ABSTRACT
Several Studies have indicated the existence of thrombo-embolic complications in cancer patients and that this could be associated with changes in heamorheological para- meters. Packed cell volume (PCV); heamoglobin (Hb); relative plasma viscosity (RPV) and plasma Fibrinogen concentration (PFC) were measured in 50 healthy control women; 50 age-matched women with breast cancer; and 10 women with histophathologically proven benign breast tumour. There were significant differences between the controls and breast cancer patients in all the parameters measured (p0.05). However; patients with cancer have significantly higher RPV and PFC (P0.001) respectively than controls. There was significant mean difference between pre and post mastectomy in fibrinogen concentration (p0.05) and this was observed over the 5-week study period. Since increased fibrinogen may give rise to increase fibrin formation which has been asserted as an independent cardiovascular risk factor for thromb-oembolic complications; African patients with breast cancer may well be predisposed to thrombotic complications during illness. The rheological assessment may offer valuable benefit for the management and early diagnosis of breast cancer in African women
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/complications , Hemorrhage , PatientsABSTRACT
The changing trend in the management of penetrating colorectal trauma favouring primary repair without faecal diversion has generated a lot of interest among surgeons. In West Africa; surgeons face peculiar challenges of inadequate facilities; late presentation; delay to surgery and faecal loading of the colon. This study was carried out to determine the place of this trend in our practice. There were seventeen consecutive patients (aged 15 to 50 years) with injuries at 21 different anatomic sites: five in the right colon and 16 in the left. Twelve (75) patients had primary repair without faecal diversion; two of which had colon related complications. The median duration of hospitalisation was shorter in patients managed without faecal diversion. Two patients died in the immediate peri-operative period and could not be included in the study. From our experience and from a review of literature we conclude that primary repair without faecal diversion should be favoured in good surgical risk patients