Browsing by Author "Hallak, Yusuf Omar"

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Cardiac Screening To Mitigate The Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Death In Middle Eastern And African Competitive Athletes. A Systematic Review
(2020) Hallak, Yusuf Omar; Battistin, Umberto
Objective: The study aims to review the literature regarding abnormalities predisposing to Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in young Middle Eastern and African competitive athletes between the years 2009e2019 and aims to assess cardiac pre-participation screening methods. Methods: A PubMed search was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search targeted articles that reported the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities found in Middle Eastern and African athletes, and it also focused on comparing cardiac screening methods for assessment of athletes. Results: our studies fell within the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Results identified a shortage in the literature regarding prevalence rates of SCD in the Middle East and Africa. Additionally, there seems to be a lack of ethnicity-specific cardiac pre-participation screening programs in the region. Nevertheless, the prevalence of SCDrelated abnormalities (HCM, ARVC, etc …) ranged from 0.47 to 4.29%. Included studies conveyed only male athletes with no reports on the female athletic population. Conclusion: The present study highlights a need to develop an efficient cardiac pre-participation screening program specific to Arab and African athletes due to their high false-positive rates in contrast to Caucasian athletes. Significant evidence proves that an adequate cardiac screening program can prevent SCD in young competitive athletes. Therefore, it is imperative that future studies highlight the prevalence of abnormalities directly related to SCD in order to create a valid screening program that can be implemented in the region to mitigate the risk of shocking events.
A Response to a Letter to the Editor Titled “Does the Stone We Throw Worth the Frog We Frightened? An Indirect Commentary”
(2022) Rivas, Homero; Hallak, Yusuf Omar; Karajeh, Osama
Abstract: This letter is a response to Yasemen Adali’s comment in our paper “Incidental Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) During Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Procedures: a Retrospective Study”. Obes Surg. 2021 Nov 10. https:// doi. org/ 10. 1007/ s11695- 021- 05770-7 by Hallak YO, Karajeh O, Rivas H, Helling K. (Continued…)
Subacute Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis following a Dental Procedure: Case Report and Review of the Literature
(2020) Battistin, Umberto; Hallak, Yusuf Omar
Objectives: Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis is a rare but serious condition. Despite increasingly effective treatment, the mortality and risk of long-term sequelae remains significant. The objective of this study is to describe the case of a 62 year old female presenting to a cardiovascular clinic with symptoms indicating an atypical subacute cavernous sinus thrombosis secondary to a dental procedure, and review the literature regarding cavernous sinus thrombosis following dental procedures and dental infections. Methods: The study design is a Case Report and Systematic Review. A PubMed literature search was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, and limited to studies published between 2015 and 2020 (April). Results: The case describes a 62 year old female with a 5 month history of left upper eyelid swelling, diplopia, chemosis, ptosis, and left sided cluster headache who was diagnosed with subacute cavernous sinus thrombosis treated with oral anticoagulation. The search strategy yielded a total of 15 titles, and of these, 9 were included in the qualitative synthesis. These demonstrated that cases of CST occur acutely, and clinical symptoms are variable, depending on the structures involved. Most cases are treated with IV antibiotics, and corticosteroids may be added. Anticoagulation therapy shows contradicting information regarding reduced mortality, but reduced morbidity is seen when used early and combined with antibiotics. Conclusion: Not all cases of CST present typically and acutely, so it is advisable to have a high clinical suspicion and obtain an MRV to rule out CST when stumbling upon ocular symptoms or infections in the danger triangle of the face following a dental procedure or infection. Despite the conflicting views on the benefits of anticoagulation in the setting of CST, the addition of oral anticoagulation yielded a positive outcome in our patient.