Objectives: This is a descriptive study to determine the origin of abnormal obturator arteries, the drainage of abnormal obturator veins, and if any anastomoses exist between these abnormal vessels in Filipino cadavers. Methods: A total of 54 cadaver halves, 50 dissected by UP medical students and 4 by UP Dentistry students were included in this survey. Results: Results showed the abnormal obturator arteries arising from the inferior epigastric arteries in 7 halves (12.96%) and the abnormal communicating veins draining into the inferior epigastric or external iliac veins in 16 (29.62%). There were also arterial anastomoses in 5 (9.25%) with the inferior epigastric artery, and venous anastomoses in 16 (29.62%) with the inferior epigastric or external iliac veins. Bilateral abnormalities were noted in a total 6 cadavers, 3 with both arterial and venous, and the remaining 3 with only venous anastomoses. Conclusion It is important to be aware of the presence of these abnormalities that if found during surgery, must first be ligated to avoid intraoperative bleeding complications.
Pelvis

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and microbiological profile and factors affecting outcome among pediatric febrile neutropenic (FN) patients with hematologic malignancies (HM) Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study which looked into medical records of Filipino children 0-18years old diagnosed with FN and HM and admitted from June 2016 up to June 2022 at the St. Luke’s Medical Center, Quezon City (SLMC-QC). Data on age, sex, underlying malignancy, stage of treatment, site of infection, presence of central line, initial antibiotic therapy, culture positivity and isolates were retrospectively evaluated. Incomplete records were excluded. The relationship between clinical & microbiologic profile and outcomes were analyzed using T-test and Chi-square test. Significance was set at p<0.05. Results This study included 267 episodes of FN. Patients had a mean age of 8.3 years with male preponderance (59%). The most frequent underlying malignancy was acute lymphoblastic leukemia (61%). Episodes occurred primarily during the induction (40%) and consolidation phases (28%) of chemotherapy. Most (65%) had an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) of <100/mm3 . Central line catheter was present in 59% of episodes and 52% had an implanted port. There was no identifiable focus of infection in 52% of cases. Gram-negative bacteria, specifically Klebsiella pneumoniae (13%) and Escherichia coli (11%) were the most common isolates. Most patients (88%) recovered. Age >10years, male sex, diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia, relapse disease, ANC <100/mm3 , presence of a central line, and central line associated bloodstream infection were significantly associated with duration of hospital stay. Presence of central venous line was the most significant factor associated with mortality. Conclusions: Several clinical and microbiological factors, specifically age >10years, male sex, diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia, relapse disease, ANC <100/mm3 , presence of a central line, and central line associated bloodstream infection, were documented to significantly affect outcome in Filipino pediatric FN patients with HM.
Febrile Neutropenia ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Leukemia

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to afflict nations worldwide. The Philippines is no exception which has recorded more than 3 million cases as of December 2021 with children comprising 12% of total cases. Since the start of the pandemic, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines (PIDSP) has been collecting data nationwide, through an online pediatric COVID-19 registry (SALVACION registry), to provide a better understanding of COVID-19 in children in the local setting. Methods: This was an ambispective cohort study of pediatric COVID-19 cases in the Philippines reported from March 2020 to December 2021. Data on clinical features, laboratory findings, disease severity, and treatment outcomes were voluntarily reported by physicians across the country. This study was approved by the Department of Health Single Joint Research Ethics Board. Results: As of December 30, 2021, there were 2,127 cases reported in the registry, with a median age of 5 years (interquartile range: 1-13 years) and mostly mild (41.9%) or moderate (24.5%) in severity. The top symptoms reported were fever (57.9%), cough (42.7%), coryza/colds (29.4%), anorexia (25.2%), and difficulty of breathing (23.1%). The most common comorbidities were hematologic-oncologic diseases (7.4%), neurologic diseases (7.0%) and surgical conditions (4.4%), while the most common coinfections were sepsis (6.3%), dengue fever (4.8%) and healthcare-associated pneumonia (2.1%). Significantly higher median CRP, procalcitonin, D-dimer, ferritin, transaminases and lactate dehydrogenase were seen among severe/critical cases compared to non-severe cases. There was a high frequency of antibiotic use (58%). Most cases recovered, although 172 deaths were reported with an 8.6% case fatality rate. The most common comorbidities in those who died were neurologic (15.7%), cardiac (12.8%) and hematologic (11.6%) diseases. Conclusion Children across all age groups are susceptible to COVID-19 and most cases are mild or moderate in severity. Among severe and critical cases, the most common comorbidities were neurologic, hematologic-oncologic and cardiac diseases. Most patients recovered with supportive management.
COVID-19 ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Child ; Registries ; Philippines

Background: Antimicrobials are drugs that are often misused and inappropriate antimicrobial prescribing often results in poor clinical outcome and drug resistance. Monitoring and regulation of antimicrobial use is currently being done by the Department of Health through the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Program. There is a need to determine the factors that affect successful implementation of an AMS program in private hospitals in the Philippines. This study was conducted to identify the enablers and potential barriers in implementing an AMS program in nine (9) private hospitals. Methodology: A concurrent mixed methods design was used to assess various stakeholders’ (physicians, administrators, other AMS members) perceptions of existing or proposed AMS programs, and to identify barriers and enablers in their implementation. Quantitative data were collected using self-administered survey questionnaire to assess clinician’s acceptance of AMS programs. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured one-on-one interviews of clinicians and other AMS personnel and focus group discussions (FGD) of selected clinician groups. Data were gathered from October 2018 to October 2019. Results: 409 clinicians were surveyed, 52 were interviewed and 46 sat for 13 sessions of FGDs. Overall, the survey established that physicians were well aware of antimicrobial resistance problem. Majority of the clinicians indicated general agreement with the currently practiced antimicrobial protocols in their hospitals and with the AMS program. However, there were disagreements in perceptions with how antimicrobial restrictions impair prescribing practices and overuse of the same. These responses were strong points of discussion during the Key Informant Interviews (KII) and FGDs. All respondents were amenable with the institutionalization of an AMS program in their hospitals. The hospital leadership’s commitment was determined to be the key enabler of a successful AMS program’s implementation. Barriers identified for hospitals with existing AMS programs were: lack of dedicated staff, resistance and/or non-cooperation of physicians, lack of support from non-medical departments, and inadequate cooperation between hospital personnel. Barriers identified, regardless of the status of the AMS programs were: deficiency in knowledge with developing and implementing an AMS program, inadequate information dissemination, unavailability of an IT-based monitoring for antibiotic use, and the influence of pharmaceutical companies on stakeholders with regards to antimicrobial use. Conclusion Similar enablers and barriers to a successful implementation of an AMS program were seen in the different hospitals. A hospital leadership’s commitment was determined to be the key enabler. The success or failure of any AMS program appears to depend on physician understanding, commitment and support for such a program. By involving the main players in an AMS program- the hospital administrators, clinicians and other key members, perceived barriers will be better identified and overcome, and enablers will help allow a successful implementation of an AMS program. This multi-center study was funded by Philippine Council on Health Research and Development ( PCHRD) and Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines ( PIDSP) and was conducted by the PIDSP Research Committee.
Physicians ; Multicenter Studies as Topic