Medicine
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This repository contains the published and unpublished research of the Faculty of Medicine by the staff members of the faculty
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Item Tobacco industry targeting political giants in Sri Lanka: Presidential candidates 2019(EUEP European Publishing, 2021) Kandeepan, S.; Perera, C.; Wijesuriya, H.; Dias, I.S.; Periyannan, D.; Perera, K.M.N.; Rajasuriya, M.INTRODUCTION: The presidential election to elect the 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka was held on November 2019. Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC), a subsidiary of British American Tobacco (BAT), holds the monopoly of manufacturing and selling cigarettes in Sri Lanka, which has a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship under the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act. OBJECTIVES: To explore tobacco industry (TI) engagements of the 2019 presidential election candidates. METHODS: Investigative research techniques were used. Key informant interviews, news reports, online content, industry reports and community-level documentary evidence were used. A deductive data analysis approach was used based on the themes ‘type of engagement’, ‘TI investment’ and ‘potential impact’. RESULTS: All three top ranked candidates depicted a positive result. Two had a history of direct engagement with the CTC and the other declared support for beedi industry during the election campaign. The engagements of the candidate who was a former Defence Secretary included accepting sponsorships to construct police stations and Army welfare shops. Police are one of the authorized officers of the NATA Act and Sri Lanka Army distributed tax free cigarettes for its soldiers until recent past. The candidate who was a former Agriculture Minister accepted CTC sponsorships for renovation of water reservoirs. CTC cultivates almost all tobacco they need for manufacturing cigarettes and is accused of exploiting the Sri Lankan farmers during the process. One candidate was the guest of honour of the opening ceremony of a pilgrim’s rest in a Buddhist shrine constructed with CTC sponsorship (around 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhists). All TI engagements of these leading politicians received positive media coverage. CONCLUSION(S): TI engaging main political figures in Sri Lanka has potential to cause serious policy implications, thus, highlights the need for a national policy for implementation of the FCTC Article 5.3.Item Reducing the public health expenditure through a surgical method that facilitates early mobilization of lower limb burns(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2017) Perera, C.; Hajith, Z.M.; Mahendra, B.A.G.G.INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: Grafted skin in the conventional way tends to contract towards the midline bridging across the joints. Prolonged immobilization following skin grafting promotes contracture across the joints. In the advanced graft orientation technique (AGOT) devised by the Burns Unit of the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (BU-NHSL), the graft is orientated in a tension free direction. This method does not require prolonged splinting or immobilization. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of graft orientation on early mobilization and prevention of contracture in lower limb (LL) burn patients. METHODS: A total of 61 patients treated with AGOT for LL burns at BU-NHSL (study group-SG) were compared with 21 patients who were primarily treated with conventional skin grafting for LL burns at local hospitals and referred for reconstruction at BU-NHSL (control group-CG). Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and range of motions (ROM) of involved joints were measured one year following the date of burn in the SG. These were measured prior to reconstructive surgery in the CG. Comparison was done using independent t-test. RESULTS: Mean value of VSS in the SG and the CG were 2.8889 (SD+1.65878) and 9.4074 (SD+3.21366) respectively. Spared normal joint ROM was seen in 95.6% of the SG. 100% in the CG had reduced joint ROM. CONCLUSION: AGOT has a lesser possibility of contracture across the grafted joints. Lower VSS value in the SG suggests that the quality of grafted skin is closer to normal skin. This technique is beneficial in low and middle income countries where access to specialized burn rehabilitation and health budget is limited.Item Microbiology of hand towels on surgical wards.(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 1998) Deen, K.I.; Welgama, V.; Perera, C.INTRODUCTION : Frequent ablution followed by hand drying is recommended in surgical wards as prophylaxis against cross infection. It is recommended that hands are dried using " clean" towels. Aim : This study was designed to evaluate the microbiological flora of towels routinely used for hand drying in surgical wards at General Hospital Ragama. METHODS : Fifteen towels which were in use from 15 wards visited on a single occasion were sampled using a sterile microbiological swab (one swab per towel). Each towel was sampled on both sides and at 20-24 randomly chosen sites. Four laundered towels were also sampled in a similar manner prior to use in the wards. Specimens were transported in brain heart infusion and plated on culture media within 2 hours. RESULTS : All towels used in the wards compared with none of the laundered towels revealed either mild or moderate growth of micro-organisms, (test of proportions P -0.00025 Organisms isolated number of towels were Acinetobacter species (10 ). Enterococcus species (14), Bacillus species (5) , Klcbsiella species (2), Staphylococcus aureus (2) and Escherichia coli species in one towel. Only one towel appeared clean. Fourteen appeared stained and visibly dirty to the naked eye. All 15 towels were damp. All control towels appeared clean and dry. CONCLUSION : All towels sampled in this study were found to harbour micro-organisms. This may contribute to cross infections on surgical wards. We believe, hand wiping using towels is unsafe-and suitable alternative methods should be sought.