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Background: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) can play a vital role in decreasing morbidity and mortality. Due to the increasing development of electronic systems, their use can be effective in improving the quality of services and reducing costs. This study aimed to assess the satisfaction of EMTs with electronic forms. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 99 EMTs in Rasht City, Iran. Data was collected via a questionnaire, including demographic characteristics (age, sex, work experience, type of employment, level of education, field of study, and retraining course) and 17 questions about the satisfaction of personnel in using electronic forms. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed by 7 emergency medicine specialists via a pilot study. The questionnaire had a Likert scale to respond with Cronbach's alpha of 0.83. Data were analyzed using SPSS software v. 22. Results: The Mean±SD age of participants was 36.08±0.73 years. Most of them had a bachelor's degree (71.7%), contractual employment (40.4%), and Bachelor of Science (BSc) in nursing (46.5%) or emergency technician (42.4%). Their average work experience was 10.45±0.69 years. The level of satisfaction of most EMTs (65.7%) in using the electronic form was moderate, which statistically had a significant relationship with their employment status (P<05). Conclusion: According to the average satisfaction of EMTs in using electronic forms, it is necessary to increase the level of use and satisfaction of electronic forms by holding appropriate retraining programs on how to use and benefits of electronic forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel are often the first to provide healthcare services to the patient in different situations outside the hospital. Due to the sensitivity of this work, knowledge of ambulance equipment can affect the performance of Emergency Medical Services personnel. Objective This study aims to assess the knowledge of pre-hospital EMS personnel in Rasht, Iran about ambulance equipment. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 84 EMS personnel who were selected from 17 medical centers in Rasht, Iran using a convenience sampling method. The data collection tool was a two-part questionnaire. The first part surveys demographic characteristics (age, gender, work experience, type of employment, education, field of study, history of retraining courses) and the second part assesses the knowledge of ambulance equipment according to the Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine/Equipment User Manual of Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education (fourth edition). The data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22 software and the significance level was set at 0.05. Results Most of participants had a bachelor's degree, were under permanent employment, and had a degree in nursing and emergency medicine. Their mean work experience was 9.84±6.41 years, and most of them had a history of participating in retraining courses. Their knowledge of ambulance equipment was at a good level. Kruskal-Wallis test showed that their knowledge level had a significant relationship with their type of employment (P<0.001). Conclusion It is necessary to increase the knowledge level of pre-hospital EMS personnel about ambulance equipment by holding short-term training courses and using simulation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Traumatic injuries have become a health problem worldwide, especially in low- to middle-income countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify predicting factors of death in adult severe multiple trauma patients. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 1397 adult multiple trauma patients referred to the emergency department (ED) of Poursina Hospital between June 2019 and August 2021. The demographic characteristics, on admission clinical parameters, laboratory tests, the need for packed red blood cell transfusion, and the need for endotracheal intubation were recorded. The revised trauma score (RTS) was calculated according to the physiological variables collected on admission to ED. The primary outcome was 1-day mortality after admission. Results: The mean age of subjects was 37.12 ± 13.61 (18--60) years, and 1250 (89.5%) subjects were male. The 1-day mortality was 339 patients (24.3%). Initial RTS score and the mean Glasgow coma scale (GCS) scores were significantly higher in the survived group than in the nonsurvived group (6.6 ± 1.2 vs. 4.9 ± 1.0, 10.2 ± 3.7 vs. 4.9 ± 2.4, P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis resulted in low GCS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.527, 95%CI 1.434-1625, P < 0.001), low O2 saturation (OR = 1.023, 95%CI 1.003-1.043, P = 0.022), and need for intubation in the ED (OR = 0.696, 95%CI 0.488-0.993, P = 0.046) as predictors of 1-day mortality. The area under the curves receiver operating characteristics of RTS and GCS scores to predict mortality were 0.853 (95% CI: 0.831-0.874) and 0.866 (95% CI: 0.846-0.887), respectively. Conclusion: Multiple factors associated with 1-day mortality were reduced GCS score, decreased oxygen saturation, and need for intubation in the ED. The RTS and GCS scores are good predictors of mortality survival in multiple trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In Iran, road traffic accidents were responsible for 14716 deaths in 2015. This study aimed to compare the initial resuscitation of traumatically injured patients to the internationally recognized ATLS standards. Materials and methods: As a cross-sectional study, 506 traumatically injured patients who were referred to the tertiary referral major trauma center in Poursina Hospital during the study period, were evaluated. All therapeutic interventions were compared to the ATLS standards. Data on mortality by demographic was compared to those in whom the ATLS standards were met and in those whom it was not met Results: Mean age of the patients was 37.37 ± 19.72 and motorcycle was the most common cause of accidents (40.9%). ATLS guideline interventions were completely performed in 18.2% of the patients in their primary hospital, and in rest of 414 cases (81.8%), ATLS algorithms were not fully carried out. The mortality rate was significantly higher in the second group: 10.86% vs 32.36%, respectively. Conclusion: Application of ATLS principles in multiple trauma patients can reduce the mortality rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hand hygiene is a significant strategy in preventing and controlling infections with a great impact on nosocomial infections and preventing microbial resistance. Objectives: The main goal of this study was to investigate the performance of medical interns in handwashing in the educational and medical centers of Guilan University of Medical Sciences. Patients and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, which was conducted in 2020 in Rasht city. The study population consisted of all medical interns. The handwashing was observed in medical interns after obtaining their permission and separately at a suitable time and place. They were given a grade based on a poster approved by the Ministry of Health of Iran. Results: A total number of 147 medical interns were enrolled in this study. We also found out that the mean score of study population in handwashing steps was 7.11± 1.97. The lowest rate of correct performance was for 5th (tying the fingertips and washing them) (32%), 8th (washing around the wrist) (49.7%) and 7th (washing the palm lines with the fingertips) (53.1%) steps. The performance score of female interns had a higher average than male interns (7.4 versus 6.8) (P = 0.028). Conclusion: Considering the importance of handwashing in preventing the transmission of diseases, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic and the repeated recommendations to wash hands properly as a simple and accessible way to prevent further transmission of the virus, the review of the awareness and practice of medical interns about the handwashing seems to be critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Falling into water and drowning is one of the preventable events resulting in neurological damages and death due to hypoxia and ischemia in children and adolescents. This epidemiological study aimed at investigating drowning cases among children and adolescents rescued by the Guilan's EMS from 2016 to 2017. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 160 cases of drowning were rescued by EMS. A checklist including age, sex, the location of drowning (river, swimming pool, out of designed zone at beach, among others), the status of patient (inpatient, outpatient, death) was filled out. The data were analyzed by SPSS 19, chi square and t-test. Results: Of all 160 cases of drowning in Guilan from 2016 to 2017, 74.3% were men and 25.6% women. The minimum and maximum age of drowned cases were 2 and 82 years old, respectively (mean age =27 years old). Most of the drowning cases (87.5%) occurred out of the patrolled areas of the beach. 8.7% of the victims were drowned in the rivers. Of all the recorded drowned cases, 16.8% died, 61.8% were hospitalized and 21.3% were outpatient. Conclusion: As the number of drowning cases has increased 7.7% in 2017 compared to 2016 and children under 5 years of age (1-5 years old) are among high risk groups of drowning, they should be focused for prevention strategies. Authorities in charge should prioritize the issues of controlling and prevention of such events for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most common cause of death or severe impairment in children older than one-year-old is traumatic brain injury (TBI). Assessing TBI in children with minor head trauma (MHT) using clinical findings from history-taking and a physical exam is crucial to minimizing unnecessary brain CTs and more accurately predicting TBI. We aimed to evaluate the findings of brain CT scans in children with mild head trauma and their relationship with clinical signs and symptoms to avoid unnecessary interventions in many children with MHT., Methods: This cross-sectional-analytical study was performed to evaluate the findings of brain CT scans in children with MHT and their relationship with clinical signs and symptoms that were referred to Poursina Hospital in Rasht in the first half of 2021. Children were divided into two age groups: under two years and 2-12 years, and analyzed separately. Initially, a list containing all demographic information, patients' clinical signs, and symptoms were prepared. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS software version 26., Results: According to the results, the mean age of patients was 66.01 months and 88 were boys (56.4%). The most common mechanism of injury was falling from a height. Most patients had isolated head injuries. Among the accompanying injuries, facial injuries were the most common. Among the clinical factors studied, cranial fracture on CT scan and GCS less than 15 were significantly associated with the occurrence of traumatic brain injury on CT scan. In addition, cranial fracture on CT scan, injury severity, and history of vomiting had the highest positive predictive value, respectively., Conclusion: Standard history and clinical examination are sufficient to identify high-risk cases of pediatric head injuries. GCS is the most important risk factor for pediatric MHT. Requesting a CT scan is not recommended without these risk factors., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2022.)

Background: There are no comprehensive and accurate statistics on epidemiology and clinical features, especially during the COVID-19 period. The present study tries to describe the pediatric traumas in a referral treatment center in northern Iran during the COVID-19 period and to compare the available statistics with the years before pandemics to examine the differences in the epidemiology of this event in our country., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 543 children under 15 years admitted to this hospital due to different types of traumas in the first six months of 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and the first six months of 2020 (coinciding with the peak of the pandemic). The information was retrospectively collected by reviewing the hospital recorded files and the trauma-specific hospital information system., Results: In total, 436 children were referred before the COVID-19 pandemic period and 107 within the pandemic outbreak. The peak age of patients admitted was 2 to 6 years (32.0%) and 70.5% were male. Most of the pointed children had normal weight. The most common mechanism of trauma before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was falling from a height (46.3% versus 42.1%), followed by road accidents (35.6% versus 36.4%). The overall prevalence of penetrating trauma was 6.9% and 9.3%. The most common body sites affected were the head and neck (32.1%) followed by extremities (before the COVID-19 period) and extremities (29.0%) followed by the head and neck (24.3%) (in the COVID-19 period). The overall rates of multiple trauma before and within the pandemic were also 35.6% versus 35.5%. In children aged 12 to 15 years, road accidents were more reported during the COVID-19 pandemic period (68.4% versus 50.9%) and contrarily falling from a height more before the pandemic (25.5% versus 0.0%). In children under two years of age, head and neck trauma was more reported before the COVID-19 period than in the COVID-19 period (55.6% versus 35.5%), while at this age, limb trauma was more common during the COVID-19 period than before (5.6% versus 20.8%) (P = 0.043). In lean children, abdominal and pelvic trauma were mainly seen in the COVID-19 period (28.6% versus 2.6%) (P = 0.035)., Conclusion: Referrals of children from traumatic injuries decreased during the COVID-19 period. However, the main differences in the mechanism of trauma and the type and severity of traumatic injuries to children in this period emphasize the provision of specific guidelines for trauma management in children., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2022.)

Background: Evidence suggests that referral cases of traumatic injuries have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic both in childhood and in adulthood. Still we have very little evidence of referrals due to traumatic brain injury among children during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present study aimed to describe epidemiological and clinical features of pediatric traumatic brain injuries., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on all patients under 15 years with any evidence of head trauma, referring to Poursina teaching hospital, a referral center for trauma and road accidents in northern Iran. The patients' data were retrospectively collected by reviewing the hospital recorded files and the trauma-specific hospital information system., Results: Of all 543 pediatric traumatic injuries referred to our hospital during the two pointed periods, 166 had any evidence of head and neck injuries leading to an overall prevalence rate of 30.6%. In this regard, the prevalence rate of head/neck injuries was estimated to be 140 out of 436 within a pre-COVID-19 period (32.1%) and 26 out of 107 within the COVID-19 period (24.3%) indicating no significant difference between the two time periods (P = 0.243). However, assessing the rate of head/neck injuries pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods according to patients' age showed a higher rate of such injuries in pre-COVID-19 as compared to COVID-19 periods in patients aged less than two years (55.6% versus 37.5%, P = 0.013) as well as aged 2 to six years (45.8% versus 30.0%, P = 0.036)., Conclusion: The rate of admission of children due to traumatic brain injury during the COVID-19 period does not show a significant change compared to before, and only in children under 6 years of age a decrease in referrals due to brain trauma during the COVID-19 period was observed., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2022.)

Background: Seizure and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities are of the most common complications of tramadol toxicity., Objective: This study aimed to show the prevalence and predictive value of various factors for ECG findings in patients with tramadol-induced seizures., Method: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 146 patients with tramadol-induced seizures referred to Poursina Hospital, Guilan, Iran, between June and November 2018 were enrolled. The clinical manifestations, such as blood pressure, respiratory rate, and pulse rate (PR), and ECG parameters, including PR interval, QRS duration, R wave in aVR lead, and corrected QT interval, were assessed. Appropriate statistical tests were used to analyze the data., Results: We showed that tramadol dose was significantly higher in patients with abnormal ECG findings compared with those with normal ECG pattern both upon admission (p = 0.001) and after 6 hours of admission (p = 0.001). The results found the predictive value of tramadol dose for abnormal ECG patterns upon admission (odds ratio (OR) 1.014, 95 percent CI 1.008 to 1.020) and 6 hours later (OR 1.008, 95 percent CI 1.003 to 1.013) in these patients. In addition, it was revealed that PR was a strong predictor of abnormal ECG findings in patients with tramadol-induced seizures upon admission (OR 1.085, 95 percent CI 1.038 to 1.134). Nevertheless, age only predicted abnormal findings 6 hours later (OR 1.104, 95 percent CI 1.019 to 1.195)., Conclusion: Tramadol dose, age, PR, and seizures frequency could be used as indicators of abnormal ECG findings in patients with tramadol-induced seizures., Key Points: The results of our study showed a high prevalence of sinus tachycardia, terminal S and R waves in aVR lead terminal S wave, and the combination of these abnormalities in this subset of patients.

Introduction: There are several studies on the angle of the femoral neck in different countries. It seems that data of diverse races might help the prediction of femoral neck fractures. The present study aimed to evaluate the femoral neck-shaft angle (FNSA) as a predictive factor of neck fracture in Iranian people., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the FNSA was measured using radiographs in 635 patients referred to Poursina Hospital in Rasht from September 2018 to October 2019. The body mass index (BMI) was calculated, age and sex of patients were recorded. Data were analyzed by SPSS. The level of statistical significance was adjusted to P<0.05., Results: According to the measured variables, gender, age, BMI and right FNSA are significant in the way that participants with normal BMI have higher FNSA. FNSA decreased with age and height. Obese people had lower FNSA than normal and overweight people. Comparison of left and right angles using the Wilcoxon test showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The right side FNSA was more than the left (59.94%). Only in 39.9%, the left FNSA was more than the right, and in 0.15% both were the same., Conclusion: The present cross-sectional study shows a significant relationship between BMI and FNSA. It is suggested that physician evaluates these parameters for prediction of fracture risk in individuals., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2021.)

Introduction: Ankle sprain is one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries that occur most commonly in the active and working population. Ottawa and Burns Laws are tools for physicians to determine the need for a radiograph of an ankle injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Ottawa and Bernese criteria in patients with torsion of the foot and the economical savings resulting from the application of these two criteria., Methods: This prospective study was designed to evaluate the two rules burns of Bernese and Ottawa and their economic savings were designed in two phases. They were referred to Poursina Medical Center, Rasht, Iran from September 2019 to the achieved sample size. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 24 (Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 21, Chicago, IL, USA)., Results: A total of 800 patients were included in this study to determine the accuracy of bronze and Ottawa criteria in ankle torsion and the economic cost of using them. Of the 800 patients studied, 430 (53.7%) were male and 370 (46.3%) were female, with a mean age of 35.77±16.42 years. The diagnostic accuracy of the Ottawa criteria is 90% and the diagnostic accuracy of the Bernese criteria is 90.75%. The sensitivity of the Ottawa evaluation method was 97.6% and the specificity was 88%. The sensitivity of Bernese evaluation method was 91% and specificity was 90.7%., Conclusion: Because of the higher sensitivity of the Ottawa criterion than the Bernese criteria, it is preferred to determine the probability of fracture for emergency unit personnel. Using these two methods can reduce the time, energy and cost of treatment for the patient during the treatment period., Competing Interests: None., (IJBT Copyright © 2021.)

Competing Interests: Hereby, the authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the present study.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are one of the most important causes of death in patients under the age of 25 years and is responsible for one third of total deaths caused by trauma. Therefore, knowing its epidemiologic pattern in different populations seems vital. Therefore, this study aims to examine the epidemiologic pattern of TBI in emergency department., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the profiles of 1000 patients affected by TBI were selected using simple random sampling. The examined variables in this study included demographic, season, mechanism of injury, accompanying injuries, level of consciousness, hospitalization duration, computed tomography (CT) scan results, needing surgery, admission to intensive care unit, and outcome of the patient. In the end, independent risk factors for the death of patients were determined., Results: 1000 patients suffering from were studied (81.8% male; mean age 38.5±21.7 years). The frequency of their referral to hospital in spring (31.4%) was more (p<0.01). 45.9% of the patients had a level of consciousness less than 9 based on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Subdural (45.9%) and epidural bleeding (23.7%) were the most common findings in CT scans in this study (p<0.001). Finally, 233 (23.3%) of the patients were dead. Over 60 years of age, falling and motorcycle accidents, intracranial hemorrhage accompanied by brain contusion, subdural bleeding, a GCS of less than 9, and the need to be admitted to intensive care unit were independent risk factors of death in TBI., Conclusion: Age Over 60 years, falling and motorcycle accidents, intracranial hemorrhage accompanied by brain contusion, subdural bleeding, a GCS of less than 9, and need to be admitted to intensive care unit were independent risk factors for the death in TBI patients.

Introduction: Hanging is one of the most commonly used way to commit suicide in many countries. This method used in suicide is considered a problem in Iran too, but no clear data exists regarding hanging in different regions or the country as a whole. Because of the epidemiologic differences in non-judicial hanging in different regions, this study aimed to assess it in Gilan province, Iran between 2011 and 2013., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, profiles of hanging cases registered in Poorsina hospital in Gilan, Iran between 2011 and 2013 were evaluated. Age, sex, marital status, place of residency, level of education, occupation, history of suicide, history of clinical illness, season of suicide and hanging outcome were evaluated., Results: 59 cases of hanging (mean age 31.4 ± 13.1 years and 83.0% male) were evaluated. 12 (20.34%) suffered from psychological disorders, and 9 (15.2%) confessed to substance abuse. 7 (11.9%) had a history of suicide attempts by hanging. Hanging was significantly higher in men (p<0.001), people with an education level of less than high school diploma (p=0.02) and the unemployed (p<0.05) patients. In the end, 20 (33.9%) of these attempts resulted in death., Conclusion: The results of this study showed that in 2 years, 59 cases committed suicide by hanging themselves, 33.9% of which finally died. Committing suicide by hanging was significantly more prevalent in men, people with an education level of less than high school diploma and the unemployed.

Introduction: According to the high incidence of Bell's palsy (IFP) and lack of clinical data regarding different aspects of disease, the present study investigated 121 Iranian patients with peripheral facial paralysis referred to the emergency department., Methods: In this retrospective study, all patients with peripheral facial paralysis, referred to the emergency department of Poursina hospital, Rasht, Iran, from August 2012 to August 2013, were enrolled. For all patients with diagnosis of Bell's palsy variables such as age, sex, occupation, clinical symptoms, comorbid disease, grade of paralysis, and the severity of the facial palsy were reviewed and analyzed using STATA version 11.0., Results: 121 patients with peripheral facial paralysis were assessed with a mean age of 47.14±18.45 years (52.9% male). The majority of patients were observed in the summer (37.2%) and autumn (33.1%) and the recurrence rate was 22.3%. The most common grades of nerve damage were IV and V based on House-Brackman grading scale (47.1%). Also, the most frequent signs and symptoms were ear pain (43.8%), taste disturbance (38.8%), hyperacusis (15.7%) and increased tearing (11.6%). There were not significant correlations between the severity of palsy with age (p= 0.08), recurrence rate (p=0.18), season (p=0.9), and comorbid disease including hypertension (p=0.18), diabetes (p=0.29), and hyperlipidemia (p=0.94). The patients with any of following symptoms such as ear pain (p<0.001), taste disturbance (p<0.001), increased tearing (p=0.03), and Hyperacusis (p<0.001) have more severe palsy., Conclusion: There was equal gender and occupational distribution, higher incidence in fourth decade of life, higher incidence in summer and autumn, higher grade of nerve damage (grade V and VI), and higher incidence of ear pain and taste disturbance in patients suffered from IFP. In addition, there was significant association between severity of nerve damage and presence of any simultaneous symptoms.