Dr. Nipa Singh

In recent years, a wide range of clinical infections are being caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is a matter of great concern, as carbapenem-resistant infections have fewer treatment options. The Enterobacterales comprises a large group of bacterial species commonly causing infections in healthcare settings. The most common bacteria are Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, which can cause both nosocomial and community-acquired infections. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii, in a tertiary care center in India. The study was conducted over a period of seven months, from May 2022 to November 2022. The specimens were processed at the Microbiology Laboratory of Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences- Pradyumna Bal Memorial Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Standard procedures were used to process the clinical specimens brought to the labor...

The primary goal of endodontic treatment in primary teeth is to eliminate infection, and to retain the tooth in a functional state until their normal exfoliation time without endangering the permanent dentition or the general health of the child. The complexity of the pulp canal system in primary teeth presents a discerning problem for chemo-mechanical preparation. One of the factors determining the success of endodontic treatment in infected primary teeth is the sealing material that should encompass among other factors a potent bactericidal effect and the capacity to resorb along with the roots of primary teeth. This study evaluated the antimicrobial effectiveness of 5 root canal filling materials and a negative control agent against 23 strains of bacteria isolated from infected root canals of primary molar teeth and 3 non standard bacterial strains using agar diffusion assay. The materials were Zinc oxide and Eugenol (ZOE), Zinc oxide-Eugenol and Formocresol (ZOE+FC), Calcium hyd...

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) has been creating havoc worldwide since the first report in December, 2019. Vaccination against the disease was thought to bring respite, reducing the severity of disease, morbidity and mortality. However, considering the fact that no vaccine is fully efficient, people may get COVID-19 even after full vaccination. Aim: To determine the clinical, laboratory, radiological features of COVID-19 including the outcome and compare these between vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. Materials and Methods: The prospective observational study was conducted in a dedicated COVID-19 hospital in Odisha, India, from May 2021 to June 2021. Detailed history including symptoms and vaccination status, laboratory parameters, and radiological investigations were collected from 200 patients. The cases were classified as mild, moderate and severe as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) guidelines. All the patients were followed till the end ...

BACKGROUND The Covid-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a public health challenge being faced by the world currently. International and national responses to combat the Covid-19 pandemic have been very prompt with the setting up of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals. In the state of Odisha, situated in the eastern part of India, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), set up the first dedicated Covid hospital of the state. This study intends to chronicle the clinical profile, radiological presentations, laboratory findings, and clinical outcome of patients admitted to the KIMS Covid hospital. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the clinical and laboratory data of patients admitted with Covid-19 diagnosis at the dedicated Covid-19 hospital from 5th April 2020 to 4th June 2020 was done. RESULTS A total number of 272 Covid-19 cases were included in this study. Majority of the patients were males (83.57 %) and most of the patients (79.0...

Background: COVID-19 continues to be a public health challenge in India. In a small proportion of cases, the disease manifests as severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) which can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiorgan failure. Objective: To describe the clinical course and outcome of critically ill patients who were provisionally diagnosed as COVID-19 pneumonia. Study design: It is a retrospective observational study of 42 critically ill COVID-19 cases out of 395 admitted in COVID Hospital-KIMS, Bhubaneswar, Odisha between 5th April and 31st may, 2020. Results: Majority of the patients were male (67%). Mean age among survivors was 50 years and among non survivors it was 63 years. Fever was more frequent as a symptom (87.5%) in non-survivors than survivors (76.47%). The time to admission to the critical care unit (CCU) from onset of symptoms was 5 days and duration of CCU stay was 5 days in case of non-survivors, which was higher in comparison to survi...

Introduction: Pyoderma, a commonly found skin disease among the general population in developing countries, is a challenge to the dermatologists due to its changing spectrum and antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Aim: To know the prevalence of different types of pyoderma, causative organisms, their antibiotic susceptibility with special reference to prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Materials and Methods: It was a prospective cross-sectional study which includes 402 clinically diagnosed cases of pyoderma who presented to the Department of Dermatology (both outdoor and indoor) from 15th May 2019-15th December 2019. Detailed history was taken and thorough clinical examination was done. Relevant investigations including bacterial culture and sensitivity were done. Descriptive statistics for both clinical and bacteriological characteristics were generated. Statistical comparison of categorical variables was undertaken using Chi-square test and a p-value o...

Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a multidrug resistant organism emerging as a major cause of hospital acquired infection. In a healthcare setup a patient may acquire MRSA through the hands, clothes and equipments of health care workers. Screening of health care workers colonised with MRSA will be helpful in preventing the spread of this organism in a hospital. With this background the present study was undertaken to estimate the carriage rate of MRSA among healthcare workers in our hospital.Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from 120 health care workers working in Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar during the study period of July- September 2017. The swabs were inoculated onto mannitol salt agar plates for isolation of Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA strains were identified by cefoxitin disc method. Antibiogram of MRSA strains was determined.Results: The prevalence of MRSA carriage among health care workers was 7.5% with the carri...

Resistance to common antibiotics is a matter of grave concern in treating infections in hospital settings especially in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). One of the most commonly used and effective group of antibiotics, cephalosporins, exhibit resistance due to production of Extended Spectrum Beta- Lactamases (ESBLs). The prevalence of ESBL producing () has increased throughout the world and is a major cause of treatment failure in ICUs. As per our knowledge studies were not available on the prevalence of ESBL producing in ICUs of this region. To determine the prevalence of ESBLs among isolates in ICUs of a tertiary care hospital. A cross sectional study was conducted over a period of 4 years (Sept 2011 to Sept 2015) in the Department of Microbiology, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar. Consecutive non-duplicate isolates of recovered from 6800 clinical samples of patients admitted to different Intensive Care Units (ICUs) were subjected to ESBL screening test and then to CLSI recommended Phenotypic Confirmatory Disc Diffusion Tests (PCDDT) for ESBL production determination. Out of 6800 samples, 1038 were isolates and 452(44%) were resistant to third generation cephalosporins. ESBL producing among them were 276 (61.1%). Paediatric ICU showed the highest prevalence of ESBL at 80.9%. The highest prevalence of ESBL was in urine samples (82.6%) followed by pus (9.8%). The most effective antibiotic for ESBL producers was imipenem (96.7% sensitive), followed by amikacin (88.4%) and piperacillin- tazobactum (87%). This study has highlighted the high prevalence of ESBL producing in the ICUs of our hospital. An in depth analysis of their antibiogram will be helpful in formulating the antibiotic policy and prevent spread of ESBL strains. It is recommended that ESBL testing should be done routinely to curtail antibiotic resistance and to effectively implement infection control measures.

This is an Accepted Article that has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication in the Clinical Microbiology and Infection, but has yet to undergo copy-editing and proof correction. Please cite this article as an “Accepted Article”; doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03570.x

This is an Accepted Article that has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication in the Clinical Microbiology and Infection, but has yet to undergo copy-editing and proof correction. Please cite this article as an “Accepted Article”; doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2011.03570.x