Prevalence of The Arterial Hand Dominance Using the Modified Allen Test and Pulse Oximetry among Plastic Surgery Patients

Background

The ulnar and radial arteries are the major source of blood supply in the hand, as they form the superficial and deep palmar arches. Arterial hand circulation is one of the most complicated arterial trees and connections in the body, with tremendous variations in its structure. This study aimed to evaluate whether the ulnar artery or radial artery is the dominant artery in hand circulation among plastic surgery patients at King Khalid University Hospital and to correlate the arterial hand dominance with handedness and gender.

Methods

This is an analytical cross-sectional study conducted at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on plastic surgery patients. The sampling method is purposive sampling. The calculated sample size is 28; however, 100 participants have been enlisted in the study. The data have been collected using the modified Allen test with a pulse oximeter.

Results

The collective prevalence of dual arterial dominance in our study was 69% compared with 56% and 30% for Little et al (P = 0.013) and Fuhrman et al (P < 0.001), respectively. With regard to gender, women were more likely to have a dual arterial blood supply than men, with the frequency values of 85% and 58.3% for women and men, respectively (P = 0.017).

Conclusions

Our study found that dual arterial supply is predominant among our participants, with 69% of our participants possessing a dual arterial supply, while 18% and 13% constitute the prevalence of radial and ulnar dominance, respectively. This contrasts with what has been reported previously in the literature.

The Relevance of Food Constituents to the Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Rome IV-Based Prevalence Study Among Medical Students

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Irritable bowel syndrome is prevalent in the general population. This study investigates the association between dietary intake and irritable bowel syndrome in medical college students at King Saud University besides its prevalence.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is an analytical cross-sectional study of 426 students (271 males and 155 females, age 21.21 ± 1.58 years) from 5 academic levels of King Saud University Medical College. A self-reported questionnaire for Rome IV criteria was completed by each participant. They also filled out a food frequency questionnaire to assess their nutritional intake.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome was 17.8% without correlation to age and academic year in Medical School. However, the prevalence was higher in females than in males (40/115 vs. 36/235, P = .001). The irritable bowel syndrome group consumed significantly more energy, carbohydrates, and saturated fatty acids, while the non-irritable bowel syndrome group consumed significantly more fibers and niacin (P < .001 and P = .005, respectively).

CONCLUSION

About 17.8% of medical students had irritable bowel syndrome with a greater prevalence in females. The irritable bowel syndrome group consumed significantly more energy, carbohydrates, and saturated fatty acids, while the non-irritable bowel syndrome group consumed significantly more fibers and niacin. Our results did not show any significant association between irritable bowel syndrome and fermentable oligosaccharide, disaccharide, monosaccharide, and polyol intake. Overall, both groups were not adhering to the Saudi dietary recommended intake.