Displaying publications 21 - 25 of 25 in total

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  1. Saleem Z, Hassali MA, Godman B, Versporten A, Hashmi FK, Saeed H, et al.
    Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther, 2020 09;18(9):897-910.
    PMID: 32394754 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2020.1767593
    Introduction: In view of increasing concerns with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the World Health Organization (WHO) instituted a Global Action Plan (GAP) to address this. Area covered: One of the strategies to achieve the goals of GAP is to conduct regular surveillance of antimicrobial use through point prevalence surveys (PPS). In this review, PubMed, EBSCO, Proquest, Cinahl, and Scopus were searched for PPS of antimicrobial use published in English between January 2000 and December 2019. After systematic database screening of 2,893 articles, 60 PPS met the inclusion criteria and consequently were incorporated in this systematic review. Expert opinion: This review highlighted that most of the PPS were conducted in upper-middle and high-income countries. Prevalence of antimicrobial use was significantly higher in non-European hospitals compared with European hospitals. The domination of third-generation cephalosporin and fluoroquinolones use across all the regions suggests substantial use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials across countries. Among all identified regions around the world, India was the region where the highest use of antimicrobials was observed. Although PPS is a useful tool to assess the pattern of antimicrobial use and provides a robust baseline; however, a standardized surveillance method is needed. In order to optimize antimicrobial use, more efforts are required to improve antimicrobial use.
  2. Kumar N, Sheikh Ghadzi SM, Rajpoot PL, Thanganadar H, Hashmi FK, Noor A, et al.
    J Infect Dev Ctries, 2024 Feb 29;18(2):177-187.
    PMID: 38484345 DOI: 10.3855/jidc.18313
    INTRODUCTION: Hypertension significantly contributes to the severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. It has also been a risk factor for prolonged hospitalization and the need for intensive care. However, the data is still evolving. Therefore, this study investigated the predictors of mortality among hypertensive COVID-19 patients.

    METHODOLOGY: A single-center cohort study was performed at Indus Hospital and Health Network, Karachi, Pakistan, between April 1, 2021, and October 31, 2021. This study included 333 hospitalized hypertensive COVID-19 patients and evaluated their clinical characteristics and survival outcomes. A multivariate logistic regression model was applied in IBM SPSS 27.0 to determine the predictors of mortality.

    RESULTS: The majority of patients were females (54.7%), the median age was 62 [55-70] years, with co-existing diabetes (56.5%) and severely ill (52.6%). The independent predictors of mortality identified were age ≥ 65 years (aOR 20.89, 95% CI, 5.81-75.15; p < 0.001), pulse rate (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.63; p = 0.006), serum creatinine (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.11-1.63; p = 0.002), use of antibiotics (aOR 3.40, 95% CI 1.29-8.98; p = 0.014)), corticosteroid (aOR 49.68, 95% CI 1.83-1350.31; p = 0.020), and who needed high flow oxygen supply (aOR 13.08, 95% CI 1.70-100.54; p < 0.001), non-invasive mechanical ventilation (aOR 229.01, 95% CI 29.30-1789.71; p < 0.001) and invasive mechanical ventilation (aOR 379.54, 95% CI 36.60-3935.87; p < 0.001).

    CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that older age, elevated pulse rate, serum creatinine, use of antibiotics and corticosteroids, and the need for mechanical ventilation predict mortality among hypertensive COVID-19.

  3. Kumar N, Syed Sulaiman SA, Hashmi FK, Noor A, Ahmad R, Qureshi A, et al.
    Cureus, 2024 May;16(5):e61356.
    PMID: 38947593 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61356
    Background Hypertension significantly contributes to the severity, prolonged hospitalization, the need for intensive care, and mortality of COVID-19 patients. However, the data is still evolving. This study investigated the predictors of severity among hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Methodology This cohort study included 333 hospitalized hypertensive COVID-19 patients at the Indus Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from April 2021 to October 2021. The study evaluated the clinical features, antihypertensive therapy, and predictors of severity. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was used to determine severity predictors using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0 (Released 2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results The majority of hypertensive COVID-19 patients were females (54.7%), aged <65 years (55.8%), and coexisted with diabetes mellitus (56.5%). The independent predictors of severity were male (aOR 2.65, 95% CI, 1.08-6.51; p < 0.033), fever (aOR 3.52, 95% CI, 1.24-9.92; p = 0.017), shortness of breath (aOR 4.49, 95% CI, 1.73-11.63; p = 0.002), oxygen saturation (<90%) (aOR 87.39, 95% CI, 19.15-398.75; p < 0.001), and D-dimer (>0.5 mcg/ml) (aOR 3.03, 95% CI, 1.19-7.71; p = 0.020). Conclusions Our study concluded that males with fever before admission, shortness of breath, lower oxygen saturation, and elevated D-dimer are the predictors of severity among hypertensive COVID-19 patients.
  4. Saleem Z, Faller EM, Godman B, Malik MSA, Iftikhar A, Iqbal S, et al.
    Med Access Point Care, 2021 12 16;5:23992026211064714.
    PMID: 36204499 DOI: 10.1177/23992026211064714
    Background: Antibiotics are losing their effectiveness because of the rapid emergence of resistant bacteria. Unnecessary antimicrobial use increases antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There are currently no published data on antibiotic consumption in Pakistan at the community level. This is a concern given high levels of self-purchasing of antibiotics in Pakistan and variable knowledge regarding antibiotics and AMR among physicians and pharmacists.

    Objective: The objective of this repeated prevalence survey was to assess the pattern of antibiotic consumption data among different community pharmacies to provide a baseline for developing future pertinent initiatives.

    Methods: A multicenter repeated prevalence survey conducted among community pharmacies in Lahore, a metropolitan city with a population of approximately 10 million people, from October to December 2017 using the World Health Organization (WHO) methodology for a global program on surveillance of antimicrobial consumption.

    Results: The total number of defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed per patient ranged from 0.1 to 50.0. In most cases, two DDDs per patient were dispensed from pharmacies. Co-amoxiclav was the most commonly dispensed antibiotic with a total number of DDDs at 1018.15. Co-amoxiclav was followed by ciprofloxacin with a total number of 486.6 DDDs and azithromycin with a total number of 472.66 DDDs. The least consumed antibiotics were cefadroxil, cefotaxime, amikacin, and ofloxacin, with overall consumption highest in December.

    Conclusion: The study indicated high antibiotic usage among community pharmacies in Lahore, Pakistan particularly broad-spectrum antibiotics, which were mostly dispensed inappropriately. The National action plan of Pakistan on AMR should be implemented by policymakers including restrictions on the dispensing of antimicrobials.

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