Mortality audit in general surgery unit and lessons learned at a Nigerian tertiary hospital: a single centre observational study.

Introduction: mortality among surgical admissions is a global phenomenon, but the rates, pattern and factors that predict such deaths vary from region to region and even in one region, it varies among institutions. The aim was to document the pattern and factors that influence mortality in the general surgery unit of our institution. Methods: this was a seven-year retrospective, case-control study. All general surgery admissions managed at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria from January 2013 to December 2019 were included. Data were retrieved from case files of those managed during the period. Pattern and factors associated with increased mortality were analyzed and presented in tabular and descriptive forms. Results: of 4,898 general surgery admissions, 481 deaths were recorded, giving a crude mortality rate of 9.8%. Though highest number of deaths occurred in those in the 16-45 years age range, crude mortality rate was highest in elderly patients (>65 years). Generalized peritonitis was the most common cause of death, representing 38.9% of all deaths followed by cancers (22.9%), then abdominal injuries (16.8%). Of the 110 deaths from cancers, breast cancer (40, 36.4%) was the most important cause followed by colorectal cancers (29, 26.4%). Overall, 78.2% of the deaths occurred in emergency cases. In the logistic regression analysis, the following were significantly associated with mortality: advanced age, comorbidities, emergency presentation, high ASA scores (III-V) and delayed presentation. Conclusion: significant mortality occurs in our general surgery unit and is higher in older patients, and in those with generalized peritonitis, abdominal trauma and cancers.

Seatbelt use among drivers in an urban city in Nigeria: an observational study.

Studies from parts of Nigeria reported low compliance with seatbelt. This study sought to establish driver seatbelt use in Enugu, Nigeria by gender, vehicle type/use and time of day. Observations were done day and night at randomly selected locations. Data were analysed with SPSS version 15. Differences in response were checked with chi-square for trend. Confidence interval was 95% and P value < 0.05 was regarded as significant. Average compliance was 37.6% for the 510 males (85%) and 90 females (15%) observed. It was 74.8% in the day and 0.3% at night. Among males, 218 (42.7%) wore seatbelt while 9 (10%) females did. For commercial drivers 159 (65.2%) complied while 68 (19.1%) private drivers did. Truck drivers had 100% compliance while sports utility vehicle drivers had the lowest (18.8%). There is poor seatbelt compliance in Enugu, Nigeria and need for educational campaigns and stricter enforcement.

Evaluation of clinical breast examination and breast ultrasonography among pregnant women in Abakaliki, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer in pregnancy accounts for 2%-3% of all breast cancers. The increased vascularity and lymphatic drainage from the breast during pregnancy potentiate the metastatic spread of the cancer to the regional lymph nodes. However, the increased breast density in pregnancy makes it difficult to detect breast lesions early. AIM: To evaluate and compare the detection rate of breast lesions using clinical breast examination (CBE) and breast ultrasonography among pregnant women. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional comparative study involving antenatal clinic attendees at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, was conducted between March 3, 2014, and December 31, 2014. CBE and breast ultrasonography were done in the participants at booking and repeated at 6 weeks postpartum. Fine-needle aspiration cytology and histology were done in women with suspicious breast lesions on CBE or breast ultrasonography or both. Data analysis was both descriptive and inferential at the 95% confidence level using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 17.0. Test of significance was done using chi-square test. A P-value of less than or equal to 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 320 pregnant women participated in the study. Of these, 267 (83.4%) were aware of breast cancer. Although more lesions were detected with breast ultrasonography than by CBE, there was no statistically significant difference between them (25 versus 17; P=0.26). The histology of the lesions revealed 21 benign lesions and 4 normal breast tissues. The sensitivity of breast ultrasonography was 95.2%, while that of CBE was 66.7%. The specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were similar between CBE and breast ultrasonography. CONCLUSION: The detection rates of breast lesions by both CBE and breast ultrasonography were equivalent during pregnancy and 6 weeks postpartum, making CBE a convenient and very cost-effective method of detecting breast lesions in the low-risk population. However, both CBE and breast ultrasonography should be done in women with high risk of breast malignancy.