ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To review alternative surgical and anaesthetic options in the management of foreign bodies lodged in the tracheobronchial tree in children aged below 10 years. DESIGN: A five year retrospective secondary data analysis. SETTING: Three hospitals based in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome variables included morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: Of the thirty two children studied, 74.1% had bronchoscopy and 25.9% thoracotomy. The overall mortality rate was 3.3%. CONCLUSION: Foreign bodies in the tracheo-bronchial tree are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children aged below 10 years. In settings where appropriate equipment is inadequate, timely thoracotomy may be life saving.
Subject(s)
Bronchi , Foreign Bodies/therapy , Trachea , Age Distribution , Bronchoscopy/methods , Bronchoscopy/statistics & numerical data , Child , Child, Preschool , Fabaceae , Foreign Bodies/complications , Foreign Bodies/diagnosis , Foreign Bodies/mortality , Humans , Infant , Infant Mortality , Intubation, Intratracheal/methods , Intubation, Intratracheal/statistics & numerical data , Kenya/epidemiology , Morbidity , Retrospective Studies , Seeds , Thoracotomy/methods , Thoracotomy/statistics & numerical data , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
The technique of locating the laryngeal inlet using breath sounds was attempted on six patients referred for appropriate management following a failed intubation at the Eldoret District Hospital. Five of these were successfully intubated. It was still impossible to intubate the sixth patient who subsequently required a tracheostomy.
Subject(s)
Auscultation/methods , Intubation, Intratracheal/methods , Larynx/anatomy & histology , Respiratory Sounds , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Intubation, Intratracheal/adverse effects , Male , Tracheostomy , Treatment FailureABSTRACT
Thirty one patients at the Eldoret District Hospital, currently being used as a referral and teaching hospital, were anaesthetised and allowed to breathe through any of the three standard Maplesons circuits. The quantity of halothane required to maintain a satisfactory level of anaesthesia was measured and expressed in millilitres per kilogramme body weight, per minute. This value was used to compare the cost-effectiveness of the three circuits under different modes of ventilation.
