Tip-over injuries among children: Data from an urban emergency department of Karachi, Pakistan.

Introduction: Most unintentional injuries among children occur in the home environment. Tip-overs, defined as incidents where heavy objects fall on children due to some type of interaction, are one of the reasons for injuries inside the home. This study aims to determine injury patterns and outcomes for child injuries resulting from tip-overs in the home environment as reported in the emergency department.

Pediatric Appendicitis Score for Identifying Acute Appendicitis in Children Presenting With Acute Abdominal Pain to the Emergency Department.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Pediatric Appendicitis Score (PAS) in predicting appendicitis in children presenting with acute abdominal pain to the Emergency Department (ED) of a private hospital in Pakistan.

Methods: This validation study was through retrospective chart review of children between 4-18 years of age with clinical suspicion of acute appendicitis, presenting to the pediatric ED. Diagnostic accuracy was determined using sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and area under the curve (AUC).

Acceptability of telephone-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (T-CPR) practice in a resource-limited country- a cross-sectional study.

Background: T-CPR has been shown to increase bystander CPR rates dramatically and is associated with improved patient survival.

Objective: To evaluate the acceptability of T-CPR by the bystanders and identify baseline quality measures of T-CPR in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2018 at the Aman foundation command and control center.

Heat Emergencies: Perceptions and Practices of Community Members and Emergency Department Healthcare Providers in Karachi, Pakistan: A Qualitative Study.

Heat waves are the second leading cause of weather-related morbidity and mortality affecting millions of individuals globally, every year. The aim of this study was to understand the perceptions and practices of community residents and healthcare professionals with respect to identification and treatment of heat emergencies. A qualitative study was conducted using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, with the residents of an urban squatter settlement, community health workers, and physicians and nurses working in the emergency departments of three local hospitals in Karachi.

Randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of apnoeic oxygenation in adults using low-flow or high-flow nasal cannula with head side elevation versus usual care to prevent desaturation during endotracheal intubation in the emergency department (ApOxED): study protocol.

Introduction: Apnoeic oxygenation is a process of delivering continuous oxygen through nasal cannula during direct laryngoscopy. The oxygen that is delivered through these nasal cannulas is either low flow or high flow. Although the effectiveness of apnoeic oxygenation has been shown through systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials, a comparison of high-flow versus low-flow oxygen delivery has not been tested through a superiority study design.

Managing acute pain in HIV+/AIDS patients: knowledge and practice trends among emergency physicians of major tertiary care centers of a developing country.

Objective: To assess knowledge and practice trends in managing acute pain in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV+) or having acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) among emergency physicians of four tertiary care hospitals. Acute pain management in such patients is complex because of multiple concomitant painful conditions related to their disease. After obtaining ethical approval and written informed consent, emergency physicians were requested to fill out a questionnaire.

Child abuse in Pakistan: A qualitative study of knowledge, attitudes and practice amongst health professionals.

Child abuse is a global problem and pervades all cultures and socio-economic strata. The effects can be profound and life altering for victims. There is substantial literature from high income countries about signs of abuse, but a dearth of data from low and middle income countries like Pakistan.

The clinical respiratory score predicts paediatric critical care disposition in children with respiratory distress presenting to the emergency department.

Background: Respiratory distress is a common presenting complaint in children brought to the Emergency Department (ED). The Clinical Respiratory Score (CRS) has shown promise as a screen for severe illness in High Income Countries. We aimed to validate the admission CRS in children presenting to the ED of a Low-to Middle Income Country.

Occupational exposure to HIV in a developing country: assessing knowledge and attitude of healthcare professional before and after an awareness symposium.

Objective: Health care providers (HCPs) are at risk of occupational exposure to HIV infection. In developing world these exposure occur due to general lack of awareness, education and structured training of HCPs. The objective of the study was to asses if continuing medical education symposium can be used as an effective educational tool to improve attitude, awareness and knowledge regarding occupational exposure to HIV infection.

Teaching children road safety through storybooks: an approach to child health literacy in Pakistan.

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) commonly affect the younger population in low- and-middle-income countries. School children may be educated about road safety using storybooks with colorful pictures, which tends to increase the child's interest in the text. Therefore, this study assessed the use of bilingual pictorial storybooks to improve RTI prevention knowledge among school children.

Factors behind not using child restrain(t) among hospital employees and general population: A case control study.

Background: Motor vehicle crash (MVC) related injury has been identified as a major public health concern. Child restrain (CR) seat belts can minimize the mortality and morbidity from MVC. The use for seat belts is substantially low in developing countries like Pakistan even though its use has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality by a significant extent.

Bomb blast injuries: an exploration of patient characteristics and outcome using Pakistan National Emergency Departments Surveillance (Pak-NEDS) data.

Background: Bomb blast injuries result in premature deaths and burdening of healthcare systems. The objective of this study was to explore the characteristics and outcome of patients presenting to the emergency departments in Pakistan with bomb blast injuries.

Methods: Active surveillance was conducted in seven major emergency departments of Pakistan from November 2010-March 2011.

Prehospital Airway Management in Emergency and Trauma Patients: A Cross-sectional Study of Ambulance Service Providers and Staff in a Low- and Middle-income Country.

Background: Prehospital airway management (AM) is the first priority in the care of emergency and trauma victims as it has shown to improve survival in these patients.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess training and knowledge of ambulance staff and availability of AM equipment in ambulances of Karachi, Pakistan.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June through September 2014.