Archive for category: News

Nagpur: The long-awaited establishment of an autopsy facility at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur has finally come to fulfilment, with the premier institution recently inaugurating one at the campus. 

This significant progress brings a sense of relief to the bereaved families who previously had to go through the difficult process of transferring their deceased relative body to another hospital and enduring the wait for the post-mortem examination.

This state-of-the-art advanced facility at the renowned institute will now allow for post-mortem examinations to be carried out. Family members coming to the institute will no longer have to travel to the Government medical college and hospital (GMCH) for postmortem examinations of their deceased kin. 

Also read- AIIMS Nagpur Becomes First AIIMS To Get NABH Accreditation, PM Modi Congratulates The Team

The new facility was inaugurated in an unprecedented event by Dr. (Prof.) M. Hanumantha Rao, Executive Director, AIIMS, Nagpur on December 19.

The Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, AIIMS, Nagpur has sought permission to get post-mortem examinations. As per the approval letter medicolegal postmortem on the dead bodies in the jurisdiction of the Police station of Sonegaon, Hingana, Hingna MIDC, Beltarodi, Butibori MIDC, Buttibori, Bela will be conducted at the Autopsy Block of AIIMS Nagpur.

Dr. Manish Shrigiriwar, Professor and head of the Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, extended a warm welcome to all the dignitaries by presenting them with beautiful flower bouquets. The esteemed guests included Mr Vijay Kumar Nayak (Deputy Director (Admin)), Mr B. K. Agrawal (Financial Advisor), Dr Sanjiv Choudhary (Dy. Medical Superintendent), and Dr Ganesh Dakhale (Dean Examination), who graced the occasion with their presence.

Previously, the autopsies of such deaths were conducted at Government Medical College, Nagpur, which unfortunately resulted in unavoidable delays, causing both the Police and the relatives to suffer throughout the entire process.

However, with the opening of the new facility, the post-mortem will be conducted at the premier institute putting the relatives and the police at ease. According to a TOI news report, Sonegaon, Beltarodi, MIDC, Hingna, MIDC Bori, Buti Bori and Bela police stations will now send bodies to conduct the procedure to AIIMS in Mihan.

Soon, the hospital will have two autopsy tables, cold storage for keeping eight bodies, a workstation for organ dissection, a room for performing the panchanama, a separate space for waiting relatives and a help desk for handling queries as reported by the daily.

In addition, AIIMS has ambitious plans to establish the autopsy facility as one of the finest in the country. It will feature cold storage for 80 bodies, along with a camera facility to showcase the procedures to post-graduate students at the viewers’ gallery.

Dr Harshal Thube skillfully hosted the inaugural ceremony, and the success of the program was greatly attributed to the efforts of Dr Ashok Jiwane, Dr Jayesh Dudhe, Dr Jishnu V, Dr Animesh Gupta, Dr Priyanshu Garg, Dr Avinash Kumar Anand, Mr Shobhit Kapse, Miss. Prachi, Miss. Sandhya Wani, Miss. Vaishnavi, Mr. Sanket Giri, Mr. Lokshankar Megdarat, and Mr. Ishwar Chachane.

The institute has been in communication with the state home department to obtain approval for their proposed post-mortem facility, according to TOI sources. Approximately three months ago, the state’s Medical Education and Drug Department (MEDD) inspected the ‘autopsy block’, which was followed by a visit from the city police chief, Amitesh Kumar. After receiving the police chief’s No Objection Certificate (NOC), AIIMS obtained clearance from the local gram panchayat to carry out the medico-legal procedures.

Apart from this, AIIMS Nagpur also inaugurated its “Heart Failure Clinic” on December 19 which will open every Thursday from now on. The heart failure clinic was launched in the presence of Dr Ravinulata Venkata Kumar, Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; and Director and Vice-Chancellor of Sri Venkateshwara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Tirupati.

The highly skilled cardiac team of AIIMS, Nagpur will conduct this heart failure clinic every Thursday. This team comprises cardiologists, Dr Arijit Kumar Ghosh, Dr Sagar Makode, and Dr Gunjan Godeshwar; cardiac anaesthetist Dr Omshubham Asai; and cardiac-vascular and thoracic surgeons, Dr Pravin Salunkhe, Dr Hemant Kumar Bodhankar, and Dr Frankleena Parage.

The heart failure clinic aims to deal with problems encountered by heart failure patients. This will facilitate the optimization of anti-failure medical therapy, rehabilitation, reduction of patient admission rate, and duration of hospitalization.

Also read- ICMR Designates AIIMS Nagpur As Nodal Centre For HINI Study

Greece: Tirzepatide, across all administered doses, probably leads to a significant reduction in albuminuria, while its use is linked with a neutral effect on creatinine clearance as a measure of kidney function, a recent systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis has suggested. The findings were published online in the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism on December 20, 2023.

In a recent case-control study explored the connection between local legislation on fireworks and the occurrence of vision-threatening injuries. The findings  of this study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association revealed important details about the impact of firework bans on ocular trauma during the Independence Day holiday.

Fireworks are known for their dazzling displays, but the accompanying risks to eye health have been a cause for concern. The study mainly aimed to evaluate the odds of firework-related ocular trauma in areas where fireworks are either permitted or banned.

This analysis was conducted at a level 1 trauma center in Seattle which spanned over eight years from 2016 to 2022. The case-control study involved 230 patients presenting with ocular trauma, with 94 who sustained firework-related injuries. The odds of such injuries were found to be significantly higher among residents in areas where fireworks were legally permitted compared to those living in areas where they were banned (OR, 2.0 [95% CI, 1.2-3.5]; P = .01).

The study also underscored the higher odds of patients under 18 years (OR, 3.1 [95% CI, 1.7-5.8]; P < .001) and male patients (OR, 3.3 [95% CI, 1.5-7.1]; P = .004). Also, firework injuries were more likely to be vision-threatening (57%) compared to non–firework-related injuries (40%) (OR, 2.1 [95% CI, 1.2-3.5]; P = .01).

The study highlights that residents in areas where fireworks are banned may experience a slightly lower risk of firework-related ocular trauma. While the findings imply that local firework bans could contribute to a modest reduction in these injuries, the study team emphasize the need for further studies to identify more effective measures that could help in minimizing the risks associated with fireworks.

Reference:

Harrison, L., Yee, P., Sundararajan, M., Ding, L., & Feng, S. (2023). Local Firework Restrictions and Ocular Trauma. In JAMA Ophthalmology. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.5698

A recent cohort study delving into the prevalence and impact of e-cigarette and cigarette use among pregnant adolescents in the United States has unearthed significant trends and potential implications for birth outcomes. Examining data from 2016 to 2021, the study, based on the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, scrutinised the habits and subsequent risks associated with these tobacco products.

This study was published in JAMA Network Open by Xiaozhong Wen and colleagues.The study encompassed a cohort of 10,428 pregnant adolescents between the ages of 10 to 19 years, each having comprehensive data available regarding their usage of e-cigarettes or cigarettes, along with the occurrences of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births. The exposure under scrutiny centred on the self-reported use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes by adolescents during the last trimester of their pregnancies.

• Prevalence Shifts:

Exclusive E-cigarette Use: Increased from 0.8% in 2016 to 4.1% in 2021.

Exclusive Cigarette Use: Decreased from 9.2% in 2017 to 3.2% in 2021.

Dual Use: Fluctuated between 0.6% and 1.6%.

• Sociodemographic Differences:

Ethnic Disparities: White pregnant adolescents had higher e-cigarette use rates compared to other racial groups.

Increasing Use: Particularly noticeable among adolescents of White ethnicity.

• Association with SGA Birth:

E-cigarette Use: No significant increase in the risk of SGA birth.

Cigarette Use: Showed a more than 2-fold higher risk of SGA birth compared to non-users.

Dual Use: Also associated with a higher risk, but not statistically significant.

The study implies a notable surge in e-cigarette use among pregnant adolescents, particularly among those identifying as White. While cigarette use demonstrated a clear association with increased risk of SGA birth, e-cigarette use during late pregnancy did not show a statistically significant correlation. However, the uncertainty surrounding this non-significant association suggests the need for further comprehensive research with larger sample sizes.

Reference:

Wen, X., Liu, L., Moe, A. A., Ormond, I. K., Shuren, C. C., Scott, I. N., Ozga, J. E., Stanton, C. A., Ruybal, A. L., Hart, J. L., Goniewicz, M. L., Lee, D., & Vargees, C. Use of E-cigarettes and cigarettes during late pregnancy among adolescents. JAMA Network Open, 6(12), e2347407. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.47407 

Researchers have found in a new research that Abdominoplasty continues to be a safe and effective procedure, with more cases performed on an outpatient basis and increased use of concomitant liposuction.

The new 16-year analysis has been published in  Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). 

“Taking advantage of quality-improvement data submitted by US Board-certified plastic surgeons, our study provides new insight on the evolution of the abdominoplasty technique,” comments lead author Michael J. Stein, MD, MAS, FRCSC, FACS of Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N.Y.

Shifts in ‘tummy tuck’ techniques and outcomes from 2005 to 2021

Abdominoplasty – sometimes called “tummy tuck” – is a cosmetic surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the abdomen. In 2022, ASPS Member Surgeons performed nearly 162,000 abdominoplasty procedures, according to ASPS statistics.

To assess the evolution of practice patterns and surgical techniques, Dr. Stein and colleagues analyzed data from the Continuous Certification process of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). In that process, plastic surgeons submit information on specific “tracer procedures” as evidence of ongoing improvement in clinical practice.

The researchers analyzed data on 8,990 abdominoplasty cases submitted by 390 ABPS-certified plastic surgeons between 2005 and 2021. To assess trends over time, cases were divided into early (2005-14) and recent (2015-21) cohorts.

The study period saw an increased rate of outpatient abdominoplasty, without an overnight hospital stay, from 77% to 81%; and increased use of heparin to prevent blood clot-related complications. Patients treated in more recent years were more likely to undergo multiple surgical procedures, particularly liposuction to reduce fat in the abdominal tissue flap.

‘Abdominoplasty remains a safe and reliable procedure’

Other technical changes included decreased use of wide tissue undermining, vertical plication of the abdomen, and postoperative of surgical drains – although all these techniques continued to be used in most abdominoplasty cases. The researchers note that while the observed changes are statistically significant, they are “best appreciated as positive or negative practice trends between cohorts, rather than clinically significant changes in practice.”

“Abdominoplasty remains a safe and reliable procedure over the study period, with a slight but statistically significant decrease in adverse events in the recent cohort,” Dr. Stein and coauthors conclude. “Careful pre-operative evaluation of patients should identify risk factors that increase the risk of complications.”

Senior author and past ASPS President Dr. Alan Matarasso of Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital has contributed to similar reviews using ABPS Continuous Certification data for other “tracer” procedures-most recently including a report on trends in cosmetic breast augmentation. Fellow authors include Drs. Arun Gosain and Peter Rubin.

Dr. Matarasso comments: “While not without potential sources of bias, the use of ABPS Continuous Certification data – with mandatory reporting of large numbers of common procedures by Board-certified plastic surgeons-provides unique insights into trends in surgical practice and benchmarks to inform further safety and quality improvement efforts.” 

Reference:

Stein, Michael J. MD, MAS1; Weissman, Joshua P. BBA2; Harrast, John MS3; Rubin, J. Peter MD4; Gosain, Arun K. MD2,5; Matarasso, Alan MD1. Clinical Practice Patterns in Abdominoplasty: 16-Year Analysis of Continuous Certification Data from the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 153(1):p 66-74, January 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000010500.