Introduction: Acute abdominal pain is a common condition presenting to both the emergency department and surgical admission unit. Increase in serum amylase levels are found in much gastrointestinal pathology. Serum amylase level is consistently high in acute pancreatitis though high values are not pathognomonic of pancreatitis .The aim of this study to assess the level of serum amylase in various diseases presenting with acute abdominal pain and to evaluate the role of routine measurement of serum amylase in the screening of patient with acute abdominal pain for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis in a prospective series. Methods: A prospective observational study was performed from 15th May 2014 – 15th Nov 2014 (6 months) at Department of Surgery of Kathmandu medical College Teaching Hospital; Kathmandu. All consecutive patients presented at emergency department and required admissions in surgical ward were included. A multivariate analysis was performed to assess the level of serum amylase in various diseases presenting with acute abdominal pain including acute pancreatitis. Results: Overall, 318 patients were included during a period of 6 months among them 48 patients were excluded. 34 cases (12.6 %) were diagnosed of acute pancreatitis. three cases (1.1%) of non pancreatic pathology with raised serum amylase level (> 1000 U\L). Conclusions: Routine assessment of serum amylase is helpful in excluding differential diagnosis of patient presenting with acute abdomen and this study identified serum amylase as a good screening tool if done in cases with clinical suspicion.  Keywords: acute abdominal pain; acute pancreatitis; serum amylase.

Introduction: Central Venous Pressure is a valuable parameter in the management of critically ill surgical patients in the ICU. Non-invasive methods to extrapolate the volume status of the patient can aid clinicians in expediting proper treatment. The objective of this study is to find a correlation between Inferior Vena cava (IVC) diameter and collapsibility index (CI) with Central venous pressure (CVP) in critically ill surgical patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study included  60 critically ill patients from  September 2020 – 31st February 2021. We recorded the patient's age, sex, heart rate, blood pressure, CVP, volume status, IVC minimum, and maximum diameter. After taking consent and explaining the procedure to the patient, the maximum IVC anteroposterior diameter was noted at the end of inspiration and end of expiration in centimeters. IVC collapsibility index was calculated using the formula ([IVCdmax-IVCdmin]/IVCdmax*100%). Following this, the CVP of the patient was measured. Results: Among the patients evaluated, 32 were females. The mean age of the participants was 44.90 ± 15.76 years. The mean central venous pressure maintained was 11.10 ± 2.11cm H2O with an inferior vena cava collapsibility index of 29.69 ± 8.75. There was a negative correlation between CVP and IVC collapsibility index (%), which was statistically significant (r = -0.701, n = 60, p < 0.01). A strong positive correlation between CVP and maximum IVC diameter (r = 0.712, n = 60, p < 0.01) and minimum IVC diameter (r = 0.796, n = 60, p < 0.01) was found. Conclusion: Inferior Vena Cava diameter and IVC Collapsibility Index can be used as a reliable substitute to central venous pressure to determine the patient's volume status.

Introduction: The hand is a complex organ responsible for activities of daily living, making it susceptible to injuries and accidents. Hand injuries can result in significant functional impairment and it occurs in a younger productive age group. Therefore, it is important to understand the prevalence and patterns of hand injuries. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of hand injuries among patients visiting the emergency department of a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was in the Emergency Department of a dedicated trauma centre from 1 June 2022 to 31 August 2022. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (Reference number: 148412078179). Demographic profile, pattern, and mechanism of hand Injuries of all 96 consecutive patients were assessed after taking informed consent. Convenience sampling method was used. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 4679 patients visiting the emergency department of the trauma centre, hand injuries were seen in 96 (2.05 %) (1.64-2.46, 95% Confidence Interval). Conclusions: The prevalence of hand injuries was found to be lower than in other similar studies done in similar settings.