Public Use of Complementary Medicine for Children in Saudi Arabia: A Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is growing among adults and children. Extensive data is available regarding the pattern and frequency of CAM used in adults in Saudi Arabia, but limited data is available for children. This study aims to examine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice about the use of CAM in the pediatric population in Saudi Arabia.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive study on the use of CAM in children was carried out in the general population of Saudi Arabia. Data was collected by non-probability consecutive sampling technique through an online-based questionnaire from 132 participants. In addition, data analysis was done using IBM's Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data collected consisted of socio-demographic details, knowledge, attitude, and practice of CAM in children.

RESULTS

CAM was reported in all 132 participants (100%), with 45% (N=59) using it without informing their physicians. The mean age of the children was 17 months old, 55.3% (N=73) children were males, and 44.7% (N=59) were females. The most common form of CAM used was herbal medicine, 91% (N=120), while alternative medicine was used in 16.7% (N=12) of the children. Honey was the most used herb (68.2%, N=90), followed by anise (65.2%, N=86), Zamzam water (holy water) (59.1%, N=78), and olive oil (56.8%, N=75).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of CAM is very common for children in the general population of Saudi Arabia, with herbal medication being the most common. This constitutes a dire need to regulate this field and provide enough information for the public and health care practitioners to provide the best health care. In addition, future awareness campaigns are needed to bridge the communication gap between parents and physicians and provide better information about the benefits and safety of CAM use.

Ectodermal Dysplasia: A Case Report

Ectodermal dysplasia (ED) is a hereditary genetic disorder that manifests a variety of deformities in one or more of the ectodermal derivatives. Ectodermal derivatives originate from ectodermal layers during embryonic development, such as skin, nails, hair, teeth, and exocrine glands. Over 150 variants of ED are reported in the literature. It has an incidence of seven in every 100,000 live births. There are two types of ED, which are hypohidrotic (anhidrotic) and hydrotic. The types are classified according to the degree of function of the sweat glands. This report discusses the case of a 13-month-old Saudi girl with typical features of ectodermal dysplasia who presented to a dermatology clinic.

Rapid Shallow Breathing Index as a Predictor of Extubation Outcomes in Pediatric Patients Underwent Cardiac Surgeries at King Faisal Cardiac Center

Introduction

Weaning patients of ventilation is an important step in the intensive care unit; therefore, assessing the perfect timing to do such critical action is of equal significance to prevent complications. Rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI) has been used as a prediction tool for weaning adult patients, but for pediatric patients it is still an area of unclarity. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to evaluate the RSBI as a predictor of extubation outcome in pediatric patients underwent cardiac surgery at King Faisal Cardiac Center from 2016 until 2019.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Faisal Cardiac Center on all extubated children having cardiac surgeries from 2016 to 2019 with excluding the patients who were admitted for causes other than cardiac surgery. Their age was ranged from birth until 14 years. Moreover, the patients were grouped based on the extubation outcomes into: success, success with non-invasive ventilation, or failure which was defined as reintubation within 48 hours after extubation. Regarding the collected data, three readings of RSBI on hourly basis prior to extubation were calculated by dividing respiratory rate (RR) over tidal volume (VT) with a correction based on the body weight.

Results

A total of 86 patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thirty (34.9%) patients were successfully extubated, 51 (59.3%) patients had successful extubation with the use of non-invasive ventilation, and only five (5.8%) patients suffered from extubation failure. Two-hour RSBI as a predictor of outcome had a P-value of 0.003, one-hour RSBI had a P-value of 0.01, RSBI at time of extubation had a P-value of 0.02. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is higher in extubation failure group with a p-value of 0.01.

Conclusion

This study suggests that pediatric patients who suffer from extubation failure usually have a higher RSBI measurement compared to the patients who have a successful extubation. The most significant RSBI measurements to predict the extubation outcome were recorded two hours prior to extubation. Our study also found that extubation failure patients could have higher MCV than the success group.