Epidemiology of paediatric trauma admissions at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre

We conducted an audit of paediatric trauma admissions to QECH, Blantyre, in September 2003. There were 107 trauma cases representing 8.8% of all paediatric admissions and mean age was 6 years. The commonest cause of trauma was falls (42.9%) followed by burns (31.8%) and road traffic accidents (14.9%). Of the road traffic accidents, only one case was a passenger, the rest were pedestrians hit by moving vehicles. Fracture of limbs was the commonest injury sustained (44.9%) and burns the second commonest injury (31.8%). Most (52.6%) children were brought into hospital within 24 hours of injury while 26.3% came in between 24 hours and 48 hours and 21.1% after 48 hours or more. Death occurred in 7.5% of cases. The mean number of days in hospital was 8.9 days. Malawi Medical Journal Vol.17(1) 2005: 5-

Management of hydrocephalus using the Chabbra shunt

Over a two-year period, 223 patients with hydrocephalus were admitted to the wards of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre. Of these 223 patients, 111 were male and 112 were female. All children of less than 18 months underwent ultrasonography to confirm the diagnosis of hydrocephalus, and 22 older patients had a CT scan. The commonest causes of hydrocephalus were meningitis and congenital hydrocephalus. 201 had ventricular aspiration to assess suitability for shunting and in 157 patients, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was clear and these patients were considered suitable for insertion of a ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt. The outcome was satisfactory in 73% of the patients with 10 patients lost to follow-up. There were 12 (7.6%) patients with shunt infections, 6 (3.8%) patients had peritoneal shunt blockage and 2 (1.3%) had over-drainage. There were 2 cases of shunt prolapsing through the anus. Twenty patients died (12.7%): one had inflammation along the shunt tract, one had valve malfunction and one had the valve exposed on the scalp. Malawi Medical Journal Vol.17(1) 2005: 7-

Persistent cough and haemoptysis in an 8-year old boy - case report

No Abstract. Malawi Medical Journal Vol. 17(3) 2005: 10

Case Report: Paraduodenal hernias

No Abstract Malawi Medical Journal Vol.17(1) 2005: 23-2

Systematic review of met and unmet need of surgical disease in rural sub-Saharan Africa.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the burden of surgical disease in rural sub-Saharan Africa, where district and rural hospitals are the main providers of care. The present study sought to analyze what is known about the met and unmet need of surgical disease. METHODS: The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched for studies of surveys in rural areas, information on surgical admissions, and operations performed within rural and district hospitals. Data were extrapolated to calculate the amount of surgical disease per 100,000 population and the number of operations performed per 100,000 population. These extrapolations were used to estimate the total, the met, and the unmet need of surgical disease. RESULTS: The estimated overall incidence of nonfatal injury is at least 1,690/100,000 population per year. Morbidity as a result of injury is up to 190/100,000 population per year, and the annual mortality from injury is 53-92/100,000. District hospitals perform 6 fracture reductions (95% CI: 0.1-12)/100,000 population per year and 14 laparotomies (95% CI: 7-21)/100,000 per year. The incidence of peritonitis and bowel obstruction is unknown, although it may be as high as 1,364/100,000 population for the acute abdomen. The annual total need for inguinal hernia repair is estimated to be a minimum of 205/100,000 population. The average district hospital performs 30 hernia repairs (95% CI: 18-41)/100,000 population per year, leaving an unmet need of 175/100,000 population annually. CONCLUSIONS: District hospitals are not meeting the surgical needs of the populations they serve. Urgent intervention is required to build up their capacity, to train healthcare personnel in safe surgery and anesthesia, and to overcome obstacles to timely emergency care

Yield of Screening for COVID-19 in Asymptomatic Patients Before Elective or Emergency Surgery Using Chest CT and RT-PCR (SCOUT): Multicenter Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine the yield of preoperative screening for COVID-19 with chest CT and RT-PCR in patients without COVID-19 symptoms. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Many centers are currently screening surgical patients for COVID-19 using either chest CT, RT-PCR or both, due to the risk for worsened surgical outcomes and nosocomial spread. The optimal design and yield of such a strategy are currently unknown. METHODS: This multicenter study included consecutive adult patients without COVID-19 symptoms who underwent preoperative screening using chest CT and RT-PCR before elective or emergency surgery under general anesthesia. RESULTS: A total of 2093 patients without COVID-19 symptoms were included in 14 participating centers; 1224 were screened by CT and RT-PCR and 869 by chest CT only. The positive yield of screening using a combination of chest CT and RT-PCR was 1.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.8-2.1]. Individual yields were 0.7% (95% CI: 0.2-1.1) for chest CT and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.6-1.7) for RT-PCR; the incremental yield of chest CT was 0.4%. In relation to COVID-19 community prevalence, up to approximately 6% positive RT-PCR was found for a daily hospital admission rate >1.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, and around 1.0% for lower prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: One in every 100 patients without COVID-19 symptoms tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with RT-PCR; this yield increased in conjunction with community prevalence. The added value of chest CT was limited. Preoperative screening allowed us to take adequate precautions for SARS-CoV-2 positive patients in a surgical population, whereas negative patients needed only routine procedures