Background:There is paucity of studies on prevalence of SHS among pregnant women and its association with low birth weight (LBW).Objectives:The study was designed to determine the proportion of tobacco use, exposure to second hand smoke among pregnant women and their association with LBW.Materials and Methods:A Retrospective cohort study was conducted from March–June 2017 among 1043 pregnant women admitted for delivery in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, JIPMER. Socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics, tobacco use and exposure to SHS during pregnancy were assessed by interviews. Birth weight of the baby was also extracted. Data was analysed using STATA v12. Univariate analysis was used to assess the association of socio-demographic, obstetric characteristics and exposure to SHS with LBW.Results:Out of 1043 pregnant women, the mean age was 25 (±3.9) years. More than half (57.4%) of women were primigravida. The proportion of women exposed to SHS during pregnancy was 69.9% (95% CI: 67.0-72.6) among which 24% of the women belonged to family, where family members were smokers. Only four had ever used tobacco in the past. However, none used any form of tobacco during pregnancy. LBW was present in 21.4% of the babies. There was no association between exposure to SHS and LBW [PR:0.98 (95% CI:0.71-1.35)].Conclusion:The study shows that there was no significant association between the SHS exposure of pregnant women and low birth weight.

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) are one of the commonest complications following gastrointestinal surgery. They lead to increased mortality, increased length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, and higher cost of treatment. Identifying the risk factors of PPC helps in predicting its occurrence and to develop preventive measures. The objectives of the present study were to study the clinical and demographic risk factors for PPC following gastrointestinal surgery.Methods: The study was designed as an observational descriptive analytic study. All the patients ≥18 years of age undergoing gastrointestinal surgery were included. The patients with preoperative lung pathology requiring ICU care or ventilatory support and patients with lung metastasis were excluded. The demographic and clinical parameters at admission were recorded. The details of pulmonary complications like the time of occurrence after surgery and the mode of treatment for pulmonary complications were noted. The risk association was assessed for statistical significance.Results: A total of 100 patients were underwent various gastrointestinal surgeries during the study period. The incidence of PPC was 34% in our study. Age, education status, smoking, and presence of comorbidities were found to be positively associated with an increased incidence of PPCs. The serum albumin of less than 3.5gm and the haemoglobin of less than 8 gm were also associated with an increased incidence of PPC. Pleural effusion was the commonest PPC seen in 15 (44.1%) patients followed by pneumonia in 9 (26.5%).Conclusions: Age, smoking, education status, serum albumin, haemoglobin, emergency surgery, elective postoperative ventilation, nasogastric intubation and blood loss in the intraoperative period were found to associated with increased risk of PPCs.