Clinical Research Directory

Effect of Vitamin C on Length of Hospital Stay in Children With Severe Pneumonia

Severe pneumonia is a common and serious illness in young children and often requires hospital admission. This clinical trial aims to find out whether adding vitamin C to standard treatment can reduce the length of hospital stay in children under five years of age admitted with severe pneumonia. The main question this study seeks to answer is: Does giving vitamin C along with routine treatment help children with severe pneumonia recover faster and go home earlier compared to standard treatment alone? In this study, 90 children aged 2 to 59 months who are admitted to the Children's Hospital Multan with severe pneumonia will take part. Severe pneumonia is defined by fast breathing, fever, cough, and one or more danger signs such as difficulty feeding, repeated vomiting, seizures, bluish discoloration of lips, or noisy breathing. Children with chronic lung disease or weakened immunity will not be included. After parental consent, children will be randomly divided into two groups. One group will receive standard treatment only, which includes oxygen therapy and intravenous antibiotics according to hospital protocol. The second group will receive the same standard treatment plus a daily dose of vitamin C. Neither group will receive any experimental or unapproved therapy. Researchers will closely monitor each child's recovery, including improvement in breathing rate, temperature, oxygen levels, and overall clinical condition. The child will be discharged when the treating physician determines that recovery criteria are met. The number of days spent in the hospital from the start of treatment until discharge will be recorded. By comparing the average hospital stay between the two groups, this study aims to determine whether vitamin C is a useful and safe add-on treatment for severe pneumonia in young children. The findings may help improve care and reduce hospital stay for children with severe pneumonia in the future.

Evaluation of the Postoperative Efficacy of Bilateral Lumbar Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) in Patients Undergoing Lumbar Disc Herniation Repair Surgery

This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the efficacy of bilateral lumbar erector spinae plane (ESP) block in providing effective postoperative analgesia and its potential impact on early mobilization and length of hospital stay in patients undergoing surgical repair of lumbar disc herniation. Regional anesthesia techniques, particularly erector spinae plane blocks, have become an integral component of multimodal analgesia strategies in postoperative pain management. The ESP block has demonstrated effective analgesia across a wide spectrum of thoracic and abdominal surgeries and is increasingly utilized due to its ease of application and safety profile. By implementing multimodal analgesic techniques, this study seeks to achieve effective pain control, reduce opioid consumption and associated complications, facilitate early mobilization, decrease hospital length of stay, and enhance patient comfort.