Post-operative symptoms at home in children following day case surgery

No Abstract. Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia Vol. 12(3) 2006: 101-10

Perioperative adverse airway events in cleft lip and palate repair

Background: Airway-related problems account for the majority of anaesthetic morbidity in paediatric anaesthesia, but more so for cleft lip and palate repair. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency, pattern, management and outcome of adverse airway events during the perioperative period in cleft lip and palate patients. Method: This was a prospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary hospital in a suburban south-western Nigerian town. One hundred and sixteen patients who had cleft lip and palate repair over a five-year period were included. The demographic data, surgical diagnosis, congenital anomalies, procedures performed, medical problems, perioperative anaesthetic and surgical complications were studied. Results: Adverse airway events were observed in six patients (4.6%). These included postoperative chest infection (n=2), failed intubation (n=1), difficult intubation (n=1), post-extubation bronchospasm (n=1), and laryngeal oedema (n=1). All, except one, who developed complications were patients with combined cleft lip and palate. No mortality was recorded. Conclusion: Adverse perioperative airway events in cleft lip and palate surgery are common and are more likely to be associated with combined cleft lip and palate than with isolated lip or palate defects. These complications usually occur immediately following extubation or in the early postoperative period. The severity may necessitate intensive care unit admission and specialised care.South Afr J Anaesth Analg, 2011;17(6):370-37

Emergency non–obstetric abdominal surgery in pregnancy

Background: Despite recent advances in anaesthetic, perinatal and preoperative care, surgical intervention during pregnancy may still result in fetal loss from either spontaneous abortion (especially in the first trimester) or premature labor (especially in the third trimester). This study was aimed at determining the factors that affect fetal and maternal outcome following emergency non-obstetric abdominal surgery in pregnancy.Methods: We reviewed all cases of emergency non-obstetric abdominal surgery performed on pregnant women at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital complex from January 1991 and December 2006. The socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric history, diagnosis and outcome of management were documented and analyzed.Results: A total of 46 pregnant patients presented with various conditions necessitating emergency non-obstetric abdominal surgery during the study period. Their ages ranged from 23 to 39 years with a mean age of 29.33 +/-4.904. Six (13%) of the patients presented during the first trimester, 32 (69.6%) patients during the second trimester and 8 (17.4%) were seen in the third trimester. Thirty-two (69.6%) patients presented with features of acute appendicitis out of 12 had ruptured appendicitis and 8 had appendicular abscess. Eight (17.4%) had intestinal obstruction, 5 (10.8%) had haemoperitonueum from abdominal injury and 1 (6.7%) had an ectopic foetus in bladder. Four (8.8%) mothers and 20(43.5%) babies died. Factors affecting maternal outcome included parity (P=0.010), duration of symptoms (P<0.0001) and delay in surgery (P<0.0001) while the factors affecting fetal outcome include maternal age (P<0.0001), booking status (P<0.0001), educational status (P<0.010), parity (P<0.040), gestational age (P=0.048) and delay in surgery (P=0.016).Conclusion: Complicated appendicitis is the most common indication for abdominal surgery in pregnancy in our center. High foetal loss seen in this study can be reduced by early presentation of the patients, early booking and high index of suspicion and prompt treatment by the attending surgeon

Global Anesthesia Workforce Crisis: A Preliminary Survey Revealing Shortages Contributing to Undesirable Outcomes and Unsafe Practices

BACKGROUND. The burden of disease, disability, and mortality that could be averted by surgery is growing. However, few low and middle income countries (LMICs) have the infrastructure or capacity to provide surgical services to meet this growing need. Equally, few of these countries have been assessed for key infrastructural capacity including surgical and anesthesia providers, equipment, and supplies. These assessments are critical to revealing magnitude of the evolving surgical and anesthesia workforce crisis, related morbidity and mortality, and necessary steps to mitigate the impact of the crisis. METHODS. A pilot Internet-based survey was conducted to estimate per-capita anesthesia providers in LMICs. Information was obtained from e-mail respondents at national health care addresses, and from individuals working in-country on anesthesia-related projects. RESULTS. Workers from 6 of 98 countries responded to direct e-mail inquiries, and an additional five responses came from individuals who were working or had worked in-country at the time of the survey. The data collected revealed that the per-capita anesthesia provider ratio in the countries surveyed was often 100 times lower than in developed countries. CONCLUSIONS. This pilot study revealed that the number of anesthesia providers available per capita of population is markedly reduced in low and lower middle income countries compared to developed countries. As anesthesia providers are an integral part of the delivery of safe and effective surgical care, it is essential that more data is collected to fully understand the deficiencies in workforce and capacity in low and middle income countries

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Maternal death and obstetric care audits in Nigeria: A systematic review of barriers and enabling factors in the provision of emergency care.

Acknowledgements We would like to thank Yutaka Osakabe for co-ordinating the retrieval of full text articles. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supported this study, grant number 12-100074-000-INPPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Trauma admissions to the ICU of a tertiary hospital in a low resource setting

Background: Trauma remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in resource challenged economies. In Nigeria, the number of deaths due to trauma-induced injuries is on the rise. Major trauma victims are usually admitted into the intensive care unit in our hospital. The aim of this study is to assess the outcome of the trauma cases admitted to the ICU. Methods: We performed an eight-year retrospective review of all trauma admissions into our multidisciplinary six bed intensive care unit (ICU) to assess the impact of trauma on the ICU. Data collected was processed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Scientists 16.0. Results: Three hundred and seventy two cases (372) cases of major trauma were admitted during the study period, representing 41.6% of the total ICU admissions. The male to female ratio was 2.3:1, while the mean age of the trauma patients was 32.8 yrs compared to 37.0 yrs for non-trauma cases. Trauma admissions were almost exclusively emergencies (93.8%) with a mean ICU length of stay of 7.7 ± 8.1 days. Survivors had a statistically significant longer length of stay (LOS) than non-survivors (11.6 ± 9.8 vs. 4.2 ± 3.9 days [p = 0.0001]). Mortality rate of trauma patients was significantly higher than that of all ICU admissions (53.2% vs. 37.9%, p = 0.0001). Road traffic crashes were responsible for most deaths (68.6%) followed by burn injuries (29.9%). Conclusion: Trauma is a leading cause of intensive care utilization in our hospital,. Management strategy should include increased public enlightenment campaign, enforcement of safety rules and improved pre- and in-hospital care of trauma victims. Keywords: Trauma; Intensive car

Anaesthesia for neonatal surgical emergencies in a semi-urban hospital, Nigeria

No Abstract