Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
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Ceftriaxone is one of the most common empirical antibiotics prescribed at emergency rooms in Thailand. Inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics have been frequently reported. The authors aimed to study factors that determine the appropriateness ofceftriaxone usage at an emergency room ofa university hospital in Thailand. ⋯ Proportion of appropriate use of ceftriaxone is fair. As assessed by established criteria, clinical suspicion of infection was associated with appropriateness of ceftriaxone usage for empirical treatment in an emergency room setting. Interventions to improve appropriateness of ceftriaxone prescription should focus on these factors.
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Good pain management can improve the outcome of patient care after cardiac surgery. The intensity of pain after cardiac surgery is often underrated. Inadequate pain control can result in increased morbidity and length of hospital stay as well as lead to chronic pain. Therefore, the authors conducted a study to identify the prevalence and risk factors of moderate to severe pain after cardiac surgery including treatment and complication. ⋯ The prevalence of moderate to severe pain in the present study was high and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass was the only factor affected Still, most patients were satisfied with the pain treatment.
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Urinary tract infection (UTI) is frequentlyfound in family physician clinics. The present study was designed to assess the reliability of a leukocyte esterase urine dipstick test in detecting UTI. ⋯ Pyuria can be used to detect UTI instead of urine culture due to its significant incidence. In the present study, the presence of pyuria had a higher specificity (60.9%) compared to the dipstick test (44.2%). However the significantly positive dipstick and pyuria results make the combined test more useful than the single test, and there is a statistically significant correlation between the dipstick test (leukocyte esterase) and the microscopic examination (p< 0. 001). Therefore, the dipstick test (leukocyte esterase) can be used as a diagnostic tool in detecting UTI cases.