Browsing by Author "Arikan, Huseyin"

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Are Pulmonologists Well Aware of Planning Safe Air Travel for Patients With Copd? the Safcop Study
(Dove Medical Press Ltd, 2019) Ergan, Begum; Arikan, Huseyin; Akgun, Metin
Background: Patients with respiratory diseases are more prone to health risks of air travel. Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the current knowledge and attitudes of Turkish pulmonary physicians for air travel in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Participants and methods: A questionnaire was developed and administered either by congress mobile phone application or by e-mail. A total of 242 physicians participated in the study (75 by mobile phone application and 167 through the e-mail). Results: Among participants, only 30.6% reported that they usually inform COPD patients about possible risks of air travel in their routine practice. A preflight assessment was performed by 61.2% of them and a fit to fly report was prepared by 34.3%. The most common methods/tests used for preflight assessment were reported as oxygen saturation with pulse oximetry, arterial blood gas analysis, and pulmonary function tests (51.2%, 50.8%, and 49.6%, respectively). When the participants were asked to plan safe air travel in two clinical case scenarios, only 16.2% were able to answer both cases correctly. Conclusion: This study shows that a standard approach for preflight assessment in patients with COPD is lacking and an active initiative is needed to increase awareness and education for fit to fly concept for COPD among pulmonologists.
Covid-19 Treatment at a Glance
(Aves, 2020) Arikan, Huseyin; Karadogan, Dilek; Akyil, Fatma Tokgoz; Yuksel, Aycan; Toreyin, Zehra Nur; Gurkan, Canan Gunduz; Akgun, Metin
As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads across the world, the ongoing clinical trials are leading to a big race worldwide to develop a treatment that will help control the pandemic. Unfortunately, COVID-19 does not have any known effective treatment with reliable study results yet. In this pandemic, there is not a lot of time to develop a new specific agent because of the rapid spread of the disease. The process of developing a vaccine is long and requires hard work. Although the pathophysiology of the disease is not fully understood, some of the proposed treatment alternatives are based on old evidence and some have been used with the idea that they might work owing to their mechanism of action. The efficacy, reliability, and safety of the currently available treatment alternatives are therefore a matter of debate. Currently, the main therapies used in the treatment of COVID-19 are antiviral drugs and chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine. Other proposed options include tocilizumab, convalescent plasma, and steroids, but the mainstay of the treatment in intensive care units remains supportive therapies.
Exploring Intensivist Involvement: Patient Characteristics, Interventions and Outcomes
(Turkish Assoc Tuberculosis & Thorax, 2024) Arikan, Huseyin; Yeler, Ayvaz; Esen, Ramazan
Introduction: Intensivists play a critical role in the management of intensive care units (ICUs) and in providing high quality care. While international guidelines recommend intensivist staffing for improved patient outcomes, there is a shortage of qualified intensivists in many regions, including T & uuml;rkiye. This study aimed to assess the impact of introducing a full-time intensivist to a medical ICU on patient characteristics, outcomes, and ICU interventions. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from the Internal Medicine ICU at Van Y & uuml;z & uuml;nc & uuml; Y & imath;l University Dursun Odaba & scedil; Medical Center over two periods: Pre- and post-intensivist recruitment. The study included adult patients admitted to the ICU from February 2018 to January 2020. Patient demographics, reasons for ICU admission, APACHE -II and SOFA scores, ICU interventions, and outcomes were recorded and compared between the two periods. Results: Of the 868 patients admitted during the study period, 820 were included in the analysis. There were no significant differences in demographic characteristics between the pre- and post-intensivist periods. However, patients in the post-intensivist period had higher APACHE -II and SOFA scores. Intensive care units mortality rates were comparable between the two periods. The post-intensivist period saw increased use of invasive mechanical ventilation and non-invasive ventilation compared to the pre-intensivist period. Renal replacement therapy usage and enteral nutrition provision also increased in the post-intensivist period. ICU and hospital lengths of stay remained similar between the two periods. Conclusion: The introduction of a full-time intensivist to the medical ICU led to changes in ICU interventions, including increased use of mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy. Despite these changes, ICU mortality rates remained unchanged. Further research is needed to explore the longterm impact of intensivist staffing on patient outcomes in T & uuml;rkiye.
What We Learned About Covid-19 So Far? Notes From Underground
(Aves, 2020) Akyil, Fatma Tokgoz; Karadogan, Dilek; Gurkan, Canan Gunduz; Yuksel, Aycan; Arikan, Huseyin; Eyuboglu, Tugba Sismanlar; Akgun, Metin
The novel coronavirus pandemic poses a major global threat to public health. Our knowledge concerning every aspect of COVID-19 is evolving rapidly, given the increasing data from all over the world. In this narrative review, the Turkish Thoracic Society Early Career Taskforce members aimed to provide a summary on recent literature regarding epidemiology, clinical findings, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and control of COVID-19. Studies revealed that the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus showed significant identity to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor is an important target of the SARS-CoV-2 while entering an organism. Smokers were more likely to develop the disease and have a higher risk for ICU admission. The mean incubation period was 6.4 days, whereas asymptomatic transmission was reported up to 25 days after infection. Fever and cough were the most common symptoms, and cardiovascular diseases and hypertension were reported to be the most common comorbidities among patients. Clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic and mild disease to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Several patients showed typical symptoms and radiological changes with negative RT-PCR but positive IgG and IgM antibodies. Although radiological findings may vary, bilateral, peripherally distributed, ground-glass opacities were typical of COVID-19. Poor prognosis was associated with older age, higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, and high D-dimer level. Chloroquine was found to be effective in reducing viral replication in vitro. Likewise, protease inhibitors, including lopinavir/ritonavir, favipiravir, and nucleoside analogue remdesivir were proposed to be the potential drug candidates in COVID-19 management. Despite these efforts, we still have much to learn regarding the transmission, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19.