Effect of video-based information on preoperative State trait anxiety inventory scores in adult patients presenting for elective caesarean section: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Preoperative anxiety is a common occurrence in patients presenting for surgery with a reported incidence of up to 80%. Increased preoperative anxiety has been associated with increased morbidity. Provision of information relating to surgery and anesthesia to patients has been proven to have benefit in allaying anxiety. However, the best format of information dissemination remains unknown. Objective: To determine the effect of video information in addition to the pre-anesthetic review on the mean preoperative State anxiety inventory (STAI-S) score in adult patients presenting for elective caesarean section under spinal anesthesia at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUHN), and to determine the prevalence of preoperative anxiety in the obstetric population presenting for elective caesarean section at AKUHN. Methods: Thirty-seven adult patients booked for elective caesarean section under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the study arm, a video was shown to the participants in addition to the standard pre-anesthetic review. In the control arm the participants only had a standard pre-anesthetic review. Results: The mean STAI-T score in the sampled population was 45.64 (SD 5.625). The mean baseline STAI-S score was 46.32 (SD 4.911). There was no statistically significant difference in change in STAI score between the video and control arms (p>0.05). Conclusion: On the basis of this study among this population, there was no benefit demonstrated from the use of an information video about spinal anesthesia on anxiety levels in obstetric patients presenting for a first time spinal

Reintroduction of elective paediatric otolaryngology procedures in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cancelling elective clinical consultations and surgical procedures was instrumental in assisting hospitals prepare for the COVID-19 crisis. Essential bed space was made available, and it allowed mobilisation of health workers and enforced social distancing. A shift in patient-centred ethics to public health ethics was required to provide a utilitarian approach to the crisis. However, at some point, clinicians need to start becoming patient centred again, and this needs to happen within the utilitarian framework. Children only account for 1 - 5% of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and they present with a much milder disease spectrum than adults. Consequently, paediatric units may be at the forefront of implementing reintroduction of patient-centred elective clinical and surgical procedures. The following recommendations provide a framework to do this in a way that minimises risk to patients and clinicians. They are the first paediatric guidelines in the literature to propose a strategy to reintroduce elective surgical procedures

Evaluation du respect des mesures d'asepsie en salle d'opération et antibioprophylaxie en milieu rural. A propos d'une cohorte de 42 interventions chirurgicales réalisées à Moba (République Démocratique du Congo)

Introduction : La prévention des infections du site opératoire demeure une préoccupation pour tout système de santé. Cette étude avait pour objectif d'évaluer le niveau de respect des mesures d'asepsie au bloc opératoire et la pratique d'antibioprophylaxie chez les opérés. Méthode : Il s'agit d'une étude observationnelle de cohorte prospective. Elle a été effectuée au service de chirurgie de l'hôpital général de référence de Moba d'avril à juin 2018. Les variables d'étude concernaient les opérés et les chirurgiens. Dans le but de supprimer tout jugement a priori pouvant entraîner les biais de suivi, l'observation était en double aveugle. Résultats : Quarante-deux interventions chirurgicales avaient été retenues et évaluées chez les patients en majorité de sexe féminin (n = 36 ; 85,7 %), avec un âge moyen de 27 ans. La chirurgie pelvienne a été la plus pratiquée (n = 30 ; 71,4%). Les résultats montrent un écart considérable entre ce qui est fait et ce qui devrait être fait. Il en va de la disposition du bloc opératoire aux fautes d'asepsie (présence des téléphones portables et radiocassette dans la salle d'opération pendant l'intervention chirurgicale ; ports incorrects des bonnets, masques et gants ; gestes non-aseptiques dans l'exécution des actes ; discussions non-utiles, etc…) et à l'antibioprophylaxie à des doses usuelles et uniquement en post-opératoire. La conséquence a été que les infections du site opératoire représentaient 40,5% (n = 17). Néanmoins, pour être complet dans l'amélioration des conditions de travail et de satisfaire nos attentes, ces résultats devraient être corrélés par une étude similaire au service de chirurgie (soins post-opératoires et qualité de stérilité du matériel, hygiène des opérés). Conclusion : Le risque infectieux en milieu chirurgical constitue une préoccupation à laquelle il faudrait rapidement trouver solution pour inverser la tendance des infections du site opératoire. La solution passe obligatoirement par le respect strict des mesures d'asepsie, l'antibioprophylaxie en pré-opératoire et à double dose lors de son initiation, et les études épidémiologiques sur les infections en chirurgie

Caesarean section in a primary health facility in Ghana: Clinical indications and feto-maternal outcomes

There is great concern about the increasing rise in the rate of caesarean section in both developed and developing countries. This study was to ascertain the prevalence and compare outcomes of elective and emergency caesarean sections among women who deliver at the University of Cape Coast Hospital, Ghana. This retrospective study reviewed records of 645 women who delivered through caesarean sections during the period of January 2014 and December 2015. The prevalence of caesarean section was 26.9%. There was a significantly higher rate of adverse fetal outcomes (P=0.016) among babies born through emergency caesarean section. There were 12 (1.9%) women who had caesarean section done based on maternal request. The caesarean section rate found in this study was high. The lack of availability of technology for diagnosing fetal distress found in this study could possibly lead to over diagnosis of fetal distress. Thus availability of such diagnostic technology could reduce the high caesarean section rate. The high numbers of women requesting caesarean section without medical indication should be investigated and the motivation factors identified so as to curb the practice

Provision of an emergency theatre in tertiary hospitals is cost-effective: Audit and cost of cancelled planned elective general surgical operations at Pietersburg Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Background. Cancellations of planned elective surgical operations increase financial cost to the patient and the hospital.Objectives. To determine the rate and reasons for cancellations, estimate the cost incurred by such cancellations and recommend possible solutions.Methods. We did a prospective descriptive study of cancellations of elective general surgical operations over the 1-year period January - December 2014 in the main theatre at Pietersburg (PTB) Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa. All patients listed on the theatre booking slate for elective general surgical operations before the cut-off time of 13h00 on the day before the anticipated operation were included. Epi Infoversion 7 was used to analyse the data and derive the descriptive statistics.Results. There were 537 booked patients (median age 47 years, range 1 - 94); a total of 298 operations were performed, and 239 were cancelled (cancellation rate 44.5%). Reasons for cancellation were as follows: theatre needed for an emergency n=154 (64.4%), theatre equipment failure and lack of consumables n=17 (7.1%), non-theatre equipment failure n=10 (4.2%), prolonged time of operations n=13 (5.4%), abnormal blood results n=8 (3.3%), patient comorbidity and poor general condition n=9 (3.8%), patients absent from the ward n=8 (3.3%), patients not starved n=2 (0.8%), patients' condition improved significantly n=3 (1.3%), nurses' strike n=5 (2.1%), rebooking of cases for senior surgeons or other specialty n=2 (0.8%), and other reasons n=8 (3.3%). The cost per inpatient per day was estimated at ZAR4 890 at PTB Hospital and ZAR2 100 at district hospitals, and the total cost per cancelled operation was ZAR25 860.Conclusions. Over the 1-year period 44.5% of elective operations at PTB Hospital were cancelled, 64.4% because the theatre was needed for an emergency operation. We recommend that a theatre dedicated to emergencies be opened at PTB Hospital. The cost incurred due to cancellations was about ZAR6 million for the hospital, with additional cost and emotional trauma for the patients

An audit of the Day-of-Surgery Cancellation of Scheduled Surgical Procedures in Sagamu, Nigeria

Background: Timely performance of scheduled surgical procedures may be an indirect method of assessing the quality of surgical services in a hospital.Objective: This study aimed to determine the rate and the reasons for day-of-surgery cancellation of elective surgical procedures.Methods: A prospective study was conducted at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria to audit the type of surgery and the reasons for the cancellation of procedure among patients scheduled for elective surgical procedures.Results: A total of 1,324 patients were scheduled for elective surgeries during the period of audit and 268 (20.2%) were cancelled on the day of surgery. One hundred and seventy-four of the 268 (65.0%) cancellations were avoidable while 94 (35.0%) cancellations were unavoidable. The reasons for the cancellation of surgeries included patient-related factors (35.0%), unfavourable pre-operative clinical evaluation (31.0%), facility-based factors (28.0%) and surgeon-related factors (6.7%).Conclusion: The day-of-surgery cancellation rate was 20.2%, and the three leading causes of cancellation of elective surgeries in Sagamu included patient-related factors, unfavourable pre-operative clinical evaluation and inadequacies of hospital resources

A Clinical Audit of the Utilisation of Red Cell Products in Elective Total Hip Replacement Surgery

Background. Previous studies have documented a marked variation in transfusion practice for total hip replacement (THR) surgery.Objective. To audit red cell product utilisation for THR at two Western Cape tertiary referral hospitals (HY and HG).Methods. The folders of 207 consecutive patients undergoing elective THR surgery from January 2013 to December 2013 were reviewed. Information relating to age; sex; clinical observations; indications for surgery; pre- and postoperative haemoglobin (Hb) values; comorbidities; length of hospital stay and transfusion history was recorded.Results. The transfusion rate at HY (41.6%) was significantly higher than that at HG (10.0%). The mean postoperative Hb in the transfused patients at HG was 8.3 g/dL v. 9.1 g/dL at HY. Females had a significantly higher transfusion rate (33.0%) than males (15.0%) (p0.05); and the mean age of transfused patients was significantly greater than that of untransfused patients (p0.005). Although patients with comorbidities had a higher transfusion rate than those without; this did not reach statistical significance. Of 120 patients with complete data; 113 (94.2%) had a blood bank order; of which the vast majority; 102/113 (90.3%); were group-and-screen (GetS) requests; 29/113 (25.7%) were converted to a full crossmatch.Conclusions. Overall; the transfusion rate for both hospitals was 25.8%; which is well within published rates. A guideline Hb trigger of 8.0 g/dL is recommended as per published guidelines; with the caveat that the clinical judgement of the attending clinician whether a transfusion is indicated is paramount. Causes of preoperative anaemia should be investigated and treated. Routine cross-matching preoperatively is unnecessary; and a GetS order is sufficient

Comparison between the Outcome of Trial of Labour and Elective Repeat Caesarean Section in Kiambu District Hospital: a Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: To determine the pregnancy outcomes in patients with one previous Caesarean section scar who underwent trial of labour as compared to those who had elective repeat Caesarean section at Kiambu District Hospital. Design: A retrospective cohort study. Setting: Post natal wards of Kiambu District Hospital. Subjects: Medical records of all mothers with one previous Caesarean section scar who had delivered in Kiambu District Hospital were obtained and the information used to fill questionnaires. Maternal morbidity was assessed primarily based on post-natal hospital stay. Other maternal morbidity measures assessed included occurrence of uterine rupture; maternal death; need for hysterectomy; maternal blood loss; presence of visceral injury (bladder or gut) and post delivery infectious morbidity. In addition; the failure rate of trial of labour was determined. Foetal outcome was assessed based on APGAR score at five minutes; need for admission to the new born unit and the occurrence of early neonatal death. Results: A total of 142 participants were recruited of which 71 had undergone TOL and 71 had undergone ERCS. Clinical pelvimetry was the most common criteria used for selection of patients for TOL since 100% of all patients in the TOL group were assessed this way as compared to 80.3% in the ERCS group. The success rate of TOL was 50.7% in this study. Successful TOL was associated with less hospital stay since 91.6% stayed for two days or less as compared to ERCS where 84.5% stayed for 3-4days (P0.001). Similarly; blood loss was less for those who had successful TOL where 97.2% lost less than 500mls as compared to ERCS where 85.9% lost 500mls or more. Maternal outcomes were worse in the 49.7% who failed TOL since only 57.1% of them had a post-natal hospital stay of three to four days as compared to 84.5% in the ERCS group( p

Day case surgery in Nigeria

Patient care in Nigeria is mostly government funded; from primary to tertiary levels; with little contribution from private sector and non-governmental organizations. Healthcare provision has become more complex and expensive partly due to increasing population; aging; and frequent cancellations of electives; but also due to the increasing emergence of new diseases; as well as shrinkage of resources in many developing countries like Nigeria; resulting from recent economic downturn; and political instability. Therefore; it is important to introduce and popularize the concept of day case surgery; as this may help hospitals and healthcare providers to streamline resources by reducing length of hospital stay; decreasing morbidity and mortality; and providing valuable bed services to emergencies. It also helps to reduce time lost away from work and indirectly helps to decrease loss of revenue for the individual and state. Many hospitals in Nigeria provide day care services with patients admitted to the general surgical wards; and no dedicated day surgery units (DSUs); as currently practised in developed countries. DSUs are the best way to achieve results and so it is important for all to embrace this concept in order to improve healthcare delivery to the rapidly expanding populations. A systematic search of the current published literature was carried out to look for articles related to day case surgery (day care or day surgery) in Nigeria and to examine some published articles in relation to the surgical subspecialities; with a view to highlighting current practice in Nigeria and how it conforms to ideal practice elsewhere. Recommendations and suggestions are made on how to implement and popularize this concept in our hospitals

Plasma electrolytes in healthy individuals and elective surgical patients in Khartoum

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate if the frequently observed low preoperative values of the plasma electrolytes Na+; K+; and Ca+2 in our surgical patients; in Khartoum; is a reflection of their levels in the population at large or it is a genuine finding in patients.Methods: 90 male and female subjects were included in this study. 60 healthy; young and elderly individuals were selected randomly from amongst medical students and employees of the University of Khartoum. 30 elective orthopedic and general surgical patients were randomly selected from Khartoum teaching hospital. Plasma Na+ and K+ were measured using a digital flammometer; and plasma Ca+2 was measured using a spectrophotometer. Results were compared to international data using the Z test. Comparison between the groups in the study was done using the student t-test. Results: Plasma Na+; K+; and Ca+2of the healthy subjects and the surgical patients were found to be low compared to the international reference values. Plasma K+ is higher and Ca+2is lower in the older subjects when compared to young ones. Conclusion: a larger study is needed to set the normal values for plasma electrolytes in the Sudan. The high environmental temperature and nature of our diets could be the reason for the observed differences between our subjects and international reference values

A new surgical procedure for treatment of total colonic aganglionosis (TCA)

Under the specific environmental circumstances of a normal developing country, a surgical procedure can save patients born with Total Colonic Aganglionosis. This new one-stage procedure comprises preservation of the ileocaecal valve, partial colon resection and a long ileum patch of the remaining colon and rectum. Normal stool habits were established due to enhanced absorption function of the remaining colon. Normal growth etc. were also noted due to adequate transit time of nutrients in the small intestine. Long-term enterostomy is difficult to manage in any depressed economy and the little ones succumb easily to malabsorption syndrome. So far two patients have benefited from this procedure. One is now 8 years, while the other is 4 years old, 6 years, and over 2 years respectively after definitive surgery