or amputation.
Results: most common age group was 50-59 years ( 33.3%). The male to female ratio was 2:1. Conservative debridement was performed in ( 60%) of patients while amputation was employed in&nb
To find out the impact of maternal risk factors on the outcome of pregnancy in Baghdad city. A descriptive purposive study was carried out on 100 postpartum women who had delivered for 1 hr. to 24 hrs. ago . the study sample was selected from three hospitals in Baghdad city ( Baghdad teaching hospital ,Fatima Al-Zahra'a maternity and pediatric teaching hospital and Al-Yarmook teaching hospital),during the period from 25 Jan. to 25 Feb. 2006. The data were collected through the use of questionnaire format reviewing pregnants' records and personal interview and were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistical approaches. The finding revealed that maternal pregnancy complications had weak effects on pregnancy outcome , while mate
... Show MoreObjective: to assess the risk factors of coronary artery disease patients.
Methodology: A non-probability (purposive) sample of (100) patients. The study population consisted of
a sample of adults from both genders whose ages were 30 years and more, and was newly diagnosed as
having CAD by coronary angiography in the cardiac catheterization unit of An Nasiriyah heart center.
Results: The result of the study showed that the most common modifiable risk factors were low HDL-C
levels (58%), smoking (53%), hypertension (46%), diabetes mellitus (34%), obesity (30%), high
triglycerides (19%), hypercholesterolemia (17%), and high LDLC (14%). All these factors were positively
and significantly associated with the development
The life on earth is driven by energy, supplied by the tiny organelles of the cell called mitochondria and they are usually stated as the powerhouses of the cell. In population genetics, Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is used extensively to categorize individuals or populations. The mutation sites observed in human mtDNA by comparing with the reference sequence (rCRS) are termed into definite human mtDNA haplogroups. Previous studies showed that mtDNA specific haplogroups and polymorphisms were established to be linked with various human diseases, including cancer in numerous populations. Furthermore, it is also known that several mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms are implicated in enhanced production of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS
... Show MoreBackground: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis show predominance of metabolic disorder characterized by overweight, central obesity, dyslipidemia, and impaired glucose tolerance, specifically, few studies have explained insulin resistance in this disease.
Objective: The aim of the present study is to examine insulin resistance and the risk of developing diabetes mellitus in middle age Iraqi women with early rheumatoid arthritis.
Patients and methods: This work involved seventy female with early rheumatoid arthritis. Who was attending to the National Diabetic Center (NDC) of Al-Mustansiriya University and 35 healthy subjects as a control group. From all subjects blood sample was drawn in fasting state to measure the biochemical para
Background: Diabetic retinopathy is an important complication of diabetes mellitus. It is supposed that elevated sialic acid in diabetes mellitus plays an important role in diabetic retinopathy. This study investigated serum total sialic acid levels related to glycemic control, blood pressure, retinopathy, and serum lipid level in diabetic retinopathy patients.
Patients & Methods: Type 2 diabetic patients aged (56.47±10.68) years were recruited for the study. Fasting venous blood samples were collected from 132 diabetic subjects of whom 79 without retinopathy and 53 were diabetic with retinopathy. All the blood samples were processed for serum total sialic acid (TSA), fasting serum glucose (FSG), HbA
Background: Exposure to Contrast media is the third leading cause of hospital acquired acute kidney injury. It follows a predictable time of onset and a less predictable scenario in recovery. This is related to certain factors, but at the end there will be asubstantial association with increased mortality, morbidity, and length of hospitalization.
Objectives: To define the Incidence of persistent contrast induced renal impairment a month after angiography and to define the risk factors for such persistence
Patients and Methods: One hundred and one patients (101) were enrolled in this study. All were referred to the Iraqi Center for Heart Diseases in Baghdad/ Iraq for coronary and/or peripheral vascular angi
The aim of the study is to assess the risk factors which lead to myocardial infarction and relation to some variables. The filed study was carried out from the 1st of April to the end of Sept. 2005. The Sample of the study consisted of (100) patients in lbn-Albeetar and Baghdad Teaching Hospital. The result of the study indicated the following; 45% of patients with age group (41-50) were more exposed to the disease and there is no significant difference was seen in the level of education, Martial status, weight and height. The result shows that there are significant difference in risk factors like hypertension, cholesterol level in blood and diabetes. When analyzed by T.test at level of P < 0.01 and there are significant difference in smoki
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