Survival of patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in a developing country - patient characteristics and predictors of mortality.

There is paucity of outcomes data on patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy (FT) for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Indo-Asians. We conducted this study to determine survival as well as correlates of mortality in this population. Hospital charts of 230 patients receiving FT for acute STEMI between January 2002 and December 2004 were reviewed.

Awareness and perceptions of electroconvulsive therapy among psychiatric patients: a cross-sectional survey from teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is shown to be effective in many psychiatric illnesses, but its distorted projection by the Pakistani media and its unregulated use by many physicians across the country have adversely affected its acceptability. Given this situation we aimed to assess the awareness and perceptions regarding ECT as a treatment modality among the psychiatric patients.

Methods: This was a questionnaire based cross-sectional study carried out at 2 tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.