Background: Fabrication work is one of the hazardous occupations in which workers are exposed to different occupational hazards and injuries. But the workers lack proper knowledge about protecting themselves from those hazards. This study was conducted, to assess knowledge about occupational health hazards among fabrication workers and to find out the practice of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in fabrication works. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 394 fabricator workers of Kathmandu District by using a multi-stage sampling technique. Participants were interviewed with a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Results: All the participants were male, and their age ranged from 19-60 years with the mean age of 32.3 years. 71.3% of participants had work-related health complains, among which arc eye (85.76%) was the most common. Among them, 87.1% had at least used one PPE. There was a significant association between awareness about occupational hazards and work experience of fabrication workers (p=0.001), and the practice of PPE with religion (p<0.01). Conclusions: This study found that fabrication workers were aware of occupational hazards and the use of PPE during the fabrication work. But the practice of PPE was not enough to protect them from the occupational hazards.

Background and Aims: Central venous cannulation is a common procedure in intensive care unit. Use of ultrasound guidance can decrease complications and increase successful cannulations. Methods: Patients who underwent ultrasound guided central venous cannulation over a duration of one year, in a single center, were analyzed retrospectively. Results: A total of 101 patients were analyzed. Internal jugular vein was cannulated in 84 (83.2%) and femoral vein was cannulated in 17 (16.8%) patients. Cannulation was successful in all cases. Elective cannulation was performed in 80 (79.2%) of patients and emergency cannulation was performed in 21 (20.8%) patients. Platelet count was less than 50000/cu mm in 30 (29.7%) patients and prothrombin time was more than 13 seconds in 84 (83.2%) patients. Cannulation was successfully performed in first attempt in 99 (98%) patients. None of the patients had arterial puncture, major bleeding, pneumothorax, arrhythmias or catheter malposition. One patient developed hematoma at the catheter insertion site. Conclusions: When performed by an experienced operator, ultrasound guidance can enhance safety and improve success for central venous cannulation.

Background: Cardiac arrest is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. In out-of-hospital setting, early recognition of cardiac arrest and bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves both the chance of survival and quality of life. Objectives: The study aimed to explore awareness regarding cardiac arrest and knowledge of CPR among visitors of patients at a tertiary level hospital. Design: Cross sectional study. Method: The validated and tested self-administered questionnaire were distributed among 394 visitors of the patients admitted at Alka Hospital Pvt. Ltd, Lalitpur, Nepal. Results: Our study demonstrated that 221 (56.1%) of the respondents have knowledge regarding CPR and 201 (51.0%) of respondents have awareness about cardiac arrest through medias (37.8%) like movies and television. We found a significant difference among age group, occupation and geographical location regarding awareness of cardiac arrest. People with greater age and education knew better about cardiac arrest. There was, however, no significant difference amongst groups regarding knowledge of CPR. Very little respondents have heard about automated external defibrillators (AED). Conclusions: There is paucity in knowledge of cardiac arrest and CPR among respondents. Similarly, there is a general lack of knowledge regarding AED. Effective programs to raise the awareness of cardiac arrest and knowledge of CPR needs to be undertaken at the community level to reinforce bystander-initiated CPR and potentially save lives in the scenario of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Bangladesh Crit Care J September 2022; 10(2): 82-87

Background: Hand hygiene is one of the most effective preventive measures in the transmission of infection. Proper hand hygiene strategies in health care facilities can reduce nosocomial infections and antimicrobial resistance. Objectives: This study aims to assess the baseline hand hygiene skills among health care workers and the impact of education and training on it. Design: Interventional cross-sectional single center study. Method: It was conducted among 181 health care workers of Alka Hospital Pvt. Ltd. During both pre and post-test, participants were asked to perform hand hygiene with soap and water as per WHO guidelines. Pretest was conducted to assess baseline skills of health care workers regarding hand hygiene. An observer would score whether each of the steps were performed correctly, using a checklist. It was followed by intervention in the form of training, education and demonstration of hand hygiene. Post-test was conducted to assess the changes in skills after intervention. Results: There was an overall improvement in the hand washing skills post intervention indicated by an increase in median score, which was 8 for pre-intervention and 9 for post-intervention. Doctors and nurses had better practice regarding hand hygiene in comparison to other participants. Those participants who had prior training on infection prevention and control, were found to have better hand hygiene skills post-intervention. Conclusion: Training and educational interventions are the effective tools to improve hand hygiene skills of the health care workers. Performing such interventions at regular intervals can be helpful. Bangladesh Crit Care J March 2021; 9(1): 12-15