BackgroundSurgical site infections (SSIs) are one of the leading causes of death, and its prevention is a key element of applying the concept of patient safety and quality care.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the level of knowledge about SSIs and risks of wound infection among medical physicians in King Abdulaziz University Hospital.MethodsAll surgical and medical consultants, specialists, residents, and medical interns were invited to participate in the study. A 20-Item multiple-choice questionnaire was developed by reviewing the previous literature and with the help of a group of certified surgeons to assess the level of knowledge in all participants.ResultsA total of 119 doctors were included in this study. Among all respondents, 92 (77.3%) were intern doctors, 16 (13.4%) were resident doctors, and 11 (9.2%) were specialist doctors. Moreover, 66 (55.5%) doctors knew the definition of SSI. Only one-quarter, that is, 30 (25.2%) doctors knew about the incidence of SSI. In addition, 8 doctors (6.7%) had good knowledge, 75 (63.0%) had fair knowledge, and 36 (30.2%) had poor knowledge regarding SSI according to this study.ConclusionsLevel of knowledge about SSIs and risks of wound infections among medical physicians should be improved to ensure better wound care and quality care for the patients.

We report a case of an 18-year-old female without a relevant medical history who presented with an 8-month history of a left foot mass. It started as a small nodule that progressively increased in size over time. The mass then became ulcerative with foul-smelling discharge. There was no palpable left inguinal or other lymph nodes upon physical examination. Histological examination of the biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of clear cell sarcoma. Clear cell sarcoma is a rare soft tissue neoplasm. However, early diagnosis is crucial to prevent metastasis and worsened prognosis. Clear cell sarcoma has an extremely poor prognosis once metastasis occurs, and to the best of our knowledge, only fewer than 100 cases have been reported in the literature.

ObjectivesType 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-II) is highly prevalent in Saudi Arabia and only few studies have assessed it as a risk factor for hypothyroidism. This study aimed to examine the association between DM-II and hypothyroidism.Subjects and methodsWe conducted a hospital-based case–control study. As cases, we included all adults admitted to King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH) with laboratory-confirmed hypothyroidism. As controls, we drew a random sample of patients admitted to the orthopedic clinic at KAUH with laboratory-confirmed absence of hypothyroidism. We extracted data from the medical records regarding age, sex, presence of DM-II, HbA1c, comorbidities, treatment, and complications. We used multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with hypothyroidism.ResultsWe included 121 cases and 121 controls. In comparison to controls, cases were older (P=0.005), had higher prevalence of DM-II (P<0.001), had higher levels of HbA1c (P=0.03), used insulin (P<0.001) and oral hypoglycemic drugs (P<0.001) more often, and suffered more often from hypertension (P<0.001), coronary artery disease (CAD) (P<0.001), stroke (P=0.04), diabetic foot (P<0.001), and nephropathy (P<0.001). According to multivariate regression, the risk of hypothyroidism was significantly increased among patients with DM-II (OR=4.14; 95% CI=20.20–7.80; P<0.001) and CAD (OR=14.15; 95% CI=1.80–111.43; P=0.01).ConclusionPatients with DM-II were at increased risk of developing hypothyroidism. Adequate management and control of DM-II might reduce the risk of developing hypothyroidism. Further research using a prospective cohort study design is needed to confirm these findings.Key messagesPatients with DM-II had an increased risk of developing hypothyroidism.

Objectives: To translate and validate the malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) for use in Arabic-speaking outpatients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: We translated the MUST into Arabic by using the Brislin back-translation method. This methodological study was performed between August 2016 and November 2017 on 143 outpatients with IBD at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The patients must completed the self-administered (PSA) Arabic version of the MUST. Then, the health-care practitioners (HCPs) administered the Arabic MUST and performed standard patient clinical assessment. The nutrition risk was defined as low (MUST score=0), medium (MUST score=1), or high (MUST score >1). The chance-corrected proportional agreement between the scores from the PSA and HCP-administered Arabic MUST was evaluated using Cohen’s kappa coefficient. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha statistic. Results: The overall agreement between the PSA and HCP-administered Arabic MUST was almost perfect (agreement=95.9%, expected agreement=72.4%, kappa=0.85, p <0.0001). The calculated Cronbach’s alpha statistic for MUST scores in 15/143 (10%) patients was 0.79. The calculated Pearson’s correlation coefficient between PSA and HCP-administered MUST scores was 0.93 ( p <0.0001). Conclusions: The PSA and HCP-administered Arabic MUST showed perfect agreement in outpatients with IBD.

IntroductionLeft ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is characterized as left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) below half of the systolic capacity of the left ventricle. Patients on hemodialysis have higher risk of developing LVD than the general population. Our aim was to assess hospitalization rate and outcomes in hemodialysis patients with LVD.Patients and methodsAll patients ≥18 years old, who started hemodialysis therapy at King Abdulaziz University Hospital between January 2011 and December 2011, were identified using medical records of hemodialysis unit. Patients were then divided into three groups, according to their EF results prior to the initiation of hemodialysis, as patients with EF <40%, EF between 40% and 49%, and EF ≥50%. Patients were then followed for 5 years by reviewing their hospital records to assess their outcomes, hospital admissions, and length of hospital stay.ResultsAnalysis included 333 patients. Patients with EF <40% were 40, 36 patients with EF 40%–49%, and 257 patients had an EF >50%. Patients with EF <50% were significantly older than patients with EF >50% (P=0.002). Diabetes mellitus and hypertension were more prevalent in patients with EF <40% and EF 40%–49% when compared with patients with EF >50% (P<0.001, P=0.002). The average length of stay between the three groups was significantly different (P=0.007). Intensive care unit admissions were significantly different when comparing the three groups (P=0.013) and was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality in our patients. Half of the patients with EF <40% and 44% of patients with EF of 40%–49% died compared with only 27% of patients with EF >50% (P=0.002). However, Kaplan–Meier analysis showed no significant difference in the survival time among the three groups (P=0.845).ConclusionMortality and morbidity increased in patients with LVD on hemodialysis compared with patients with normal EF.