Diagnostic accuracy of the Tzanakis score for acute appendicitis in a resource-limited setting: A tertiary hospital-based survey

Background: The management of acute appendicitis remains challenging with high peri-operative morbidity and mortality due diagnostic delay or high negative appendicetomy rates due to aggressive surgical approaches. CT scan is accurate for pre-operative diagnosis but not available or affordable in all settings. There remains a need for an affordable yet accurate tool for diagnosing acute appendicitis in the resource limited setting. Methods: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Tzanakis score in the preoperative evaluation of patients with acute appendicitis, we conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda. Eligible consenting patients diagnosed with acute appendicitis consecutively underwent Tzanakis scoring and appendicectomy. Appencieal samples were sent for histological examination. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive values, and diagnostic accuracy of the Tzanakis scoring system were calculated, relative to histological examination. Results: We enrolled 160 participants of mean age 30.4 years with male:female ratio of 2:1. The Tzanakis score had sensitivity of100% (95% CI 98-100), positive predictive value 97 % (95% CI 95-99), specificity of 64% (95% CI 31-89), negative predictive value of 100%, and overall diagnostic accuracy of 98% with 3% negative appendectomy rate. Conclusions: The Tzanakis score is found to be a sensitive and specific tool that should be considered for preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis in resource limited settings. Keywords: appendicitis; appendicectomy; acute abdomen; diagnosis; Tzanakis score; Uganda

Carbapenem resistance expressed by Gram-negative bacilli isolated from a cohort of Libyan patients

Background and objectives: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and other Gram-negative bacteria are among the most common pathogens responsible for both community and hospital acquired infection. The global spread of cephalosporinases in Enterobacteriaceae has led to the increased use of carbapenems resulting in the emergence and rapid spread of CRE. This has become an alarming public health concern, yet the condition in Libya remains unclear. The aim of this study was to obtain a better understanding of CRE strains prevalent in Libyan patients by investigating their phenotypic characteristics and antibiograms. Methods: Gram-negative bacterial species were collected from Misrata Central Hospital, Misrata Cancer Centre and Privet Pathology Laboratories. Clinical samples and swabs were obtained from hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients and from mechanical ventilation and suction machines. Patients who had received antibiotic therapy for at least three days prior to the study were excluded. The identification and characterization of the isolated species were achieved using the growth characteristics on MacConkey and blood agar, spot tests and API 20E or API 20NE biochemical testing systems. Screening for carbapenem resistance was performed using the disk diffusion method with carbapenem 10 μg and cephalosporin 30 μg disks and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) determined using the Sensititre Gram-negative Xtra plate format (GNX2F). All strains demonstrating resistance or reduced susceptibility to one of the four carbapenems were subjected to carbapenememase activity detection using the RAPIDEC CARBA NP test, Modified Hodge test and carbapenem inactivation methods. Results: A total of one hundred and forty isolates representing fourteen bacterial species were isolated from 140 non-duplicated specimens. Clinical specimens included urine samples (96/140, 68.57%), sputum (15/140, 10.71%), surgical wound swabs (18/140, 12.85%), foot swabs from diabetes mellitus (DM) patients (6/140, 4.29%), ear swabs (3/140, 2.14%) and wound swabs (2/140, 1.43%). Thirty-four (24.29%) isolates demonstrated resistance to at least one of the four carbapenems with Klebsiella pneumoniae representing 73.53% (25 isolates) of all carbapenem resistant species, followed by 8.82% for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3 isolates), 5.88% for both Proteus mirabilis (2 isolates) and Escherichia coli (2 isolates) and 2.94% for both Citrobacter koseri (1 isolate) and Rahnella aquatilis (1 isolate). The other isolates were either susceptible or cephalosporinase producers. Conclusion: This study has revealed the high rate of carbapenem resistance amongst Libyan patients and emphasizes the crucial need for accurate screening, identification and susceptibility testing to prevent further spread of nosocomial and community acquired resistance. This may be achieved through the establishment of antibiotic stewardship programmes along with firm infection control practices.National Research Foundation of South Africa; Libyan GovernmentWeb of Scienc

A multimodal infection control and patient safety intervention to reduce surgical site infections in Africa: a multicentre, before-after, cohort study

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most frequent health-care-associated infections in developing countries. Specific prevention measures are highly effective, but are often poorly implemented. We aimed to establish the effect of a multimodal intervention on SSIs in Africa