Review of current concept in the management of pressure ulcers

Pressure ulcers are quite distressing, and they cut across all age groups. Aside from increasingmortality, it results in protracted hospital stay and an upsurge in the consumption of healthcare resourcesPressure ulcers are considered to be essentially preventable, but in order to prevent them it is important to identify the people most at risk and deliver timely preventative care. In case of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as in coronavirus dis­ease 2019 (COVID-19) affected patients, prone position and invasive ventilation improve the clinical status of this group of patients. This form of therapy is associated with an increased risk of facial pressure ulcers. When pressure ulcer occurs, appropriate documentation of each ulcer and staging of the ulcer are essential for good wound assessment.Treatment involves, assessing the nutritional needs of the patient, management of infections, removal of necrotic tissue, maintenance of a moist environment for wound healing, and possibly surgery

Clinico-pathological study of female genital malignancies in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To ascertain the pattern and frequency of female genital malignancies among the different age groups, the common presenting complaints of cervical cancer patients and stages of presentation as seen in Sagamu, Ogun State. METHODOLOGY: A retrospective analysis of reports of formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue blocks and slides of all female genital samples received at Morbid Anatomy & Histopathology Department of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu from January 1st, 2003 to June 30th, 2012. The personal data and clinical history were retrieved from laboratory forms and the patients' case files. RESULTS: The age range of patients whose specimens were reviewed was between 21-85 years. Cancers of the cervix accounted for majority (65.1%) of the cases followed by ovarian cancer (23.2%) and cancer involving the uterus (10.5%). Sixty-six percent of the cervical cancer patients are 50 years and above. Majority of the cervical cancer cases (82.2%) were squamous cell carcinoma. The common clinical features were post-menopausal bleeding (53.3%), vaginal discharge (43.3%), and intermenstrual bleeding (16.7%). The interval between onset of symptoms and seeking of healthcare was 6.7 ± 3.66 months. Stage IIIB cervical cancer was seen in 40% of the cervical cancer patients analyzed while no case of Stage IA was seen. Ninety-three percent of these patients were referred for radiotherapy. CONCLUSION: Cancer of the cervix is the commonest gynaecological malignancy and most patients presented late. Free or government subsidized cervical cancer screening programmes and awareness campaign is highly recommended.

Microbial isolates and HIV infection in couples attending fertility clinics in Sagamu, Nigeria.

This observational study was designed to determine the prevalence of HIV infection and the microbial isolates from the genital tracts of couples attending the fertility clinics of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria between January 2001 and December 2002. A total of 110 women and 49 of their male partners were recruited into the study. The majority of the patients were between 25 and 34 years (women: 71.8%; partners: 65.3%), though the men were significantly older than the women (p < 0.001). The overall prevalence of HIV infection in those who consented to screening was 8.2%, which was over twice the reported prevalence among the general population in Ogun State, Nigeria during the study period. Candida albicans (32.5%) and Staphylococcus aureus (27.5%) were the most frequently isolated microorganisms from the endocervix while Trichomonas vaginalis (37.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (24.1%) were the most common microbes isolated from the posterior vaginal fornix. Of all the seminal qualities, only the volume showed a significant difference between the infected and non-infected samples (p < 0.004). This study suggests a higher prevalence of HIV infection among the infertile couples in our environment and it may be advisable to have them screened for HIV in the face of the present HIV situation in sub-Saharan Africa.