An overview of intensive care unit services in Nigeria.

PURPOSE: To have a current overview of the state of critical care services in Nigeria, with a view to having information about the basic infrastructure, personnel, equipment, and processes in place to complement the acute peri-operative and medical emergencies in Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey of public and private intensive care units (ICUs) in Nigeria at the instance of the Intensive and Critical Care Society of Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were sent and collated over a 4-month period. Information on the institutions, ICU equipment and personnel were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 21(Chicago, Illinois). Data are presented in numbers, percentages, medians, and interquartile ranges (IQR) as appropriate. RESULTS: A total of 30 ICUs spread within all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria took part in this survey. Majority (63.3%) of them were located in teaching hospitals. The median number of ICU beds and equipment in hospitals surveyed were beds, 5(4-6), ventilators, 3 (1-4); multiparameter monitor, 4 (3-5.25) and arterial blood gas machine, 0(0-1). The anaesthetists led in running 90% of the units. CONCLUSION: This survey showed a low ICU bed capacity and deficits in basic and advanced haemodynamic monitoring equipment. There is also shortage of trained ICU Physicians.

Challenging Airway Management in a Patient with Retrosternal Goiter Presenting in Respiratory Distress.

A number of options exist for patients with anticipated difficult intubation on account of a retrosternal goiter compressing on the trachea. The chosen technique(s) to secure the airway in this delicate situation often depends on the location and degree of airway obstruction, available resources/facilities, and an anesthetist's experience and preferences. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman with severe airway obstruction from a retrosternal goiter coming for total thyroidectomy. Airway management started with an awake fiber-optic intubation, proceeded to a tracheostomy and finally to use of a rigid bronchoscope following failure of the earlier techniques to achieve adequate ventilation.

The Effect of Single-Dose Bupivacaine on Postoperative Iliac Crest Graft Donor Site Pain.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative donor site pain remains a major source of morbidity following iliac crest bone graft harvesting (ICBGH). AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of single-dose infiltration of bupivacaine on donor site pain following ICBGH. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was a double-blind randomized controlled trial of 30 adult individuals that required an ICBG as part of the treatment for mandibular reconstruction. Individuals were divided into two groups, to receive a single-dose subcutaneous infiltration of either 0.25% bupivacaine or 0.9% normal saline at the iliac crest graft incision site following ICBGH. Length of incision at the ICBGH site, dimensions of harvested graft, time taken for the iliac crest harvest surgery, total daily dose of postoperative analgesics, pain from the ICBGH site as well as gait disturbance were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There was a progressive decrease in pain score from the 1st to the 4th postoperative day, with no significant difference between the two groups. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in terms of dynamic median pain score at the early postoperative period as well as at the 4th and 12th week postoperative period. The analgesic consumption between the two groups also did not show any significant difference. CONCLUSION: Local injection of single dose of 0.25% bupivacaine did not offer additional benefit in the management of postoperative iliac crest donor site pain following ICBGH.

Nigerian surgical outcomes - Report of a 7-day prospective cohort study and external validation of the African surgical outcomes study surgical risk calculator.

BACKGROUND: Surgical outcomes study for individual nations remains important because of international differences in patterns of surgical disease. We aimed to contribute to data on post-operative complications, critical care admissions and mortality following elective surgery in Nigeria and also validate the African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) surgical risk calculator in our adult patient cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a 7-day, national prospective observational cohort study in consented consecutive patients undergoing elective surgery with a planned overnight hospital stay following elective surgery during a seven-day study period. The outcome measures were in-hospital postoperative complications, critical care admissions and in-hospital mortality censored at 30 days. Also, we identified variables which significantly contributed to higher ASOS surgical risk score. External validation was performed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) for discrimination assessment and Hosmer-Lemeshow test for calibration. RESULTS: A total of 1,425 patients from 79 hospitals participated in the study. Postoperative complications occurred in 264(18.5%, 95% CI 16.6-20.6), 20(7.6%) of whom were admitted into the ICU and 16(6.0%) did not survive. Total ICU admission was 57 (4%), with mortality rate of 23.5% following planned admission and overall in-hospital death was 22(1.5%, 95% CI 0.9-2.2). All prognostic factors in the ASOS risk calculator were significantly associated with higher ASOS score and the scoring system showed moderate discrimination (0⋅73, 95% CI 0.62-0.83). Hosmer-Lemeshow χ2 test revealed scale was well calibrated in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: NiSOS validates the findings of ASOS and the ability of the ASOS surgical risk calculator to predict risk of developing severe postoperative complications and mortality. We identified failure-to-rescue as a problem in Nigeria. Furthermore, this study has provided policy makers with benchmarks that can be used to monitor programmes aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality after elective surgery. We recommend the adoption of the ASOS surgical risk calculator as a tool for risk stratification preoperatively for elective surgery.

Open-heart surgery programme in Nigeria: The good, the bad and the ugly.

The development of open-heart surgery (OHS) programme in Nigeria has followed the different economic phases. Starting from the oil boom era in the 70s to 80s when indigenous efforts led to the successful performance of the first set of OHS to the period of depressed economy in the 80s to 90s that witnessed a lull in the programme, the revamping of the programme that started in the mid-90s following intense collaboration with foreign groups is gradually being sustained. The aim of this article was to examine the current efforts at sustaining the development of OHS programme in Nigeria with a view to identifying various challenges and how such can be addressed.

Randomized Controlled Trial comparing Dressing and No Dressing of Surgical Wound after Cleft Lip Repair.

BACKGROUND: Cover wound dressings are regarded as important postoperative care following surgical intervention. Opinions differ on whether the cleft lip repair wound should be routinely covered by dressings or not. Therefore, a well designed randomized controlled trial is required to determine if routine cover dressing offers a better outcome. AIM: The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of wound and cosmetic appearance of cleft lip repair in a randomized controlled trial between cover wound and no wound dressing groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty consecutive patients requiring cleft lip repair were randomized prospectively to receive the traditional wound dressing cover (n = 20) or had the wound left exposed without any dressing cover (n = 20), after the completion of cleft wound closure. The main outcome measures were wound infection and dehiscence rates in the two groups, in addition to the scar cosmetic outcomes. RESULT: The two groups were comparable in terms of age and sex. The incidence of wound infection was 0% (0/20) in cover dressing group as compared to 5% (1/20) in no cover dressing group (p = 0.31). No statistical significant differences in the wound dehiscence rate between the wounds that received dressing (15%) and those with no dressing (20%) were observed. The mean diameter of scar at the 5th to 8th week review appointments was almost similar between the group with dressing (3.29 ± 1.26 mm) and no dressing (3.62 ± 1.28 mm). The patient reported outcome in relation to the cosmetic appearance of the scar after repair was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the main outcome measures between the group that had cover dressing and those with exposed wound after cleft lip repair surgery. This study demonstrates that dressing of cleft repair wound may be unnecessary.

Hemodynamic monitoring in Nigerian patients undergoing high-risk surgery.

BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic monitoring (HM) and optimization of cardiac output and parameters of dynamic fluid responsiveness is said to improve perioperative outcome in high-risk surgical patients (HRSP). There is insufficient data to determine the burden of care and HM practices in HRSP in Nigeria. Hence, the need to assess and document the current hemodynamic management practices of anesthetists in Nigeria regarding patients undergoing high-risk surgery. METHODS: An electronic mail (E-mail) based survey was conducted among 180 consultant members of the Nigeria Society of Anaesthetists. The survey contained 24 questions that range from practice location, experience in the perioperative management of high-risk patients, expectations of care, to what is available to the anesthetists to provide such care. The survey was on for 3 months. RESULTS: A total of 157 E-mail messages were delivered, and 73 responses were received, giving a response rate of 46.5%. The survey showed that 67 (91.8%) of respondents provide or directly supervise anesthesia for HRSP, 50 (84%) of them do this 1-5 times a week. Noninvasive blood pressure (83.6%) was routinely monitored while the central venous pressure (CVP 35.6%), invasive blood pressure (28.8%), and cardiac output (1.4%) monitored less often. Urine output, arterial blood pressure, pulse rate, and clinical experience were considered best indicators of volume expansion. Most respondents were of the opinion that oxygen delivery to tissues is of major importance during the management of HRSP. CONCLUSION: Nigerian consultant anesthetists employ mostly noninvasive blood pressure, CVP, and invasive blood pressure for HM in HRSP. Though a good knowledge of hemodynamic goals was demonstrated, most rated their practice as inadequate.

Intra-Operative Airway Management in Patients with Maxillofacial Trauma having Reduction and Immobilization of Facial Fractures.

BACKGROUND: Despite advancements in airway management, treatment of fractures in the maxillofacial region under general anesthesia remains a unique anesthetic challenge. We reviewed the pattern of airway management in patients with maxillofacial fractures and assessed those challenges associated with the different airway management techniques employed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The anesthetic chart, theatre and maxillofacial operations records of patients who had reduction and immobilization of various maxillofacial fractures over a 2-year period were reviewed. Information obtained included the patient demographics, mechanisms of injury, types of fractures and details about airway management. Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS version 17.0 was utilized for all data analysis. RESULTS: Fifty-one patients were recruited during the 2-year study period. Mask ventilation was easy in 80-90% of the patients, 80% had Mallampati three or four, while 4 (7.8%) had laryngoscopy grading of 4. There was no statistically significant difference between the fracture groups in terms of the laryngoscopy grading (P = 0.153) but there was statistical significant difference in the technique of airway management (P = 0.0001). Nasal intubation following direct laryngoscopy was employed in 64.7% of the patients, fiber-optic guided nasal intubation was utilized in only 7.8%. None of the patients had tracheostomy either before or during operative management. CONCLUSION: Laryngoscopic grading and not adequacy of mouth opening predicted difficult intubation in this group of patients in the immediate preoperative period. Despite the distortions in the anatomy of the upper airway that may result from maxillofacial fractures, nasal intubation following direct laryngoscopy may be possible in many patients with maxillofacial fractures.

Prolonged intensive care unit stay after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: Role of perioperative factors.

INTRODUCTION: Long stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has been found to result in increased hospital mortality, poor long-term prognosis, prolonged hospital stay, and consequently, high cost and expenses. We, therefore, reviewed CABG surgery performed at the Madras Medical Mission Chennai, India, during a 3-month period to determine perioperative factors that are significant predictors of prolonged ICU admission. METHODS: We retrospectively studied patients who had elective CABG surgery from November 2008 to January 2009. Information about the following perioperative variables were retrieved; patient demographics, history of co-morbid disease, pre-operative left ventricular (LV) function, the number of coronary vessels grafted, duration of bypass, the level of cardiovascular support post-bypass, the need for surgical re-exploration and duration of stay in the ICU. Prolonged ICU admission was defined as stay over 4 days after elective CABG surgery. RESULTS: A total of 194 patients were reviewed, with males accounting for 84%, age ranged from 32 to 80 years, and duration of stay in the ICU from 2 to 14 days, with mean values of 58.06 ± 8.48 years and 3.96 ± 1.60 days, respectively. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in the number of patients with pulmonary hypertension (P = 0.002), mean bypass time (P = 0.018), requirement for LV support with inotrope (P = 0.021) and surgical re-exploration (P = 0.016) when patients with ICU stay ≤4 days were compared to those with stay over 4 days. Multiple regression revealed only LV support (ß =0.69; P = 0.003) as the independent predictor of prolonged ICU stay. CONCLUSION: This review showed LV support with inotrope as the only independent predictor of prolonged ICU stay after CABG surgery. Therefore, an excellent perioperative care leading to a reduced requirement for LV support after cardiopulmonary bypass for CABG surgery should be the goal.

Do abnormal findings on hystero-salphingographic examination correlate with intensity of procedure associated pain?

The aim of this study is to determine if the intensity and nature of pain during Hystero-Salphingography could give a clue to the presence of abnormal finding/s. Eighty-two patients were recruited over a six-month period. Procedural pain was assessed using the numeric rating scale. Mean age was 33.2 +/- 4.9 years. The median pain score in patients with normal findings was 6.0 but 7.0, 8.0, and 8.5 in those with right tubal blockade, uterine fibroids and left tubal blockade respectively. No statistical difference in the absolute pain score between patients with normal and abnormal findings. Pain scores in patients with 1 and 2 abnormalities were 7.0 and 7.5, and the number of abnormalities did not affect pain score (P = 0.3). The presence or absence of pain during HSG may not be a suitable way of determining the presence or absence of abnormal HSG finding/s.

Effects of varying doses of tramadol on gastric pH.

BACKGROUND: Tramadol is licensed primarily as an analgesic, but has additional properties, one of which is the ability to increase gastric pH. However, it has not been established if this action is dose related, hence we set out to provide further evidence about this action of tramadol. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-five female adult patients presenting for gynecological surgery were randomized into three groups. After induction, 2.5 ml of gastric juice was aspirated to determine baseline pH, after which groups 1, 2, and 3 received 50 mg, 75 mg, and 100 mg of IV tramadol, respectively. Gastric pH was subsequently assessed every 30 min for as long as the surgery lasted. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the pH of the three groups before anesthesia (3.88 ± 0.75, 3.54 ± 0.73, and 3.75 ± 0.70; P = 0.393). Similarly, no significant statistical difference was observed in the pH of the three tramadol groups during the subsequent three readings (pH1: 4.21 ± 0.93, 4.27 ± 0.95, 4.07 ± 0.82; pH2: 4.75 ± 1.00, 4.68 ± 0.94, 4.59 ± 0.78; pH3: 5.33 ± 0.86, 5.13 ± 0.95, 4.97 ± 0.78; P = 0.793, 0.876, and 0.490). There were statistically significant increases in the pH of each group when the baseline pH was compared with the subsequent three readings, with P values of 0.002, 0.0001, 0.001 in the 50 mg group, 0.0001, 0.0001, 0.0001 in the 75 mg group, and 0.008, 0.0001, 0.001 in the 100 mg group. CONCLUSION: Our result further confirms that tramadol elevates gastric pH. However, the degree of elevation was not found to be dose dependent.

ICU Cutilization by Cardio-Thoracic Patients in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital: Any Role for HDU?

BACKGROUND: The underlying pathological conditions in cardio-thoracic patients, anesthetic and operative interventions often lead to complex physiological interactions that necessitate ICU care. Our objectives were to determine the intensive care unit (ICU) utilization by cardio-thoracic patients in our centre, highlight the common indications for admission; and evaluate the interventions provided in the ICU and the factors that determined outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The intensive care unit (ICU) records of University College Hospital, Ibadan for a period of 2 years (October 2007 to September 2009) were reviewed. Data of cardio-thoracic patients were extracted and used for analysis. Information obtained included the patient demographics, indications for admission, interventions offered in the ICU and the outcome. RESULTS: A total of 1, 207 patients were managed in the ICU and 206 cardio-thoracic procedures were carried out during the study period. However, only 96 patients were admitted into the ICU following cardio-thoracic procedures, accounting for 7.9% of ICU admissions and 46.6% of cardio-thoracic procedures done within the review period. The mean length of stay and ventilation were 5.71 ± 5.26 and 1.30 ± 2.62 days. The most significant predictor of outcome was endotracheal intubation (P = 0.001) and overall mortality was 15%. CONCLUSION: There is a high utilization of the ICU by cardio-thoracic patients in our review and post-operative care was the main indication for admission. Some selected cases may be managed in the HDU to reduce the burden on ICU resources. We opine that when endotracheal intubation is to continue in the ICU, a 1:1 patient ratio should be instituted.

Anaesthesia for emergency Caesarean section in a patient with peripartum cardiomypathy.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is defined as the onset of acute heart failure without demonstrable cause in the last trimester of pregnancy or within the first six months after delivery. We report a case of PPCM (LVEF < 39%) in a 30-year-old housekeeper requiring emergency Caesarean section, who was successfully managed with combined spinal-epidural anesthesia, using low-dose fentanyl for the spinal anesthesia.

Attitude of general public to risks associated with anaesthesia.

OBJECTIVE: To identify specific fears being entertained about general anaesthesia. METHODS: People who do work in any medical facility were targeted in this prospective questionnaire-based study. All respondents were literate. The questionnaire was divided into two sections; (a) The baseline information, which included age, sex, marital status, occupation, previous exposure to anaesthesia and patient preference for anaesthesia technique. (b) Fear about risks associated with general anaesthesia; respondents were expected to pick one of four options (very concerned, somewhat concerned, not concerned and not sure), to indicate how they feel about each of the eight risks listed in the questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed using SSPS version 10 for Windows. RESULTS: In a bivariate analysis, marital status, occupation and previous exposure to anaesthesia are not associated with the expressed fear by the respondents. Respondents had the highest concern for the fear of death (82%), followed by fear of postoperative pain (75.4%). Least concern was for awareness during anaesthesia (37.7%). The mean age of those who expressed concern about being aware during operation is 37.0 +/- 8.6 years while those not concerned is 31.8 +/- 8.5 years (p=0.034). More of those who are concerned with nakedness preferred general anaesthesia (p = 0.023). Also, more females (95.7%) than males (70.6%) expressed fear about pain during general anaesthesia (p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: Fear of death is a great concern for our patients coming for general anaesthesia and it is followed closely by fear of postoperative pain, the later was of greater concern to females. Finally, more of those who were concerned about nakedness preferred general anaesthesia.