National survey on Congenital Cytomegalovirus Awareness and Screening Practices among Healthcare Professionals.

Objectives: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, resulting from maternal-fetal transmission of CMV, poses a substantial risk to maternal and child health. It is the most prevalent congenital viral infection, and the prevention and management of this condition rely heavily on the knowledge and awareness of healthcare professionals.

Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 1, 2023, and August 31, 2023, across multiple tertiary centers in various Saudi Arabian cities.

Minimum intraoperative testing battery for cochlear implantation: the international practice trend.

Purpose: In cochlear implantation (CI) surgery, there are a wide variety of intraoperative tests available. However, no clear guide exists on which tests must be performed as the minimum intraoperative testing battery. Toward this end, we studied the usage patterns, recommendations, and attitudes of practitioners toward intraoperative testing.

Predictive Factors for 30-Day Readmission and Increased Healthcare Utilization in Sickle Cell Disease Patients: A Single-Center Comparative Retrospective Study.

Background: SCD poses a significant healthcare burden. Understanding the factors contributing to high healthcare utilization and readmissions is crucial for improving the quality of care provided.

Methods: This retrospective comparative observational study was conducted at King Saud University Medical City and included 160 SCD patients.

A novel method for evaluating mastoid defect regrowth after cochlear implantation.

This retrospective study examined mastoid defects resulting from cochlear implant (CI) surgery and their potential for spontaneous regrowth across different age groups. Spontaneous closure of mastoid defects has been observed in certain CI patients during revision surgery or through post-operative temporal bone computer tomography (TB-CT). The analysis encompassed 123 CI recipients, comprising 81.

Autozygome-guided exome-first study in a consanguineous cohort with early-onset retinal disease uncovers an isolated RIMS2 phenotype and a retina-enriched RIMS2 isoform.

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and early-onset retinal degeneration (EORD) are inherited retinal diseases (IRD) characterized by early-onset vision impairment. Herein, we studied 15 Saudi families by whole exome sequencing (WES) and run-of-homozygosity (ROH) detection via AutoMap in 12/15 consanguineous families. This revealed (likely) pathogenic variants in 11/15 families (73%).

Assessment of N-acetylcysteine use for acetaminophen overdose in the emergency department of a community teaching hospital: A pilot study.

Introduction: N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is the first-line treatment for acetaminophen (APAP) overdose. However, using NAC inappropriately is associated with an increased risk of adverse effects as well as a substantial increase in hospitalization and healthcare costs. This study aims to assess NAC utilization for acute APAP overdose in the emergency department of a community teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia.

Efficacy of HFNO during airway management of a COVID pneumonia patient with super morbid obesity undergoing emergency laparotomy.

This case report describes the use of high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) in a patient with morbid obesity (BMI = 90 kg/m) who underwent emergency laparotomy under general anesthesia. This 54-year-old female patient with American Society of Anesthesia classification 4 E is known to have COVID pneumonia with Obstuctive Sleep Apnea. She was admitted in the ICU for 3 days and she was on Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure (BiPAP) alternating with HFNO to keep her SpO 91%-92%, on FiO 60%, and respiratory rate (RR) 40-45/min.

Factors associated with poor outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19: Experience from a MERS-CoV referral hospital.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in millions of deaths, including more than 6000 deaths in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Identifying key predictors of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality among infected cases would help in identifying individuals at risk to optimize their care. We aimed to determine factors of poor outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a large academic hospital in Riyadh, KSA that serves as a Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) referral center.

Severe vitamin D deficiency is not related to SARS-CoV-2 infection but may increase mortality risk in hospitalized adults: a retrospective case-control study in an Arab Gulf country.

Purpose: As the world continues to cautiously navigate its way through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, several breakthroughs in therapies and vaccines are currently being developed and scrutinized. Consequently, alternative therapies for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) prevention, such as vitamin D supplementation, while hypothetically promising, require substantial evidence from countries affected by COVID-19. The present retrospective case-control study aims to identify differences in vitamin D status and clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients screened for SARS-CoV-2, and determine associations of vitamin D levels with increased COVID-19 risk and mortality.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a MERS-CoV referral hospital during the peak of the pandemic.

Objective: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in a middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) referral hospital during the peak months of the pandemic.

Design: A single-center case series of hospitalized individuals with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), an academic tertiary care hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Clinical and biochemical markers were documented.

Shared breastfeeding & other early multiple sclerosis risk factors: A case-control study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Etiology is thought to be multifactorial with genetic and environmental factors interplay. Our objective in this study is to evaluate culture specific and other early life risk factors for MS.

The Emergency surgery score (ESS) accurately predicts outcomes of emergency surgical admissions at a Saudi academic health center.

Background: The emergency surgery score (ESS) has emerged as a tool to predict outcomes in emergency surgery (EGS) patients. Our study examines the ability of ESS to predict outcomes in EGS admissions.

Methods: All EGS admissions to King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) from January 2017 to October 2019 were included.

Diabetes and Covid-19 among hospitalized patients in Saudi Arabia: a single-centre retrospective study.

Background: Information on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized Covid-19 patients with or without diabetes mellitus (DM) is limited in the Arab region. This study aims to fill this gap.

Methods: In this single-center retrospective study, medical records of hospitalized adults with confirmed Covid-19 [RT-PCR positive for SARS-CoV2] at King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC)-King Khaled University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from May to July 2020 were analyzed.

Satisfaction and perceived usefulness with newly-implemented Electronic Health Records System among pediatricians at a university hospital.

Background: Apposite implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) is anchoring standards of care in healthcare settings by reducing long-run operational costs, improving healthcare quality, and enhancing patient safety.

Objective: This study aims to explore factors that might influence Pediatricians' satisfaction with an implemented EHR system and its perceived usefulness at a tertiary-care teaching hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey distributed to all physicians working in the pediatric department of King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC) in the period from June to November 2015, two months after the launch of the EHR system, internally branded as electronic system for integrated health information (eSiHi).

Knowledge and willingness of physicians about deprescribing among older patients: a qualitative study.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the physician's knowledge and identify the perceived barriers that prevent family medicine physicians from engaging in deprescribing among older patients.

Methods: This qualitative study was designed and conducted using an interpretive theoretical approach. Purposive sampling was undertaken, whereby family medicine physicians of King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were invited to participate in the study.

Impact of a multidisciplinary intensive education program on type 2 diabetes mellitus patients' glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary intensive education program (MIEP) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients' outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective study was used to evaluate the impact of MIEP on T2DM patients' outcomes for between May 2016 and May 2017. Data were collected from the diabetes education clinic in King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where patients were referred from diabetes outpatient clinics to the diabetes education clinic to receive MIEP.