Fayez Abillama - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Fayez Abillama

Introduction: Basic Life Support (BLS) is the rapid detection of cardiac arrest and the initial a... more Introduction: Basic Life Support (BLS) is the rapid detection of cardiac arrest and the initial adequate response to maintain adequate ventilation and circulation. Multiple studies around the world have shown that when used infrequently, BLS skills will deteriorate within 3 to 6 months after training, even though the theoretical knowledge was retained longer. We aim to identify differences in training and knowledge among different physician populations according to their age, specialty, and area of practice and provide areas of improvements. Methods: A multi-center prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 institutions around all areas of Lebanon from January 2017 to December 2019. A structured questionnaire adapted from pretest questionnaire that has been previously used in similar studies was implemented. Data Analysis was performed using the R software version 3.5.1. We used graphical boxplot representation of the data to demonstrate the distribution of our results. R...

international cardiovascular research journal, 2019

Intensive Care Medicine, 2021

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Background: Mucormycosis is a rare fatal infection caused by a ubiquitous fungus from the order o... more Background: Mucormycosis is a rare fatal infection caused by a ubiquitous fungus from the order of Mucorales, which can have varying clinical presentations. Immunocompromised patients are particularly susceptible to mucormycosis and can suffer fatal consequences if not treated adequately. COVID-19 infection with its immunomodulatory properties has been associated with a wide range of secondary bacterial and fungal infections. We present a case of rapidly progressive rhinocerebral mucormycosis post-COVID-19 infection with the subsequent development of several complications associated with the disease. Case Report: A 62-year-old male patient with a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, presented 14 days post-COVID-19 recovery with right facial swelling, erythema, and right eye proptosis. Throughout his disease, the patient developed blindness and cranial nerve palsies. He was also found to have palatal necrotic lesions, consistent with the diagnosis of mucormycosis. T...

Human Genetics

Phenotypic heterogeneity is often observed in patients with telomeropathies caused by pathogenic ... more Phenotypic heterogeneity is often observed in patients with telomeropathies caused by pathogenic variants in telomere biology genes. However, the roles of recessive variants in these different phenotypes are not fully characterized. Our goal is to describe the biological roles of a novel homozygous RTEL1 variant identified in a consanguineous Lebanese family with unusual presentation of telomeropathies. A proband was screened for germline variants in telomere biology genes by whole exome sequencing. Leukocytes’ telomere length was measured in the proband and eight relatives. We identified a novel homozygous p.E665K RTEL1 variant in the proband, his mother, and seven siblings that associated with telomere shortening and a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild unspecific findings to severe phenotypes. Consanguinity in at least three family generations led to increased frequency of the homozygous p.E665K variant in the youngest generation and progressive telomere shortening. The increased frequency of the homozygous RTEL1 variant due to consanguinity in this Lebanese family allowed us to infer novel behaviors of recessive RTEL1 variants, as the expressivity and penetrance of this gene are very heterogenous between inter- and intra-generations. Progressive telomere shortening was associated with disease anticipation, first reported in recessive autosomal telomeropathies. Both genetic testing and telomere length measurement were critical for the clinical diagnosis of this family with telomere diseases marked by phenotypic heterogeneity.

Journal of critical care, Dec 22, 2016

Demand for intensive care unit (ICU) resources often exceeds supply, and shortages of ICU beds an... more Demand for intensive care unit (ICU) resources often exceeds supply, and shortages of ICU beds and staff are likely to persist. Triage requires careful weighing of the benefits and risks involved in ICU admission while striving to guarantee fair distribution of available resources. We must ensure that the patients who occupy ICU beds are those most likely to benefit from the ICU's specialized technology and professionals. Although prognosticating is not an exact science, preference should be given to patients who are more likely to survive if admitted to the ICU but unlikely to survive or likely to have more significant morbidity if not admitted. To provide general guidance for intensivists in ICU triage decisions, a task force of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine addressed 4 basic questions regarding this process. The team made recommendations and concluded that triage should be led by intensivists considering input from nurses, emergency...

Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), Jan 7, 2017

Multiple clinical guidelines are available to improve and standardize the delivery of nutrition s... more Multiple clinical guidelines are available to improve and standardize the delivery of nutrition support. However, recommendations are not being universally applied at the bedside due to challenges of resources and barriers of knowledge. Assessing the current level of nutrition support practice is the first step to understand the barriers and ultimately implement potential strategies to increase guideline adherence and promote quality nutrition support in hospitals. There are no published data concerning the practice of nutrition support in Lebanese hospitals. The objective of our study is to investigate for the first time the current clinical practice pertinent to nutrition support across Lebanon. A survey was developed by The Nutrition Board of the Lebanese Society of Critical Care Medicine (LSCCM) to determine nutrition support practices in hospitals with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) across Lebanon. The 28-question survey assesses the delivery of feeding methods such as oral nutri...

Journal of critical care, 2016

End-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU) was identified as an objective in a series of T... more End-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU) was identified as an objective in a series of Task Forces developed by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine Council in 2014. The objective was to develop a generic statement about current knowledge and to identify challenges relevant to the global community that may inform regional and local initiatives. An updated summary of published statements on end-of-life care in the ICU from national Societies is presented, highlighting commonalities and differences within and between international regions. The complexity of end-of-life care in the ICU, particularly relating to withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment while ensuring the alleviation of suffering, within different ethical and cultural environments is recognized. Although no single statement can therefore be regarded as a criterion standard applicable to all countries and societies, the World Federation of Societies of Intensive a...

Introduction: Basic Life Support (BLS) is the rapid detection of cardiac arrest and the initial a... more Introduction: Basic Life Support (BLS) is the rapid detection of cardiac arrest and the initial adequate response to maintain adequate ventilation and circulation. Multiple studies around the world have shown that when used infrequently, BLS skills will deteriorate within 3 to 6 months after training, even though the theoretical knowledge was retained longer. We aim to identify differences in training and knowledge among different physician populations according to their age, specialty, and area of practice and provide areas of improvements. Methods: A multi-center prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 institutions around all areas of Lebanon from January 2017 to December 2019. A structured questionnaire adapted from pretest questionnaire that has been previously used in similar studies was implemented. Data Analysis was performed using the R software version 3.5.1. We used graphical boxplot representation of the data to demonstrate the distribution of our results. R...

international cardiovascular research journal, 2019

Intensive Care Medicine, 2021

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Background: Mucormycosis is a rare fatal infection caused by a ubiquitous fungus from the order o... more Background: Mucormycosis is a rare fatal infection caused by a ubiquitous fungus from the order of Mucorales, which can have varying clinical presentations. Immunocompromised patients are particularly susceptible to mucormycosis and can suffer fatal consequences if not treated adequately. COVID-19 infection with its immunomodulatory properties has been associated with a wide range of secondary bacterial and fungal infections. We present a case of rapidly progressive rhinocerebral mucormycosis post-COVID-19 infection with the subsequent development of several complications associated with the disease. Case Report: A 62-year-old male patient with a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II, presented 14 days post-COVID-19 recovery with right facial swelling, erythema, and right eye proptosis. Throughout his disease, the patient developed blindness and cranial nerve palsies. He was also found to have palatal necrotic lesions, consistent with the diagnosis of mucormycosis. T...

Human Genetics

Phenotypic heterogeneity is often observed in patients with telomeropathies caused by pathogenic ... more Phenotypic heterogeneity is often observed in patients with telomeropathies caused by pathogenic variants in telomere biology genes. However, the roles of recessive variants in these different phenotypes are not fully characterized. Our goal is to describe the biological roles of a novel homozygous RTEL1 variant identified in a consanguineous Lebanese family with unusual presentation of telomeropathies. A proband was screened for germline variants in telomere biology genes by whole exome sequencing. Leukocytes’ telomere length was measured in the proband and eight relatives. We identified a novel homozygous p.E665K RTEL1 variant in the proband, his mother, and seven siblings that associated with telomere shortening and a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild unspecific findings to severe phenotypes. Consanguinity in at least three family generations led to increased frequency of the homozygous p.E665K variant in the youngest generation and progressive telomere shortening. The increased frequency of the homozygous RTEL1 variant due to consanguinity in this Lebanese family allowed us to infer novel behaviors of recessive RTEL1 variants, as the expressivity and penetrance of this gene are very heterogenous between inter- and intra-generations. Progressive telomere shortening was associated with disease anticipation, first reported in recessive autosomal telomeropathies. Both genetic testing and telomere length measurement were critical for the clinical diagnosis of this family with telomere diseases marked by phenotypic heterogeneity.

Journal of critical care, Dec 22, 2016

Demand for intensive care unit (ICU) resources often exceeds supply, and shortages of ICU beds an... more Demand for intensive care unit (ICU) resources often exceeds supply, and shortages of ICU beds and staff are likely to persist. Triage requires careful weighing of the benefits and risks involved in ICU admission while striving to guarantee fair distribution of available resources. We must ensure that the patients who occupy ICU beds are those most likely to benefit from the ICU's specialized technology and professionals. Although prognosticating is not an exact science, preference should be given to patients who are more likely to survive if admitted to the ICU but unlikely to survive or likely to have more significant morbidity if not admitted. To provide general guidance for intensivists in ICU triage decisions, a task force of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine addressed 4 basic questions regarding this process. The team made recommendations and concluded that triage should be led by intensivists considering input from nurses, emergency...

Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), Jan 7, 2017

Multiple clinical guidelines are available to improve and standardize the delivery of nutrition s... more Multiple clinical guidelines are available to improve and standardize the delivery of nutrition support. However, recommendations are not being universally applied at the bedside due to challenges of resources and barriers of knowledge. Assessing the current level of nutrition support practice is the first step to understand the barriers and ultimately implement potential strategies to increase guideline adherence and promote quality nutrition support in hospitals. There are no published data concerning the practice of nutrition support in Lebanese hospitals. The objective of our study is to investigate for the first time the current clinical practice pertinent to nutrition support across Lebanon. A survey was developed by The Nutrition Board of the Lebanese Society of Critical Care Medicine (LSCCM) to determine nutrition support practices in hospitals with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) across Lebanon. The 28-question survey assesses the delivery of feeding methods such as oral nutri...

Journal of critical care, 2016

End-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU) was identified as an objective in a series of T... more End-of-life care in the intensive care unit (ICU) was identified as an objective in a series of Task Forces developed by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine Council in 2014. The objective was to develop a generic statement about current knowledge and to identify challenges relevant to the global community that may inform regional and local initiatives. An updated summary of published statements on end-of-life care in the ICU from national Societies is presented, highlighting commonalities and differences within and between international regions. The complexity of end-of-life care in the ICU, particularly relating to withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining treatment while ensuring the alleviation of suffering, within different ethical and cultural environments is recognized. Although no single statement can therefore be regarded as a criterion standard applicable to all countries and societies, the World Federation of Societies of Intensive a...