Context:Based on Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), head injury can be classified as minor (GCS 13–15), moderate (GCS 9–12), and severe (GCS 3–8). There is a lot of controversy in the use of computed tomography (CT) in head injury patients.Aims:This study was intended to estimate the rate of CT positivity in head injury patients and to define the criteria for doing CT in head injury patients.Settings and Design:This was a prospective observational study in the emergency department (ED) over a 12-month period. Subjects andMethods:Study involved all head injury patients attending ED. Risk factors studied were a loss of consciousness (LOC), vomiting, seizures, ear bleed, nosebleed, external injuries, and alcohol intoxication.Statistical Analysis Used:Comparison of CT positivity with the patient's demographics and clinical characteristics was carried out using Chi-square.Results:A total of 1782 patients were included in this study. Overall CT positivity was 50.9%. In minor head injury (MHI), CT positivity rate was 38%. The study showed significant association of CT positivity with five variables: LOC >5 min, vomiting, seizures, ear bleed, and nosebleed.Conclusions:From the study, we recommend following: CT is indicated in all patients with moderate and severe head injury (GCS ≤12). Low threshold for taking CT is advisable in elderly and alcohol-intoxicated patients. In MHI, CT is indicated if any one of the following risk factors are present: LOC >5 min, history of vomiting, history of seizures, history of ear bleed, and history of nosebleed.

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Background: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are very common adverse events in health care delivery settings. The use of electronic pharmacopeias can potentially reduce the incidence of DDIs, but they are often thought to be cumbersome to use. This study is aimed at studying the incidence of potential DDIs in a surgical department, where a limited number of drugs are used in stereotyped combinations. We also compared two popular drug compendia in detecting potential DDIs.Methods: The prescriptions of selected patients were entered into Epocrates® and Medscape® for Android smartphones. Potential DDIs were generated and their categories were noted. The warnings generated by Epocrates® were compared with those generated by Medscape® and an agreement index was calculated.Results: Three hundred and thirty-one patients were included for analysis who had received a total of 2,878 drug orders. The incidence of potential DDIs was very high - 89% of all prescriptions. Phenytoin was the drug most commonly implicated, followed by furosemide. Of the DDIs detected, 0.14% were potentially serious and the drug combinations were contraindicated. There was a significant discrepancy between the categories of potential DDIs detected by Epocrates® and Medscape®. No clinically significant DDI was detected in any patient in this cohort.Conclusions: Despite routinely using only a limited number of drugs in stereotyped combinations, prescriptions in surgical departments may not be immune from a significant incidence of DDIs. The use of free apps could reduce the incidence of DDIs, enhance patient safety, and also aid in educating trainees.

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Medulloblastoma is a fairly common neoplastic growth seen majorly in children, presenting as an intra-axial midline mass arising from the cerebellar vermis. However, its presentation as an extra-axial mass in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) is extremely rare, such that, only 39 cases have been reported in the world literature till 2016. Only one case has ever been reported of an extra-axial CPA medulloblastoma in an infant; who was aged 1 year. We present a case report of an 8-month-old infant, with an extra-axial CPA medulloblastoma and discuss its management strategy.