Navid Shafigh; Morteza Hasheminik; Somayeh Setoudeh; Haleh Alipour; Batoul Khoundabi; Zahra Molla Mohammad Alian Mehrizi; Seyed MohammadReza Hashemian
Volume 25, Issue 11 , 2023
Abstract
Background: The Arbaeen foot-pilgrimage in the Holy City of Karbala is one of the world's most significant religious events, attracting millions of pilgrims yearly. Health and hygienic issues in this gathering have always been a cause of concern for the communities involved.
Objectives: The study aimed ...
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Background: The Arbaeen foot-pilgrimage in the Holy City of Karbala is one of the world's most significant religious events, attracting millions of pilgrims yearly. Health and hygienic issues in this gathering have always been a cause of concern for the communities involved.
Objectives: The study aimed to examine the challenges Ehsan Field Hospital faced in the Arbaeen of 2022 and its approach to providing services to referring pilgrims.
Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study with a 10-day interval conducted on 19,800 patients referred to Ehsan Field Hospital between the 9th and 19th of September, 2022. The research tool was a two-part checklist; the first part included the patients demographic information, and the second part included information about the disease (e.g., laboratory information, the disease symptoms, and the disease diagnosis). The SPSS software (version 26) was used for data analysis. Moreover, a brief qualitative investigation based on the experiences of the personnel working on-site was conducted to assess the challenges and their solutions in this foot-pilgrimage.Results: A total of 13,860 (70%) patients were male, 5,940 (30%) were female, and the majority of them were between the ages of 25-55 (63.8%). Most hospitalizations (58.5%) were related to problems caused by gastroenteritis.
Conclusion: Considering the importance of people's health and hygiene in gatherings similar to Arbaeen, the necessity of building and operating field hospitals and mobile treatment camps for serving people is crucial, starting a few days before and continuing after the gathering. Furthermore, universities of medical sciences can provide a platform to facilitate and carry out valid research projects and studies to clarify the health and treatment problems dealt with during the Arbaeen foot-pilgrimage. Furthermore, they can provide practical and efficient solutions to improve the level of health and hygiene.
Neda Behzadnia; Zargham Hossein Ahmadi; Mandana Chitsazan; Payam Tabarsi; Hamidreza Jamaati; Alireza Bahadorbeigi; Seyed MohammadReza Hashemian
Volume 23, Issue 1 , 2021
Abstract
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a relatively rare disease but with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Vancomycin and teicoplanin are bacteriostatic glycopeptide antibiotics used for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
Objectives: ...
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Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a relatively rare disease but with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. Vancomycin and teicoplanin are bacteriostatic glycopeptide antibiotics used for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.
Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the efficacy and adverse effects of vancomycin and teicoplanin in the treatment of patients with MRSA-IE.
Methods: This parallel, randomized, and controlled trial study was carried out on the efficacy and safety of teicoplanin versus vancomycin in the treatment of MRSA endocarditis within August 2012 and April 2017. The present study recruited adult patients with a definite or possible diagnosis of IE based on the Modified Duke Criteria. Vancomycin was intravenously administered at a dose of 30 mg/kg/day in two doses. Teicoplanin was administered at a loading dose of 6-12 mg/kg every 12 h in four doses and then continued once a day.
Results: Out of 86 patients with suspected IE, 66 patients were randomly assigned to the vancomycin (n=33) and teicoplanin (n=33) groups. The mean age values of the study subjects were 41±11.8 and 39±13.1 years in the vancomycin and teicoplanin groups, respectively. In addition, 27 patients (81.8%) in the vancomycin group met the criteria for microbiological cure, compared to 25 subjects (89.3%) in the teicoplanin group. In this regard, the observed difference was not statistically significant (P=0.41). Overall, the patients in the vancomycin group experienced more adverse events in comparison to those of the teicoplanin group (P=0.04). The rate of acute kidney injury over time, especially in the first week of therapy, was higher in the vancomycin group than that reported for the teicoplanin group (P=0.05).
Conclusion: It was concluded that the administration of vancomycin or teicoplanin does not significantly change the outcome of patients undergoing empirical treatment for MRSA-IE.
