ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictors of mortality in childhood heart failure (HF) in 2 tertiary hospitals. METHODS: A 51-month retrospective review of case notes of children with HF admitted into children's emergency rooms of 2 tertiary centers in Southern Nigeria was done. Bio-data and certain sociodemographic variables including mortality were abstracted. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were done to evaluate the predictors of mortality in HF. RESULTS: The case notes of 289 children were analyzed, consisting of 153 males (52.9%) and 142 infants (49.1%). Lower respiratory tract infections, 121 (41.9%), were the commonest causes of HF. Twenty-eight children (9.7%) died. In multivariate analyses, only late presentation (P < 0.0001) was an independent predictor of mortality in HF. CONCLUSION: Education of the populace about early presentation to hospital is imperative to prevent unnecessary deaths associated with HF.
Subject(s)
Heart Failure/mortality , Adolescent , Anemia/complications , Child , Child Mortality , Child, Preschool , Female , Heart Defects, Congenital/complications , Heart Failure/diagnosis , Heart Failure/epidemiology , Heart Failure/etiology , Humans , Infant , Infant Mortality , Infant, Newborn , Male , Multivariate Analysis , Nigeria/epidemiology , Respiratory Tract Infections/complications , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Time-to-Treatment , Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/complicationsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Congenital heart diseases (CHD) when detected in primary or secondary health care levels are almost always referred to the tertiary hospitals where more competent diagnostic evaluation is carried out. The burden of the CHDs is enormous to the patient; parents and the health sector since the facilities for definitive surgical interventions are not readily available in Nigeria resulting in indefinite conservative palliative management for those who cannot afford such surgical interventions abroad. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this prospective study is to determine the pattern of the CHDs presenting to Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH); Oghara; a major tertiary care referral centre for the entire Delta State of Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Outpatient and inpatient cases of all CHDs at DELSUTH; OGHARA were determined and the pattern of presentation with respect to age; sex; type of CHD; as confirmed to echocardiography were analyzed from November 2010 to February 2012. RESULTS:A total of 18 cases were seen in DELSUTH; Oghara. Ages at presentation were from 3 months to 9 years; males were 10 (55.6) and Females 8 (44.4). Thirteen of the eighteen CHD patients (72) presented in complications that required immediate admission for in patient care
Subject(s)
Heart Diseases/diagnosis , Heart Diseases/therapy , Hospitals , Teaching , Ventricular Septal RuptureABSTRACT
Anaesthetic practice in resource-poor countries often requires a lot of improvisation on the part of practitioners in order to meet the needs of patients. Disposables in a low-resource environment are usually stretched beyond the manufacturer's recommended life span. While anaesthetizing a six-month-old baby with cleft lip, the reservoir bag was accidentally torn and was replaced with latex surgical gloves. In the absence of a spare bag this replacement served the patient throughout the period of surgery.
