Background:The knowledge and skills about the basic life support (BLS) and the advanced life support are the most important determining factors of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) success rates. Objectives: To determine the level of awareness on BLS and skills among undergraduate and postgraduate students of medical and dental profession, as well as nursing students and interns in a tertiary care hospital.Materials and Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India. The awareness level on BLS and factors associated which include age, sex, level of training (undergraduate, internship, and postgraduate groups), course of study (nursing, dental, and medical groups), and previous exposure to BLS were assessed by using a structured questionnaire. The association of these variables with awareness level was assessed by independent t test, analysis of variance, and linear regression analysis.Results:Among 520 study subjects, 229 were students, 171 were interns, and 120 were postgraduate students. The overall mean score of awareness was 4.16 ± 1.40 (score range: 0-10). Age, sex, level of training, course of study, and previous exposure to BLS were significantly associated with awareness level in univariate analysis (P < 0.05). Linear regression model also showed that all the above variables were significantly associated with awareness level (P < 0.05). About 322 (61.9%) subjects attributed lack of awareness about BLS to lack of available professional training. About 479 (92.1%) responded that BLS training should be a part of medical curriculum.Conclusion:Awareness level on BLS is below average indicating the importance of professional training at all levels in a tertiary care health institution.

Background:Despite efforts aimed at reducing the prehospital delay and treatment delay, a considerable proportion of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) present late and receive the reperfusion therapy after unacceptably long time periods. This study aimed at finding out the patients' decision delay, prehospital delay, door-to-electrocardiography (ECG), door-to-needle, and door-to-primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) times and their determinants among STEMI patients.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study conducted among 96 patients with STEMI admitted in a tertiary care center in South India. The data were collected using interview of the patients and review of records. The distribution of the data was assessed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, and the comparisons of the patients' decision delay, prehospital delay, and time to start reperfusion therapy with the different variables were done using Mann–Whitney U-test or Kruskal–Wallis test based on the number of groups.Results:The mean (standard deviation) and median (range) age of the participants were 55 (11) years and 57 (51) years, respectively. The median patients' decision delay, prehospital delay, door-to-ECG, door-to-needle, and door-to-primary PCI times were 75, 290, 12, 75, 110 min, respectively. Significant factors associated (P < 0.05) with patients' decision delay were alcoholism, symptom progression, and attempt at symptom relief measures at home. Prehospital delay was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with domicile, difficulty in arranging money, prior consultation at study center, place of symptom onset, symptom interpretation, and mode of transportation.Conclusions:The prehospital delay time among the South Indian population is still unacceptably high. Public education, improving the systems of prehospital care, and measures to improve the patient flow and management in the emergency department are essentially required. The time taken to take ECG and to initiate reperfusion therapy in this study points to scope for improvement to meet the American Heart Association recommended timings.

Though self-medication is common in university students, there is a dearth in their knowledge regarding the same. This highlights the need for increasing awareness among students regarding hazards of self-medication.

Background:Jaundice in Plasmodium falciparum malaria is multifactorial and its incidence varies in different regions. It is important to assess the incidence and factors associated with malarial hepatopathy as well as its complications to understand the pattern of disease presentation in order to undertake appropriate interventional measures. There is a paucity of data with regard to malarial hepatopathy and its outcome at the global level.Aim:The study was conducted to assess the pattern, spectrum of biochemical parameters and complications of hepatopathy related to P. falciparum malaria.Materials and Methods:A descriptive study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital attached to a government medical institution in Assam, India. Demographic details of the hundred patients with P. falciparum malaria, their clinical and biochemical parameters, complications and outcome were collected using a prestructured proforma. Data was compared using proportion and Chi Square test.Results:The proportion of those with malarial hepatopathy was 38% and the incidence was more in males and younger age group. The degree of hyperbilirubinemia, complications that include renal failure, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, hypoglycemia and mortality were significantly more among patients with hepatopathy (P<0.05).Conclusion:Malarial hepatopathy is associated with a higher incidence of complications like renal failure, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome and hypoglycemia. Further studies are required to elucidate the factors associated with malarial hepatopathy and to prevent the complications and mortality.