Background: School cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training has not been previously implemented nor studied in the Arabian Peninsula, and this is due to the challenges that this training imposes. This study aims to determine high school teacher perspectives, willingness, and barriers as related to CPR student training in high schools.
Methods: An anonymous, voluntary, cross-sectional electronic questionnaire, primarily based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was distributed to high school principals and teachers from 20 local (public and private) high schools between October and December 2021. The questionnaire was a 4-part (demographics, willingness, barriers, implementation approach), 23-variable tool.
Results: Eighty-four out of 88 participants were included in the analysis from 20 high schools. The overall willingness to teach CPR to students was 4.2 ± 0.9, and this willingness was significantly associated with being a female (p = 0.019), being a teacher (p = 0.036), having a family history of cardiovascular disease (p = 0.007), previous school CPR campaigns (p = 0.02), and all TPB factors: attitude (p = 0.001), subjective norms (p = 0.011), and perceived behaviour control (p = 0.007). As for perceived barriers, there was moderate concern regarding the absence of the Good Samaritan law (3.8 ± 1.1) and CoVID-19 transmission (3.5 ± 1.3). High school teaching staff recommended formal legislation of CPR training from the Ministry of Education (MoE) and favoured CPR training delivery by healthcare professionals. However, they were willing to conduct CPR training themselves with regular training, material integration into the curriculum, and online teaching material access.
Conclusion: High school teachers are willing to teach students CPR. They need MoE legislation, appropriate training, online material, and a standardized database. Teaching staff also recommend specific training session settings. CoVID-19 and Good Samaritan law are moderate barriers. A number of factors influence teaching staff willingness to conduct CPR training. From this analysis, we recommend piloting CPR training in Kuwait high schools with consideration to the identified influential factors and barriers.
Intravenous (IV) fluid resuscitation is a key component of the initial resuscitation of septic shock, with international consensus guidelines suggesting the administration of at least 30mL/kg of isotonic crystalloid fluid. The rationale is to restore circulating fluid volume and optimise stroke volume. It is acknowledged that there is a paucity of high-level evidence to support this strategy, with most studies being observational or retrospective in design. In the past decade, evidence has emerged that a large positive fluid balance is associated with worse outcomes among patients with septic shock in intensive care who have already received initial resuscitation. Randomised trials undertaken in low-income countries have found increased mortality among patients with sepsis and hypoperfusion administered a larger fluid volume as part of initial resuscitation, however, translating these findings to other settings is not possible. This uncertainty has led to variation in practice with some advocating a more conservative fluid strategy coupled with the earlier introduction of vasopressors for haemodynamic support. This question is the subject of several ongoing clinical trials. This article summarises the current state of the evidence for IV fluid resuscitation in septic shock and provides guidance for practitioners in the face of our evolving understanding of this important area.
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the National Early Warning Score‒Lactate (NEWS‒L) and NEWS to predict 24-hour mortality as the primary outcome. The secondary outcomes were to predict 48-hour, 28-day, and in-hospital mortality rates, and the need for critical care in patient with suspicion of sepsis at the emergency department (ED).
Methods: A prospective observational study was performed in patients aged ≥18 years diagnosed with sepsis in the ED from March to November 2021. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analyses determined the predictive values of NEWS and NEWS‒L for 24-hour mortality.
Results: Ninety-two patients were enrolled (mean age 68 years, 48 [52.2%] males). Three (3.2%) patients died within 24 hours and 34 (36.9%) patients needed critical care during the ED stay. The median (interquartile range) NEWS and NEWS-L results were higher in the 24-hour non-survivors versus survivors: 12 (10.5, 12.5) versus 8 (6, 9) (p = 0.024) and 18.7 (15.2, 19.1) versus 10.6 (8.9, 13) (p = 0.036), respectively. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.22 for the primary outcome as the NEWS-L increased by 1 unit without statistical significance (p = 0.228). The aOR values for the secondary outcomes ranged from 1.34 to 1.67 with statistical significance. A NEWS-L of 11 and a NEWS of 12 predicted 24-hour mortality with sensitivities/specificities of 100%/56% and 67%/91%, respectively. The AUROC values of NEWS-L for mortality at 24 hours, 48 hours, 28 days, and in-hospital patients, and the need for critical care were 0.860, 0.905, 0.813, 0.839, and 0.837, respectively.
Conclusion: NEWS-L is an accurate predictor for 24-hour mortality in septic patients in the ED. NEWS‒L performed better than NEWS for each outcome. NEWS‒L demonstrated good to excellent performance and was accurate in predicting sepsis related to adverse outcomes.
Diabetic ketoacidosis is an acute and severe complication commonly occurring in individuals with type-1 diabetes mellitus due to absolute insulin deficiency. A 28-year-old Black woman, gravida 2, para 2, secondary school teacher was admitted at 31 weeks of gestation to the obstetric ward on August 12/2022 with a two-day history of nausea and vomiting. She had a history of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus four years earlier. She missed her insulin dose one day due to traveling to the village for greeting her family. She presented with a two-day history of nausea and vomiting, and a one-day history of shortness of breath, abdominal tenderness, hypotension, elevated heart rate, increased respiratory rate, frequent urination, and fatigue. Ketone testing done using her urine sample showed ketonuria of 3+. Her chest X-ray revealed coarse crackles on auscultation. Her breath odor revealed acetone-smelling breathing. Upon admission, she was treated with insulin infusion for 24 hours and 60 milliequivalents per liter of potassium chloride intravenously was also initiated. On the same day, 0.9% of normal saline 500 mL was initiated intravenously stat and repeats until systolic blood pressure was greater than 90 mmHg. The main objectives of diabetic ketoacidosis management are to restore volume status, normalize hyperglycemia, replace electrolytes lost, and lower ketoacidosis.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the rates of sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) between manual and mechanical chest compression in adult non-traumatic cardiac arrest.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2017 to 2019. The medical records were reviewed in 227 cardiac arrest patients aged ≥18 years who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest or cardiac arrest while visiting the emergency department (ED). The patients were divided into manual chest compression and mechanical chest compression groups. The two groups were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, time to arrive at the ED, time to basic life support, initial rhythm, time to defibrillation in the shockable group, time to the first dose of adrenaline, and possible cause of arrest. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the factors associated with ROSC.
Results: A total of 227 patients met the inclusion criteria:193 patients in the manual chest compression group and 34 patients in the mechanical chest compression group. The rate of sustained ROSC in the manual chest compression group was higher (43% vs 8.8%; P < 0.001). The significant factors associated with ROSC were witnessed cardiac arrest (odds ratio (OR) = 3.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94-12.4), ED arrival by basic ambulance service (OR = 1.93; 95% CI 0.86-4.35), cardiac arrest at the ED (OR = 3.69; 95% CI 1.73-7.88), and cardiac arrest from hypoxia (OR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.02-3.97).
Conclusion: Mechanical chest compression was not associated with sustained ROSC and tended to be selectively used in patients with a prolonged duration of cardiac arrest.
Introduction: Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is a common complication in patients with systolic heart failure and can cause thromboembolic consequences including stroke. In order to determine the characteristics of LV thrombus among heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), the present study was undertaken.
Methods and materials: This was retrospective cross-sectional study conducted from referral tertiary hospital in a year period. A total of 810 transthoracic echocardiograms were carried out in our center from January 2021 to December 2021. Forty participants had met the inclusion criteria of the study.
Results: About 75% of the population was male and the mean age at diagnosis was 51 years (SD: 15). Ischemic cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) found to be the most underlying cause of LVT represented (57.5% and 42.5% respectively). Hypertension, hypothyroidism, and atrial fibrillation were found to be the commonest associated risk factors of LVT, 45%, 12.5%, and 30% respectively. Simpson's Biplane's approach yielded a mean LVEF of 25.25 ± 6.97. 60% of the patients had a LVEF of ≤25%. The mean LV end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters were 59.2 ± 9.4 mm and 51 ± 8.3mm respectively. Warfarin was administered to 19 (47.5), Rivaroxaban to 8 (20), and Dabigatran to 10 (25). The most prevalent anticoagulant among the individuals in our study was warfarin. A stroke complication was found in 8 patients (20%), two of them were hemorrhagic stroke and they were on dabigatran. A Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) affected 6 of the patients (15%). One of those with PAD had also ischemic stroke.
Conclusion: This study determines that Ischemic and Dilated cardiomyopathy were the most common cause of left ventricular thrombosis among HFrEF patients in Somalia.

