Chest infections claim 4 lives in Islamabad

Islamabad :Chest infections including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which are not given due attention by individuals and a number of clinicians in local set-ups claimed as many as four lives at one of the public sector hospitals of the federal capital in last one week.

In this region of the country, winter season has almost set in and the number of cases of chest infections including both upper and lower respiratory tract infections along with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is on the rise.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Sunday has revealed that Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences received as many as 270 patients with serious chest infections last week of which 34 were hospitalized for treatment while 11 were with complaints of ARDS.

The chest infections and ARDS claimed four lives at PIMS last week, said Senior Consultant Intensive Care Medicine at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Dr. Muhammad Haroon while talking to ‘The News’.

He added that ARDS is an unrecognized, under diagnosed and frequently missed disease that when gets severe, has a mortality rate of 40 to 60 per cent in USA and 60 to 80 per cent in Pakistan even after best treatment in an intensive care unit. However, outside ICU the mortality remains 100 per cent in moderate to severe ARDS, he said.

Studies reveal that ARDS occurs when fluid builds up in the tiny, elastic air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs. The fluid keeps your lungs from filling with enough air, which means less oxygen reaches your bloodstream. This deprives your organs of the oxygen they need to function.

Symptoms of ARDS can vary in intensity, depending on its cause and severity, as well as the presence of underlying heart or lung disease. They include severe shortness of breath, labored and unusually rapid breathing, low blood pressure, confusion and extreme tiredness and fatigue.

According to Dr. Haroon, as many as 32 patients out of a total 65 patients of ARDS reported at PIMS died of the syndrome in 2016 while in 2015, 68 died of ARDS out of total 103 patients reported at PIMS.

In 2014, PIMS received a total of 82 patients with ARDS of which 56 could not survive while in 2013, the syndrome claimed 43 lives at PIMS and the total patients of ARDS reported at PIMS were 69, said Dr. Haroon. However, he added, that among the patients died of ARDS in PIMS in last four years, many were not having chest infections instead they were suffering from Sepsis, Burns, Trauma, pancreatitis etc.

He added majority of cases still occurred in winters in patients with chest infections. The most important factor among survivors was the early recognition and early diagnosis with early intubation and early ICU admission, he said.