A critical look on condoms

No Abstract

A critical look on condoms

No Abstract

Splenic rupture masquerading ruptured ectopic pregnancy

Ectopic pregnancy has been described as a ‘great masquerader'. It mimics virtually every condition that causes acute abdomen in women of reproductive age group. The classical triad of presentation of delayed menses, irregular vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain may not be encountered at all! Overwhelming features of abdominal pain, amenorrhea, pallor, abdominal tenderness, shifting dullness with positive pregnancy test gave a clinical diagnosis of ruptured ectopic pregnancy. At laparotomy, an intrauterine gestation with normal tubes and ovaries with complete splenic rupture were found. She had total splenectomy. Highland Medical Research Journal Vol. 4(1) 2006: 119-12

Skilled Attendance: The Key Challenges to Progress in Achieving MDG-5 in North Central Nigeria

The importance of skilled attendance at delivery, as reflected in the MDG 5, is being promoted in developing countries to address the high  maternal/perinatal morbidity and mortality. Evaluation of personnel skills and availability of material resources are central to elimination of barriers to delivery of basic Emergency Obstetric Care (EOC) to the community. We designed a semi-structured, interviewee-administered questionnaire for 54 certified Nurse-Midwives working in Primary Health Care (PHC) clinics in Nasarawa State, central Nigeria, and examined their knowledge and  competencies in the five major areas responsible for maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, including power supply, referral linkages and  motivation to work. Majority 51 (94.4%) of PHCs neither used the  Partograph nor performed manual vacuum aspiration. Referral systems and feedback mechanisms were practically non-existent, 38 (70.4%) of facilities were >5km from the nearest referral centre, with 14(29.5%) connected to the national grid. Majority (68.5%) of respondents would want to work abroad. The quality of skilled attendance is low and basic EOC facilities are lacking, a situation further threatened by potential emigration to greener pastures. Governments and development partners need to address facility and skilled manpower shortages in developing countries to make a modest attempt at meeting the MDG on maternal health (Afr. J. Reprod. Health 2010; 14[2]: 129-138). KEYWORDS: Skill attendance, maternal mortality, midwifery skills, MDGs, Nigeria

Twin Mortality in a Tertiary Hospital in Central Nigeria

Background: The risk of perinatal death in twin pregnancies is increased 2-5 times compared to singletons, and the identification of preventable risk factors becomes increasingly important as the number of multiple pregnancies increases. The objectives of this study were to determine the perinatal mortality rate, the factors that influence perinatal death, andpossible causes of death among twins.Methodology: Twin gestations from 28 weeks or more delivered between 1st January 2000 and 31st December 2007 in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) were retrospectively studied.Results: Of the 20,612 deliveries within the period, there were 808 sets of twins, giving a twining rate of 30/1,000 deliveries in the institution. The perinatal mortality rate was 80 per 1000 twin deliveries. The major risk factors identified for perinatal mortality in twins were preterm delivery (90.3%), very low birth weight (35.6%) for 1st twin (twin A) and (43.9%) for 2nd twin (twin B), extremely low birth weight (35.6%) for twin Aand 35.1% for twin B. The most probable cause of death was prematurity and its complications, which accounted for 56.1% deaths in twin B and 62.2% deaths in twin A.Conclusion: Perinatal mortality rate among twins in JUTH is high, with preterm delivery as a major risk factor and prematurity as the most probable cause of perinatal mortality