Mojtaba Heydari; Behnam Dalfardi; Mahdie Hajimonfarednejad; Mohammad Hashem Hashempur
Volume 11, Issue 4 , October 2023, , Pages 200-201
Abstract
This paper offers a historical exploration of how death was diagnosed in Persian medicine, highlighting the evolution of diagnostic criteria and the contributions of key scholars. In the post-medieval era, defining death and establishing diagnostic criteria underwent significant development, albeit with ...
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This paper offers a historical exploration of how death was diagnosed in Persian medicine, highlighting the evolution of diagnostic criteria and the contributions of key scholars. In the post-medieval era, defining death and establishing diagnostic criteria underwent significant development, albeit with ongoing debates. Notably, medieval Persian scholars, such as Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi, played a crucial role in this discourse. Qutb al-Din al-Shirazi, a prominent Persian polymath, synthesized earlier knowledge to provide a comprehensive set of diagnostic criteria for death in traditional Persian medicine. These criteria encompassed physical examinations like assessing nail shininess, feeling pulsatile vessels in specific areas, observing pupillary reactions to light, and even monitoring the movement of a thread near the mouth and nose. His mention of the pupillary light reflex is one of the earliest known references to this phenomenon in medical history. Medieval Persian practices also involved placing a water container on the chest of the individual to detect the absence of chest wall motion associated with respiration as a sign of death. Furthermore, scholars like Ibn-e Sina (Avicenna) stressed the importance of monitoring pulse and respiration as vital signs, especially when administering potentially lethal drugs. In cases of uncertain diagnosis, such as stroke, medieval Persians postponed burials for up to three days. These historical insights provide a fascinating glimpse into the evolving understanding of death in Persian medicine and the intricate methods used for its diagnosis.
Shahram Paydar; Behnam Dalfardi; Bardia Zangbar-Sabegh; Hossein Heidaripour; Leila Pourandi; Alireza Shakibafard; Mehdi Tahmtan; Leila Shayan; Mohammad Hadi Niakan
Volume 6, Issue 1 , January 2018, , Pages 26-30
Abstract
Objective: To determine the predictive value of repeated abdominal ultrasonography in patients with multiple trauma and decreased level of consciousness (LOC).Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted over a six-month period at Shahid Rajaee Trauma Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. We included ...
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Objective: To determine the predictive value of repeated abdominal ultrasonography in patients with multiple trauma and decreased level of consciousness (LOC).Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted over a six-month period at Shahid Rajaee Trauma Hospital, Shiraz, Iran. We included hemodynamically stable blunt abdominal trauma patients with a decreased LOC (Glasgow Coma Scale ≤ 13) who were referred to the neurosurgery ICU ward. Included cases underwent 1 contrast-enhanced CT scan and two-time ultrasonographic study of the abdomen with an interval of 48 hours. The diagnostic accuracy of the ultrasonography was determined according to the CT-scan results.Results: Overall 80 patients with mean age of 37.75 ± 18.67 years were included. There were 17 (21.3%) women and 63 (78.8%) men among the patients. Compared with the CT-Scan, the first ultrasonography showed a sensitivity of 60%, specificity of 80%, PPV of 16.60%, NPV of 96.80%, and a diagnostic accuracy of 70%. The same values for the second ultrasonographic study were 80%, 79%, 20%, 98%, and 79%, respectively. In 4 (5%) patients whose first ultrasonography and CT scan results were negative, the second ultrasonography was positive for injury.Conclusion: In patients with blunt trauma to the abdomen, when the only indication of abdominal CT scan is a decreased LOC, two ultrasonographic studies can replace a CT imaging.
