ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: The need to maintain a neutral thermal environment is critical to newborn care. AIM: To investigate reasons for the insufficiency of functional incubators and develop a cost-effective technique for using electronic digital components to recycle obsolete incubators in Nigeria. METHODS: Following interview of 84 clinicians and administrators in Nigerian hospitals, it was identified that inadequate funding was the main reason for lack of functional incubators. Two groups of incubator units were then created and their performance compared. Sixteen units of modern (group A) and 19 units of obsolete (group B) incubators were obtained from six hospitals. An assembly design applying independent generic components for recycling systems was specified and produced. These were sourced through the internet at competitive cost and fitted into the reconstructed panels of the obsolete systems. The functional performance of each recycled system was rigorously monitored for 6 months and graded using ten performance indices. The same indices were used to quantify group A systems. RESULTS: The performance of the recycled incubators (group B) was found to be similar to those of modern incubators. Group B's cost index was found to be 25% of that of group A's. CONCLUSION: Appropriate incubator recycling is a cost-effective method of re-equipping hospitals in low-income countries.
Subject(s)
Conservation of Natural Resources , Developing Countries , Incubators, Infant , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Equipment Design , Humans , Incubators, Infant/economics , Infant, Newborn , Nigeria , Poverty AreasABSTRACT
During a seven year period, six patients with intra-thoracic rupture of amoebic liver abscesses required surgical intervention. Of the six cases, three ruptured into the right pleural space, two into the right lower lobe and one into the pericardium. Definitive surgical procedures performed were decortication and repair of the diaphragm in three, segmental lung resection and repair of the diaphragm in two cases and continuous subxyphoid catheter drainage of the pericardium in the remaining case. There were no death and the morbidity was insignificant.
