RADIOLOGY REQUEST FORMS (RRF) INADEQUATELY COMPLETED; THE CASE OF A TERTIARY HEALTH CENTER IN NORTHWEST NIGERIA

Background: The need and importance of adequately completing radiology request forms cannot be over emphasized. Thus, this study investigated the pattern in which radiology request forms are completed by clinicians in a tertiary health center. Methods: A total of two hundred and fourteen (214) samples of request forms were randomly selected from records of the Radiology Department of the Federal Medical Center, BirninKebbi, Nigeria. The request forms comprises of requests from various departments within the hospital. All the data collected from the request forms where entered into Microsoft excel and items/fields on the form were examined. Results: From this study, it was observed that out of the total 214 forms collected, 209 (97.7%) of the forms were not adequately completed with only 5 (2.3%) fully completed. Other items on the request form that were also least completed were the referring physicians name (2.3%), patient's full address (2.3%) and patients age (62.6%).Conclusion: We conclude that radiology request forms are inadequately completed as seen from the present study, thus the need to enlighten the referring physicians on the need to adequately and properly complete radiology request forms as this is vital in improving the accuracy of radiologists report / interpretation. KEYWORDS: Radiology; Physician; Request forms; Patients; Health center

RADIOLOGY REQUEST FORMS (RRF) INADEQUATELY COMPLETED; THE CASE OF A TERTIARY HEALTH CENTER IN NORTHWEST NIGERIA

Background: The need and importance of adequately completing radiology request forms cannot be over emphasized. Thus, this study investigated the pattern in which radiology request forms are completed by clinicians in a tertiary health center. Methods: A total of two hundred and fourteen (214) samples of request forms were randomly selected from records of the Radiology Department of the Federal Medical Center, BirninKebbi, Nigeria. The request forms comprises of requests from various departments within the hospital. All the data collected from the request forms where entered into Microsoft excel and items/fields on the form were examined. Results: From this study, it was observed that out of the total 214 forms collected, 209 (97.7%) of the forms were not adequately completed with only 5 (2.3%) fully completed. Other items on the request form that were also least completed were the referring physicians name (2.3%), patient\u27s full address (2.3%) and patients age (62.6%).Conclusion: We conclude that radiology request forms are inadequately completed as seen from the present study, thus the need to enlighten the referring physicians on the need to adequately and properly complete radiology request forms as this is vital in improving the accuracy of radiologists report / interpretation. KEYWORDS: Radiology; Physician; Request forms; Patients; Health center

Audit of laparoscopic cholecystectomy Omdurman teaching hospital

Objectives: To review and audit our experience in laparoscopic cholecystectomy [LC] at Omdurman Teaching Hospital, Sudan. Methods: A prospective study for patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the period, from January 2006 to October 2007. Demographic data, indications for surgery, rate of conversion to open cholecystectomy, morbidity, and mortality rates were noted. Results: A total of 114 patients underwent LC in 21 months, They were female 100 patients and 14 males, age range from 25 to70 years, mean age 44 years. Indications for surgery were biliary colic 65.8%, fatty dyspepsia 37.7%, and acute cholecystitis 3.5%. The range of operative time was 25-90 minutes. Conversion rate was (7.9%). The reasons for conversions were bleeding, extensive dense adhesions, severe inflammation. Conclusion: Our findings were consistent with the literature, demonstrating that LC is a safe minimal invasive technique Keywords: Laparoscopic, cholecystectomy, minimal invasive surgery, surgical audit, Sudan.Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 3 (1) 2008: pp. 21-2

Assessing Variability in End-of-Life Intensity of Care After Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) affects over 300,000 Americans per year.1 Many factors affect the outcomes and overall OHCA survival in a community; some of these include an individual’s characteristics such as age, co-morbid conditions, availability of an AED on scene, time to CPR, and the characteristics of the hospital they are treated at.1,2 Directly following resuscitation from cardiac arrest, the individual is at risk of developing numerous problems caused by sequelae of ischemic injury sustained during the arrest. The national average rate of survival to discharge is only 10%.2,3 Many of these factors are modifiable and provide an opportunity to improve outcomes. In our project, we focus on lifesustaining procedures administered by hospitals upon receiving and admitting individuals experiencing OHCA. We used previously validated measures as defined by Barnato et al as “life sustaining end of life (EOL) measures”:4 • Intubation and mechanical ventilation • Tracheostomy • Gastrostomy tube insertion • Hemodialysis • Enteral/parenteral nutrition • CPRhttps://jdc.jefferson.edu/cwicposters/1035/thumbnail.jp

Faecal Contamination of Feeding Bottles Contents, Among Artificially Fed Children

This study was carried out to investigate the bacterial contamination of feeding bottles contents in artificially fed children presenting with diarrhoea at the Paediatric outpatient clinic in Khartoum Hospital.Methods: Hundred bottle fed infants presenting with diarrhoea were included in the study. Specimens were collected from the contents of the feeding bottles and the faeces of children.Results: Hundred and ten bacterial species were isolated from the contents. E. coli was the commonest isolate [33 (30%)]. Different other bacterial species were also isolated with very high count (1X106 - > 15X105/ml). Twenty one enteric pathogens were isolated from the stool specimens [Enteropathogenic E. coli (7) and Shigella species (14)]. The antibiotic sensitivity of the E. coli and Shigella species showed high resistance to co-trimoxazole (57.5%, 53.3% respectively) and to coamoxiclav (85% - 53.3% respectively).Conclusion: Awareness to the hazards of the feeding bottles among the community should be raised and breast feeding should be encouraged.Key words: diarrhea, enteric pathogens, E. coli

Antibiotic Susceptibility and Plasmid Profiles of Shigella species in Sudan.

This study was carried out to determine the antibiotic susceptibility, plasmid profile and conjugative abilities of Shigella species isolated from different towns in Sudan during 2005-2007.Methods: Stool specimens were collected in Carry Blair transport medium from patients presenting with diarrhea from different sites in Sudan between the years 2005-2007. All specimens were inoculated on Mac Conkey’s agar and Xylose Lysine Dioxycholate (XLD) (Mast group Ltd.Merseyside U.K.). Bacteria was isolated and subjected to different antibiotics to detect sensitivity and transference of resistance.Results: One hundred and fourteen Shigella isolates were included in the study. Eighty (70.1%) were Shigella flexeneri representing the dominant isolate, followed by 20 (17.5%) isolates of Shigella dysenteriae, 9 (7.9%) Shigella sonnei and 5 (4.5%) Shigella boydii. Most of the isolates showed resistance to streptomycin (70%), tetracycline (52%) and co-trimoxazole (43%). They were highly sensitive to norfloxacin (97%), nalidixic acid (95%), gentamicin (89%) and chloramphenicol (77%). Multi-drug resistance to two or more antibiotics was apparent in most of the isolates (64, 56.1%). Fifty nine of the resistant Shigella isolates were studied for their ability to transfer resistance to the donor E. coli K12 by conjugation. Of these, six were able to transfer resistance to streptomycin, tetracycline and co-trimoxazole. Extraction of the plasmid DNA from both donorsand trans-conjugants showed a single type of plasmid with a molecular weight of 4.6 Kb. Conclusion: The transfer of multi-drug resistant plasmids and the emergence of antibiotic Shigella and other bacterial species should raise the awareness and the seriousness of the uncontrolled (unsupervised)use of antibiotics in the medical practice.Key words: Shigella E. coli, Plasmid, conjugant, resistance transfer

Phytochemical and antimicrobial study on the leaf extracts of Erythrophleum africanum (Caesalpiniaceae)

The leaf of Erythrophleum africanum was exhaustively extracted with ethanol using cold maceration techniques. This was subsequently partitioned with petroleum ether, chloroform, ethylacetate and nbutanol. The agar diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial activity against the following micro-organisms eithicillin resistant Staphylococus, Staphylococcus aureaus, Streptococcus feacalis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris, Candida albicans, Candida krusei and Candida tropicalis. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) were determined. The in vitro antimicrobial screening revealed that the extracts exhibited diverse activities against different microbes with zones of inhibition ranging from 12 to 36 mm, MIC ranging from 3.25 to 60 mg/ml and MBC/MFC of 3.25 to 60 mg/ml for sensitive organisms at the tested concentrations. The activities observed could be attributed to the presence of terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids, alkaloids and tannins. The results justify the ethnomedicinal use of this plant in the treatment of sores, boils, wounds, dysentery, diarrhea and sexually transmitted infections.Keywords: Erythrophleum africanum, phytochemistry, antimicrobial activityAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol. 13(4), pp. 598-603, 22 January, 201

Glaucoma among tertiary health care workers in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of visual loss and blindness in the world after cataract. The devastating effect of this disease is often neglected. Early diagnosis and management is key to the prevention of blindness from glaucoma. Objective: To determine the prevalence of glaucoma and offer early treatment to the affected members of staff of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Method: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted as part of an awareness campaign to mark the World Glaucoma Week from 10th to 16th March, 2013. A structured protocol was designend to capture the age, sex and educational levels of the respondents. Visual acuity was measured using the standard Snellen's test type by a trained ophthalmic nurse. Detailed ocular examination with pen torch, direct ophthalmoscope and slit lamp was done on each participant. Intra ocular pressure was measured using hand held Perkin's tonometer. All findings were entered into the structured protocol and the data obtained were presented in percentages and tables. Results: The most common age group was 40-49 years (59.6 %.) The hospital prevalence of glaucoma was 11.9% (34). The mean intraocular pressure of those found to have glaucoma was 21.3 mmHg and 22.1 mmHg for right and left eyes respectively. Among those found to have glaucoma, 2 (5.9%) had secondary glaucoma due to post cataract extraction complications while 9(26.5%) others were known glaucoma patients on medication. Conclusion: The hospital prevalence of glaucoma was found to be high among staff. Despite their level of education and access to medical facilities, most of those who were found to have glaucoma did not know they have the condition. There is thus, a need for intensifying glaucoma awareness campaign among hospital staff

In vitro evaluation of antioxidant activity of Anisopus mannii N.E. Br.

Anisopus mannii (Asclepiadaceae) –a plant widely used as an anti-diabetic agent in Northern Nigerian traditional medicine, was subjected to antioxidant evaluation. The crude methanol extract, n-butanol and ethyl acetate fractions were investigated for free radical scavenging activity of the 1, 1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), total phenolic contents and reducing power assay. The results of the DPPH free radical scavenging at 250 ìgml-1 indicated maximum antioxidant activity of 94.1, 94.3 and88.7% for crude methanol extract, ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions, respectively. The total phenolic content was higher in the ethyl acetate fraction (59.60 mg/g gallic acid equivalent GAE) than in the nbutanolfraction (56.40 mg/g GAE) and crude methanol extract (53.20 mg/g GAE). The reducing power of n-butanol fraction was 0.112 nm higher than those of ethyl acetate fraction (0.110 nm) and crude methanol extract (0.106 nm). The antioxidant activities of the crude extract/fractions and the standards at maximum concentration of 250 ìgml-1 decreased in the order: ascorbic acid> ethyl acetate fraction> crude methanol extract> Gallic acid> n-butanol fraction, but there was no significant difference (p <0.05) between them. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins and saponins. This suggests a potential utility of the plant as a source of phenolic antioxidants and may provide leads in the ongoing search for natural antioxidants from Nigerian medicinal plants to be used in treating diseases related to free radical reactions

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A 15-years Experience at a Single Centre, Wad Medani, Sudan

No Abstract