Perceived benefit of antibiotics irrigation before pharyngeal repair of severe cut-throat injuries.

INTRODUCTION: Wound irrigation has been employed as an important surgical step to remove bacteria, devitalized tissues, and foreign bodies from surgical sites to prevent infection and confer to the wound maximum potential of healing. METHOD: A prospective study was conducted at Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, between January 2019- August 2023 to assess the benefit of antibiotics as additives in irrigation of dirty wounds. Seven (7) patients in total were presented with severe cut-throat injuries that require laryngopharyngoplasty. A combination of injection ciprofloxacin and metronidazole were used as additives into 1 L of normal saline, low pressure irrigation was done using 20mls syringe fitted to a broken needle or canular. Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale (DOSS) was used to assess return of pharyngeal function. RESULT: The mean time of presentation of the patients was 34 ± 29 h (µ ± standard deviation) and a range of 6-72 h. The mean repair time was 58.3 ± 38.4 h with a range of 24-120 h. Most of the patients (85.7 %) had dysphagia outcome and severity scale of level 5 when per oral feeding was started with steady progress until discharge day. CONCLUSION: Wound irrigation is one of the most crucial steps in treating severe cut-throat injuries. Based on our experience, adding antibiotics to the irrigant has shown potential in the control of local infection, particularly where patients present late.

Audit of Adenotonsillar surgeries in a Tertiary Facility in Uyo, South-south Nigeria

Background:Adenoid and tonsils are lymphoid tissues that occupy the nasopharynx and tonsillar fossae and serve as the initial site of immunological contact for inhaled and ingested antigens. Adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy is a lifesaving surgical procedure and remains a leading reason of surgical admission in general otorhinolaryngological practice both in developed and developing countries.The study aims to audit adenotonsillar surgeries in the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat in University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, and compare findings with similar studies.Method:This is a retrospective study of patients who had adenoidectomy, tonsillectomy, or adenotonsillectomy over 5 years from January 2015 to December 2019 at the Department of Ear, Nose, and Throat, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, south-south Nigeria.Results:Atotal of 526 patients were recruited, and this accounted for 38.7% of the total ENTsurgeries performed within the study period. Ages ranged from 6 months to 72 years, with a mean age of 11.89+1.03. The majority of the patients were aged between 1-5 years and the commonest presenting symptom was snoring and mouth breathing (79.5%). Sleep-disordered breathing (55.7%) was the main indication for the surgeries. Adenotonsillectomy (61.0%) was the commonest surgery performed. About 1.0% of the patients had recurrent adenoids. Conclusion: The surgeries were of immense necessity to the patients as all presenting complaints and pre-operative diagnoses became completely resolved.