The Combined Military Hospital Lahore is the largest tertiary care teaching hospital operated by the Pakistan Army. Its primary function is to provide specialized medical treatment to Armed forces personnel, their dependents (immediate families), as well as the general public. It is headed by a Brigadier from the Army Medical Corps of the Pakistan Army.
Cervical cystic hygroma, or lymphatic malformation, is a rare congenital anomaly that can present as a life-threatening airway emergency in neonates. Prompt recognition and timely management are critical for survival. While surgical excision has traditionally been the mainstay of treatment, extensive lesions involving vital neck structures carry significant operative risks in the neonatal period. We report a full-term neonate presenting at birth with a giant cervical cystic hygroma causing airway compression and respiratory distress. Due to high surgical risk, emergency ultrasound-guided intralesional bleomycin sclerotherapy was performed, resulting in a marked reduction in lesion size. At the six-month follow-up, there was no recurrence. This case underscores the role of image-guided intralesional sclerotherapy as a safe, effective, and minimally invasive life-saving alternative for neonates with giant cervical cystic hygroma.
BACKGROUND:Comorbidities increase the risk of adverse outcomes from infections. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and outcomes of vaccine-preventable infections (VPI) in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients compared to the general population. METHODS:Using the 2016-2020 National Inpatient Sample database, we identified VPI hospitalizations and compared outcomes between ACHD patients and the general population. The primary study outcome was in-hospital mortality, with secondary outcomes including respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, acute liver failure, septic shock, cardiac arrest, length of stay, and total hospital charges. RESULTS:Of 647,440 patients hospitalized for VPI, 2610 (0.3%) had ACHD. After adjustment for baseline characteristics, ACHD patients had similar odds of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-1.98), respiratory failure (aOR 1.05, 95% CI 0.84-1.32), septic shock (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 0.66-1.60), and cardiac arrest (aOR 1.01, 95% CI 0.36-2.74), but higher odds of acute kidney injury (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.09-1.67) and acute liver failure (aOR 1.27, CI 1.01-1.60) compared to the general population. CONCLUSION:ACHD patients hospitalized for VPI have similar in-hospital mortality, but higher acute kidney injury and liver failure rates compared to the general population, highlighting the importance of vaccination in this vulnerable patient group.
Background The zoonotic orthopoxvirus illness Monkeypox (Mpox) is re-emerging. While historically characterized by a particular course of symptoms, current outbreaks have revealed a range of clinical signs and symptoms, particularly in terms of the onset of lesions as well as systemic prodrome Objective To explain the clinical characteristics, particular dermatological progression patterns as well as results of 6 patients with PCR confirmed Mpox to help doctors in early identification. Methods This case series was conducted at Department of Dermatology, Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore, where patients who tested positive for Mpox Virus by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) presenting between December 1, 2025 and January 31, 2026, were incorporated in the study. The data collected as well as analyzed included demographics, traveling history, sexual history, prodromal symptoms as well as lesion morphology, primary site, progression and clinical resolution. Results Primary lesions appeared in the genital and supra - pubic areas of all 6 male patients (mean age 27.1 years) in crops. Only 33 % (n=2) experienced fever before rash onset, indicating atypical prodromes. Inguinal lymphadenopathy was associated in 100% of cases (n=6), which was noteworthy. Over an average of 9 days, the lesions progressed from papulovesicular to typical umbilicated pustules with central crusting. Within 2.8 to 4 weeks, full clinical resolution had been attained. Conclusion The present global outbreak of Mpox is characterized by a "genital-first" pattern and highly variable prodromal symptoms, as evidenced by this particular case series. The 100% presence of inguinal lymphadenopathy within our cohort is a crucial diagnostic indicator, particularly when conventional symptoms such as pre-rash fever are not present. Clinicians must maintain a low index of suspicion and a low threshold for PCR assessment when encountering localized genital crops, irrespective of traveling history or febrile condition of the patient.
Background The contamination by microorganisms on the worktops of hospitals is a potential reservoir for hospital-acquired infections. Disinfectants based on lactic acid have emerged as the safer choice. Objective The objective of the study was to compare the in vitro activity of a lactic acid +2% sodium lauryl sulfate (4%), distilled water-based disinfectant and other commonly used disinfectants on isolated bacteria. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was done in a tertiary-level hospital from April to September 2020. Samples of micro flora of environmental surfaces were collected. The disinfectants were tested by adding 50 µl of test solutions on culture plates, determining the diameter of zones of inhibition. The WHO formula for single-proportion trials calculated power and sample size. At 95% confidence coefficient and accuracy of ±5%, the following sample size was calculated as 363. Results Out of 363 samples, bacterial contamination was detected on 244 (67.2%) and not blinked on 119 (32.8%). The prevalence of Gram-positive bacteria (56.1%) was higher than that of Gram-negative bacteria (43.9%). The most prevalent isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and were highly sensitive to alcohol, phenol and sodium hypochlorite (97%) and equally sensitive to lactic acid (94%). The pattern of susceptibility was also found to be common for all disinfectants to multiple organisms. Conclusion Lactic acid was found as an equally effective disinfectant as other disinfectants. Lactic acid is safe and can be useful in cleaning and infection control.
