Pattern of pericardial diseases in HIV positive patients at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

Rationale. Pericarditis has been reported as the most common cardiac complication of HIV disease, followed by pericardial effusion. Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of all 68 patients treated for pericardial diseases between August 2003 and July 2008 at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. HIV-positive patients (N=42) were compared with those who were HIV negative (N=26). Results. More male than female patients presented with pericardial disease, and the HIV-positive patients were younger than those who were HIV negative. Pericardial effusion was the commonest mode of presentation, accounting for 20 HIV-positive patients (47.7%) and 13 HIV-negative patients (50%). Pericardiostomy was the commonest surgical intervention performed in HIV-positive patients (N=15), while the majority of HIV-negative patients had pericardiocentesis. Conclusion. Pericardial effusion was the commonest cardiac presentation in HIV-positive patients in our setting. We recommend that patients with pericardial effusion be investigated for HIV infection

Pseudoachalasia: A review

Pseudoachalasia presents typically like achalasia. It account for only 2.4-4% of patients presenting with achalasia-like symptoms. Clinical, radiologic and endoscopic findings resemble those of achalasia but treatment and prognosis are different in these conditions. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the condition and highlight challenges in diagnosis and distinguishing features between the two conditions. A review of the publications obtained from Medline search, medical libraries, and Google on ‘pseudoachalasia’ and ‘secondary achalasia’ was done. A total of 50 articles were retrieved and used for this review. There has been tremendous efforts towards establishing the diagnosis of pseudoachalasia both clinically and with the use of modern investigative modalities but to date its still difficult to distinguish it from achalasia. Endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography and computerized tomography scan have shown promising results.Keywords: Dysphagia, pseudoachalasia, secondary achalasi

Management of Chest Drains: A National Survey on Surgeons‑in‑training Experience and Practice

Background: Chest tube insertion is a simple and sometimes life‑saving procedure performed mainly by surgical residents. However with inadequate knowledge and poor expertise, complications may be life threatening.Objective: We aimed to determine the level of experience and expertise of resident surgeons in performing tube thoracostomy. Methodology: Four tertiary institutions were selected by simple random sampling. A structured questionnaire was administered to 90 residents after obtaining consent.Results: The majority of respondents were between 31 and 35 years. About 10% of respondents have not observed or performed tube thoracostomy while 77.8% of respondents performed tube thoracostomy for the first time during residency training. The mean score was 6.2 ± 2.2 and 59.3% of respondents exhibited good experience and practice. Rotation through cardiothoracic surgery had an effect on the score (P = 0.034). About 80.2% always obtained consent while 50.6% always used the blunt technique of insertion. About 61.7% of respondents routinely inserted a chest drain in the Triangle of safety. Only 27.2% of respondents utilized different sizes of chest tubes for different pathologies. Most respondents removed chest drains when the output is <50 mL. Twenty‑six respondents (32.1%) always monitored air leak before removal of tubes in cases of pneumothorax. Superficial surgical site infection, tube dislodgement, and tube blockage were the most common complications.Conclusion: Many of the surgical resident lack adequate expertise in this lifesaving procedure and they lose the opportunity to learn it as interns. There is a need to stress the need to acquire this skill early, to further educate and evaluate them to avoid complications.Keywords: Chest drains, experience, practice, surgical resident

Knowledge and practice of prophylaxis of deep venous thrombosis: A survey among Nigerian surgeons

Background: Venous thromboembolism is a potentially dangerous condition that can lead to preventable morbidity and mortality among surgical patients.Objectives: We aimed to determine the knowledge and practice of surgeons practising in Tertiary Hospitals in Nigeria about prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).Materials and Methods: Eight Tertiary Institutions were selected from institutions in the geopolitical regions of the country by simple random sampling using balloting method. A semi‑structured questionnaire was administered, and the response was obtained from 105 out of 254 surgeons.Results: The mean knowledge score was 5.81 ± 1.67, and only 33.3% have good knowledge about DVT prophylaxis. No statistical difference was observed between the different groups of surgeons. The mean practice score was 5.19 ± 1.8 and only 20% of surgeons have a good practice of DVT prophylaxis. The majority (90.5%) have encountered DVT whereas 83.5% have encountered pulmonary embolism in their practice. Most commonly encountered risk factors include prolonged immobility, advanced age, and pelvic surgery. Only 13.3% have used Well’s score in the clinical evaluation of their patients. The prophylactic modality adopted varies, but most surgeons (77%) utilized both the pharmacological and mechanical methods. Low molecular weight heparin is the commonly used chemoprophylactic agent while a combination of early ambulation and limb physiotherapy is the most commonly preferred mechanical method of thromboprophylaxis.Conclusion: There is a deficiency in the knowledge and practice of DVT prophylaxis among surgeons in Nigeria. There is a need to improve both the knowledge and practice by introducing institutional guidelines or protocol for DVT prophylaxis for surgical patients.Key words: Deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, knowledge, practice, surgeons, surgical patient