Introduction Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI), also called ‘Nosocomial Infections’ are identified at least 48-72 hours following admission to health institution. In many hospitals, HAI appears to be a hidden, cross-cutting problem. Thus a continuous surveillance is imperative for determining the extent of the problem and its effective prevention and control. Present study determines the incidence and different types of hospital acquired infections and the bacterial pathogens responsible for those. Materials and Methods An observational longitudinal study was undertaken during January to June 2014, among 107 patients admitted in ENT wards of North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), selected by consecutive inclusion technique. Information was taken using a predesigned, pretested semi-structured schedule. The collected data were analyzed as frequencies, percentages and means ± standard deviations. Results The present study found incidence rate of hospital acquired infections as 19.6% and incidence density as 26.35 per 1000 patient days. Surgical site infection was commonest type (57.2%) followed by urinary tract infection (23.8%) and blood stream infection (19.0%) respectively. 15.4% of blood cultures, 100.0% of surgical wound swab cultures and 21.7% of urine cultures were positive and gram negative bacteria were most frequently occurring organisms. Most commonly found bacteria were Pseudomonas and Klebsiella. Discussion Background characteristics of the study population; incidence rate, the different types of hospital acquired infections among those admitted patients and the bacterial pathogens responsible for those infections have been discussed along with review of literature. Conclusion Even if in a tertiary health care facility, hospital acquired infection rate could not be brought down into <10%. So implementation of stringent guidelines on prevention of HAI and continuous surveillance and monitoring system can help to diminish this problem in future.

Introduction Excessive use and misuse of antibiotics worldwide, both in human medicine and in agriculture has led to increased occurrence of bacterial resistance. Medical students should be aware of the judicious use of antibiotics, so that they can help the general population in future. Present study assesses knowledge of antibiotic use among first year undergraduate medical students and their practice in own life. Materials and Methods An observational, cross sectional study was conducted during a three-month period among first year undergraduate medical students of a teaching hospital in Kolkata. A validated self- administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed by using simple descriptive statistics. Wherever it was relevant, the Chi-square test was carried out to determine any significant difference. Results About 85% of the participants were aware of the indication of antibiotic for treating bacterial infections only. Around 44% of the students had an average knowledge score compared to 28% having good knowledge score. Majority (76%) of the medical students obtained last antibiotics by a doctor’s prescription, but 54% completed the course as advised by doctor and purpose of taking antibiotic was fever mainly (41%). Statistically significant (P< 0.05) difference on pattern of their antibiotic use was found according to their socioeconomic status and knowledge score. Conclusion Changing the prescribing behaviour and knowledge of the healthcare professionals can help a lot to achieve rational use of antibiotic. It is also suggested that giving a comprehensive training of antibiotic use to the medical students and creating their awareness about frequent antimicrobial resistance could be a successful and encouraging approach.

Accidental foreign body aspiration represents a common problem in India, especially in the pediatric population. The main challenges facing an otolaryngologist in rural tertiary care Centre's of developing countries include the significant delays in referral, the relative lack of sophisticated equipment at the surgeons' disposal and the mortality associated with loss of airway. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients who underwent bronchoscopy for suspected aspiration of foreign bodies in North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling, between June, 2012 and May, 2014 were included in the study. All patients underwent rigid bronchoscopy under general anesthesia. Foreign bodies, when found, were removed using conventional grasping forceps. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were admitted for suspected tracheobronchial foreign body (TFB) during the study period. The presentation pattern was highly variable between the patients although the predominant presenting complaint was that of respiratory distress (63.9%). The interval between suspected accidental inhalation and presentation ranged from 1 to 31 days. The foreign bodies retrieved were classified into four broad groups. Seeds and nuts were the most common foreign body. The site of lodgment of the foreign body in the tracheobronchial tree was also variable. CONCLUSION: Our experience in a rural tertiary care centre in West Bengal has shown that a high index of suspicion must be present to diagnose such cases as early as possible. Digital radiographs might be normal in a considerable number of cases and any suspicion of a TFB should warrant a bronchoscopic examination. Symptoms like choking and cough may not be always present and even a definite history of accidental foreign body aspiration may be absent.

Introduction With the commencement of mass vaccination drive globally against COVID-19 infection, the daily COVID appropriate behaviour may be neglected among the population. However the long term efficacy and safety of vaccines is not confirmatory yet. Hence the study was carried out to assess the post-vaccination COVID appropriate behaviour and contributing factors. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the out-patient department of ENT of a teaching hospital in India from November 2021 to January 2022 among 448 vaccinated individuals. Face to face interview of the participants with a schedule was carried out for data collection. The data were analyzed by means of proportion and Chi-square test. Results More than 90% of the participants practiced greeting without physical contact, covering nose, mouth during coughing or sneezing, social distancing. But thorough hand washing technique was maintained by less than 75% of the respondents and post-vaccination mask use was reduced to around 68%. Participants of female gender, younger age group, with no history of prior COVID-19 infection were found to be more compliant with precautionary measures and significantly (p<0.05) varied in relation to wearing facemasks and hand washing. Conclusion Thus regardless of the vaccination status, adherence to personal preventive behaviours is necessary to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 infection. It can be emphasized by the competent authority by maintaining some regulations and the same message can be disseminated by health education materials to the general population with special emphasis on high risk groups.