Estimating the global incidence of femoral fracture from road traffic collisions: a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, road injuries cause over 1.3 million deaths and many more disabilities annually, disproportionately affecting the young and the poor. Approximately one in ten road injuries involves a femoral shaft fracture that is most effectively treated with surgery. Current femoral shaft fracture incidence according to country and age group is unknown and difficult to measure directly but is critical to designing and evaluating interventions. METHODS: We modeled femoral shaft fracture incidence from road traffic collisions with use of World Bank, World Health Organization, and Global Burden of Disease Study data for 176 countries and five age groups. We used road traffic death rates, ratios of road traffic deaths to injuries, and proportions of road traffic injuries that were femoral shaft fractures to calculate the fracture incidence. RESULTS: The worldwide annual femoral shaft fracture incidence from road traffic collisions was between 1.0 and 2.9 million. Incidence rates were significantly higher in low and middle income countries compared with high income countries. Overall, low and middle income countries had a mean femoral shaft fracture incidence between 15.7 and 45.5 per 100,000 people per year, with a rate ratio of 2.08 (95% confidence interval, 2.02 to 2.13; p < 0.001) relative to high income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate a substantial worldwide burden and disparities in femoral shaft fracture incidence between low to middle income and high income countries, and the young are disproportionately affected, underscoring the potential impact of improved access to treatment. We believe that the methodology of this study can be applied to estimate the burden of other diseases, allowing for better direction of global health efforts.

Surgical outcomes for perforated peptic ulcer: a prospective case series at an academic hospital in Monrovia, Liberia

Introduction The incidence of perforated peptic ulcer remains high in low and middle-income countries. Mortality can be significant; and early surgical management with careful evaluation of pre-operative risk factors is essential. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical outcomes of surgical treatment for perforated peptic ulcer disease in Liberia and to explore risk factors for adverse outcomes.Methods This study prospectively examined 20 consecutive patients undergoing primary closure with omental patch for perforated pre-pyloric or duodenal peptic ulcer at the John F. Kennedy Medical Centre (JFKMC) in Monrovia; Liberia from May 2009 to March 2010. Pre-operative information was captured in a questionnaire. Risk factors were assessed for univariate and multivariate associations with in-hospital mortality.Results Median age was 33 years and 85 were males. A majority of the patients (70) had a history of gastritis and antacid use. Median time from beginning of symptoms to surgery was 4.5 days. Over-all in-hospital mortality following surgical therapy for perforated peptic ulcer disease was 35. Median length of stay among survivors was 16 days; and death occurred at median 1 day after admission. Long symptom duration and age 30 years of age were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality on univariate (? = 2.60 [0.18-5.03]; p = 0.035) and multivariate testing (? = 2.95 [0.02-5.88]; p =0.049). Conclusion Peptic ulcer disease and its treatment represent a potentially substantial source of morbidity and mortality in limited-resource settings. In this case series; surgical treatment for perforated peptic ulcer disease carried a high mortality; and the results highlight the potential for public health systems strengthening to prevent poor health outcomes. Peptic ulcer disease in low- and middle-income countries presents unique epidemiology and treatment challenges that may differ significantly from evidence-based guidelines in high-income countries

Surgeon migration between developing countries and the United States: train, retain, and gain from brain drain.

BACKGROUND: The critical shortage of surgeons in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) prevents adequate responses to surgical needs, but the factors that affect surgeon migration have remained incompletely understood. The goal of this study was to examine the importance of personal, professional, and infrastructural factors on surgeon migration from LMICs to the United States. We hypothesized that the main drivers of surgeon migration can be addressed by providing adequate domestic surgical infrastructure, surgical training programs, and viable surgical career paths. METHODS: We conducted an internet-based nationwide survey of surgeons living in the US who originated from LMICs. RESULTS: 66 surgeons completed the survey. The most influential factors for primary migration were related to professional reasons (p ≤ 0.001). Nonprofessional factors, such as concern for remuneration, family, and security were significantly less important for the initial migration decisions, but adopted a more substantial role in deciding whether or not to return after training in the United States. Migration to the United States was initially considered temporary (44 %), and a majority of the surveyed surgeons have returned to their source countries in some capacity (56 %), often on multiple occasions (80 %), to contribute to clinical work, research, and education. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that surgically oriented medical graduates from LMICs migrate primarily for professional reasons. Initiatives to improve specialist education and surgical infrastructure in LMICs have the potential to promote retention of the surgical workforce. There may be formal ways for LMICs to gain from the international pool of relocated surgeons.

The impact of natural disaster on pediatric surgical delivery: a review of Haiti six months before and after the 2010 earthquake.

UNLABELLED: Little is known about pediatric surgical disease in resource-poor countries. This study documents the surgical care of children in central Haiti and demonstrates the influence of the 2010 earthquake on pediatric surgical delivery. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of operations performed at Partners in Health/Zanmi Lasante hospitals in central Haiti. RESULTS: Of 2,057 operations performed prior to the earthquake, 423 were pediatric (20.6%). Congenital anomalies were the most common operative indication (159/423 operations; 33.5%). Pediatric surgical volume increased significantly after the earthquake, with 670 operations performed (23.0% post-earthquake v. 20.6% pre-earthquake, p=.03). Trauma and burns became the most common surgical diagnoses after the disaster, and operations for non-traumatic conditions decreased significantly (p<.01). CONCLUSION: Congenital anomalies represent a significant proportion of baseline surgical need in Haiti. A natural disaster can change the nature of pediatric surgical practice by significantly increasing demand for operative trauma care for months afterward.