Parental views on plastic surgery for Down syndrome: an African perspective

Introduction: plastic surgery for Down syndrome has not been embraced in sub-Saharan Africa. This study sought to determine the attitudes of some parents from sub-Saharan Africa to plastic surgery for their Down syndrome child. Methods: consenting parents completed a questionnaire survey instrument that obtained demographic characteristics and contained a likert scale on attitudes to plastic surgery. Internal consistency of the scale was determined with Chronbach's alpha and Pearsons chi square analysis was used to analyze relationships between demographic variables and attitudes scores. Values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: most (61.9%) of the 42 consenting mothers were above 35 years of age. The most disturbing of the Down syndrome characteristics were the protruding tongue, 18(42.9%), slanting palpebral fissures, 14(33.3%) and the flattened nasal bridge 14(33.3%). Although the mothers had low awareness of plastic surgery, most of them had favourable attitudes towards it. A reliability analysis of the mother's attitudes on the likert scale showed good internal consistency. Chronbachs alpha 0.87. Conclusion: the parents in this study have favourable attitudes towards plastic surgery for Down syndrome. The prominent tongue was the most disturbing feature

Strengthening surgical healthcare research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa: impact of a research training programme in Nigeria

BackgroundLimited research capacity has contributed to the lack of high-quality research from low-and middle-income countries. This is compounded by limited research training opportunities. Research capacity scale-up training was deployed as part of the implementation of the National Surgical, Obstetrics, Anaesthesia, and Nursing Plan for Nigeria. We report the impact of this locally contextualized efforts to scale up research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsThis is an evaluation of the training of 65 participants in research, grant writing and manuscript writing and publication. Pre- and post-training surveys using a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended questions were administered to evaluate the impact of the programme.ResultsThere were 39 (60%) males and 26 (40%) females aged 26–62 years (median 42 years). Thirty-nine (60%) participants had previous training in research, but only 12 (18.5%) had previously received grant writing training, and 17 (26.2%) had previously received manuscript writing and publishing training. Following training, 45 (70.3%) participants agreed that the training was relevant. The research, grant writing and manuscript writing, and publication components of the training were rated high by the participants (45–59, 70.3–92.2%). However, 41.2% felt that there was not enough time, and 32.4% felt that the training was too comprehensive. Nearly all the participants agreed that the training had improved their skills in research, grant writing and manuscript writing and publication, and more than two-thirds subsequently engaged in informal mentoring of others. Overall, participants achieved success in designing their own research projects and publishing manuscripts and grants. Three (4.6%) of the participants had gone on to become faculty for the research training programme. The three top barriers encountered following training were time constraints (67.3%), lack of funding (36.5%) and not being able to find research collaborators (25%).ConclusionOutcome of this training programme is encouraging and highlights the feasibility and potential impact of deploying such programmes in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Despite the positive outcomes, barriers including time constraints, funding limitations, and difficulties in finding research collaborators remain to be addressed. Such training programmes need to be supported to strengthen the research capacity in this and similar settings

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Cranial-entry electrical burns with neurological sequelae: A case report

Cranial-entry high-voltage electrical burn injury rarely occurs. Hence, early presentation is rare. We herein present a case of a teenage male with mainly fullthickness electrical burn injury covering 9% of the total body surface area, with gangrenous mid-fronto-parietal scalp and calvarium, moderate head injury with bihemispheric deficits, and left frontoparietotemporal intracerebral hematoma and exit wounds (right thumb, thigh, and toes). He underwent initial outer-strip and, later, inner-strip corticectomy, covered with splitthickness skin graft (STSG) and bilateral posteriorauricular artery-based flap, respectively, as well as tangential burn wound excisions with STSG and louvre flap cover for the digits. He also underwent right upper eyelid contracture release and tarsorrhaphy. He developed late post-traumatic seizures, which were managed with anti-epileptic drugs. Definitive calvarial reconstruction is underway. Cranial-entry electrical injury had high morbidity and mortality risks. The spectrum of nervous damage causation mimics nervous syndromes and their presentations. Although elaborate surgical and medical care offers the possibility of survival, the neurological and neuropsychological syndromes in the post-acute and rehabilitative phases of care should be taken care of

Propeller Flap for Complex Distal Leg Reconstruction: A Versatile Alternative when Reverse Sural Artery Flap is Not Feasible

Reverse sural artery fasciocutaneous flap has become a workhorse for the reconstruction of distal leg soft tissue defects. When its use is not feasible, perforator‑based propeller flap offers a better, easier, faster, and cheaper alternative to free flap. We present our experience with two men both aged 34 years who sustained Gustilo 3B injuries from gunshot. The donor area for reversed sural artery flap was involved in the injuries. They had early debridement, external fixation, and wound coverage with perforator‑based propeller flaps. The donor sites were covered with skin graft. All flaps survived. There were minor wound edge ulcers due to the pressure of positioning that did not affect flap survival and the ulcers healed with conservative management. Perforator‑based propeller flap is a versatile armamentarium for reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the distal leg in resource‑constrained settings, especially when the donor area for a reverse flow sural flap artery is involved in the injury.Key words: Flap, perforator flap, propeller flap, reconstructio

Trends of cleft surgeries and predictors of late primary surgery among children with cleft lip and palate at the University College Hospital, Nigeria: A retrospective cohort study.

BackgroundCleft of the lip and palate is the most common craniofacial birth defect with a worldwide incidence of one in 700 live births. Early surgical repairs are aimed at improving appearance, speech, hearing, psychosocial development and avoiding impediments to social integration. Many interventions including the Smile Train partner model have been introduced to identify and perform prompt surgical procedures for the affected babies. However, little is known about the trends of the incidence and surgical procedures performed at our hospital. Nothing is also known about the relationship between the clinical characteristics of the patients and the timing of primary repairs.ObjectiveTo determine the trends in cleft surgeries, patterns of cleft surgeries and identify factors related to late primary repair at the University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Nigeria.MethodsA retrospective cohort study and trends analysis of babies managed for cleft lip and palate from January 2007 to January 2019 at the UCH, Ibadan was conducted. The demographic and clinical characteristics were extracted from the Smile Train enabled cleft database of the hospital. The annual trends in rate of cleft surgeries (number of cleft surgeries per 100,000 live births) was represented graphically. Chi square test, Student's t-test and Mann Whitney U were utilised to assess the association between categorical and continuous variables and delay in cleft surgery (≥12 months for lip repair, ≥18months for palatal repair). Kaplan-Meier graphs with log-rank test was used to examine the association between sociodemographic variables and the outcome (late surgery). Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was conducted to obtain the hazard or predictors of delayed cleft lip surgery. Stata version 17 (Statacorp, USA) statistical software was utilised for analysis.ResultsThere were 314 cleft surgeries performed over the thirteen-year period of study. The male to female ratio was 1.2:1. The mean age of the patients was 58.08 ± 99.65 months. The median age and weight of the patients were 11 (IQR:5-65) months and 8 (IQR: 5.5-16) kg respectively. Over half (n = 184, 58.6%) of the cleft surgeries were for primary repairs of the lip and a third (n = 94, 29.9%) were surgeries for primary repairs of the palate. Millard's rotation advancement flap was the commonest lip repair technique with Fishers repair introduced within two years into the end of the study. Bardachs two flap palatoplasty has replaced Von Langenbeck palatoplasty as the commonest method of palatal repair. The prevalence of late primary cleft lip repair was about a third of the patients having primary cleft lip surgery while the prevalence of late palatal repair was more than two thirds of those who received primary palatoplasty. Compared with children who had bilateral cleft lip, children with unilateral cleft lip had a significantly increased risk of late primary repair (Adj HR: 22.4, 955 CI: 2.59-193.70, P-value = 0.005).ConclusionThere has been a change from Von Langenbeck palatoplasty to Bardachs two-flap palatoplasty. Intra-velar veloplasty and Fisher's method of lip repair were introduced in later years. There was a higher risk of late primary repair in children with unilateral cleft lip

Annual incidence of cleft surgeries per 1000 live births.

Annual incidence of cleft surgeries per 1000 live births.</p

Association between survival time and gender and type of primary surgery.

Association between survival time and gender and type of primary surgery.</p

Association of demographic and clinical parameters with age at primary surgery.

Association of demographic and clinical parameters with age at primary surgery.</p

Cox proportional regression of the hazard of late primary repair among babies with cleft lip and palate.

Cox proportional regression of the hazard of late primary repair among babies with cleft lip and palate.</p