Background:Organophosphorus (OP) pesticide poisoning is a major clinical and public health problem in India. Mortality rate remains high at 15%–30%.Aims:This prospective, observational study examines the relationship between pseudocholinesterase (PChE) activity and morbidity and mortality in OP poisoning.Setting and Design:OP poisoning cases admitted to a tertiary care center Intensive Care Unit (ICU) over 5 years from 2010 to 2014 were studied.Methods:Patients <16 years of age, those on steroids and those with neuromuscular weakness, were excluded from the study. Serum PChE level at admission was estimated and the severity of poisoning assessed accordingly. Primary outcome measures were ICU length of stay and ventilator-free days. Secondary outcome measures included vasopressor-free days, amount of atropine given, hospital length of stay, and ICU mortality.Results:There were 37 patients included in the study, aged between 24 and 44 years, of which 65% were male. They were divided into two groups according to PChE levels. Group A with PChE levels more than 1000 IU/L had twenty patients and Group B with levels <1000 IU/L had 17 patients. Group B had longer ICU length of stay (P < 0.001) and fewer ventilator-free days (P < 0.001). They also had a fewer vasopressor-free days and a longer stay in hospital.Conclusions:PChE level at presentation is a reliable indicator of the severity of OP poisoning and a predictor of the need for mechanical ventilation and the duration of stay in the ICU.

Background: The use of the COVID-19 vaccines Vaxzevria from AstraZeneca and Covishield from Janssen has been associated with sporadic reports of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia, a complication referred to as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) or vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia. It presents commonly as cerebral sinus venous thrombosis (CSVT), within 4–30 days of vaccination. Females under 55 years of age are considered to be especially at high risk. Mortality up to 50% has been reported in some countries. Identification of early warning signs and symptoms with prompt medical intervention is crucial. Case Description: We report here a case of VITT in a young female who presented 11 days after receiving the first dose of the Covishield vaccine, with severe headache and hemiparesis. She was diagnosed with CSVT with a large intraparenchymal bleed, requiring decompressive craniectomy and extended period on mechanical ventilation. Conclusion: The patient was successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin and discharged after 19 days in ICU. Although she was left with long-term neurological deficits, an early presentation and a multidisciplinary approach to management contributed toward a relatively short stay in hospital and avoided mortality.

Background:Benefit of early enteral feeds in surgical patients admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) has been emphasized by several studies. Apprehensions about anastomotic leaks in gastrointestinal surgical patients prevent initiation of early enteral nutrition (EN). The impact of these practices on outcome in Indian scenario is less studied.Aims:This study compares the impact of early EN (within 48 h after surgery) with late EN (48 h postsurgery) on outcomes in abdominal surgical ICU patients.Settings and Design:Postabdominal surgery patients admitted to a tertiary referral hospital ICU over a 2-year period were analyzed.Methods:Only patients directly admitted to ICU after abdominal surgery were included in this study. ICU stay>3 days was considered as prolonged; with average ICU length of stay (LOS) for this ICU being 3 days. The primary outcome was in-patient mortality. ICU LOS, hospital LOS, infection rates, and ventilator days were secondary outcome measures. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores were calculated. SPSS and Microsoft Excel were used for analysis.Results:Of 91 ICU patients included, 58 received early EN and 33 late EN. Hospital LOS and infection rates were less in early EN group. Use of parenteral nutrition (odds ratio [OR] 5.25, 95% confidence interval (CI); P = 0.003) and number of nil-per-oral days (OR 8.25, 95% CI; P ≤ 0.001) were other predictors of prolonged LOS.Conclusions:Early EN in postabdominal surgery ICU patients was associated with reduced hospital LOS and infection rates. ICU LOS, duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality rates did not vary.

Base of skull osteomyelitis is commonly seen as a complication of malignant otitis externa, involving the temporal bone. It initially presents with aural symptoms such as ear ache and discharge and cranial nerve palsies. We report an atypical presentation of skull base osteomyelitis that did not show signs of otitis externa. The patient presented with severe headache, drowsiness and signs of bulbar weakness including pooling of oropharyngeal secretions. Computerized Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) studies showed a bony erosion of the left side of base of skull involving the sphenoid bone and surrounding foramina, left sided coalescent mastoiditis and inflammation of the left parapharyngeal space. There was also inflammation of the tissues encasing the internal carotid artery and jugular veins and thrombosis of left jugular vein. These imaging findings along with cranial nerve palsies were suggestive of malignancy. However, tissue biopsy was negative for malignancy. The growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the biopsy material as well as nasopharyngeal and blood cultures along with elevated Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels led to a diagnosis of base of skull osteomyelitis. Hence diagnosis in such cases requires that biopsy material be sent for microbiological analysis, in addition to histology.

Context: It has been suggested that, with appropriate instruction and practice by the individual and normalization of the reaching distances, the SEBT can be used to provide objective measures to differentiate deficits and improvements in dynamic postural-control related to lower extremity injury and induced fatigue, and it has the potential to predict lower extremity injury. However, literature on its role in assessing proprioception deficits in anterior cruciate ligament deficient knees is limited. Objective: To provide a narrative review of the SEBT and its implementation and the known contributions to task performance and to systematically review the associated literature to address the SEBT's usefulness as a clinical tool for the quantification of dynamic postural-control deficits from anterior cruciate ligament deficiency.