Factors associated with delayed reporting for surgical care among patients with surgical acute abdomen attended at Muhimbili National Hospital: Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Surgical acute abdomen is a sudden onset of severe abdominal symptoms (pain, vomiting, constipation etc.) indicative of a possible life-threatening intra-abdominal pathology, with most cases requiring immediate surgical intervention. Most studies from developing countries have focused on complications related to delayed diagnosis of specific abdominal problems like intestinal obstruction or acute appendicitis and only a few studies have assessed factors related to the delay in patients with acute abdomen. This study focused on the time from the onset of a surgical acute abdomen to presentation to determine factors that led to delayed reporting among these patients at the Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) and aimed to close the knowledge gap on the incidence, presentation, etiology, and death rates for acute abdomen in Tanzania. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study at MNH, Tanzania. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of the surgical acute abdomen were consecutively enrolled in the study over a period of 6 months and data on the onset of symptoms, time of presentation to the hospital, and events during the illness were collected. RESULTS: Age was significantly associated with delayed hospital presentation, with older groups presenting later than younger ones. Informal education and being uneducated were factors contributing to delayed presentation, while educated groups presented early, albeit the difference was statistically insignificant (p = 0.121). Patients working in the government sector had the lowest percentage of delayed presentation compared to those in the private sector and self-employed individuals, however, the difference was statistically insignificant. Family and cohabiting individuals showed late presentation (p = 0.03). Deficiencies in health care staff on duty, unfamiliarity with the medical facilities, and low experience in dealing with emergency cases were associated with the factors for delayed surgical care among patients. Delays in the presentation to the hospital increased mortality and morbidity, especially among patients who needed emergency surgical care. CONCLUSION: Delayed reporting for surgical care among patients with surgical acute abdomen in underdeveloped countries like Tanzania is often not due to a single reason. The causes are distributed across several levels including the patient's age and family, deficiency in medical staff on duty and lack of experience in dealing with emergency cases, educational level, working sectors, socioeconomic and sociocultural status of the country.

Surgical treatment of popliteal aneurysms in 25 patients / 中华普通外科杂志

Objective To evaluate surgical therapies in patients with popliteal aneurysms (PA).Method The clinical data of 25 PA patients admitted from January 1988 to January 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 21 men and 4 women,the mean age was (56 ± 16)years.There were 27 PA in these 25 patients,with bilateral PA in 2 cases.The main symptoms were pulsatile mass in the popliteal fossa,limb pain,acute or chronic distal limb ischemia and limb edema.Result In this series 23out of 25 PA cases recieved operations,17 of them were treated with aneurysmectomy and saphenous vein interposition or bypass grafting,4 of them were treated with aneurysmectomy and prosthetic grafts interposition,1 was treated with aneurism ligation and 1 underwent end-to-end anastomosis after aneurysm resection.There was no perioperative mortality.One patient recieved amputation for distal anastomotic thrombosis and severe limb ischemia.The mean follow-up time is (6.5 ± 0.5) years.After 4 years,a right subclavian artery aneurysm was found in a bilateral PA case and treated surgically.Conclusions Early elective surgical treatment is recommended for patients with PA because PA may go rupture or induce dital limb ischemia and these patients may have good outcome after surgical treatment.Long-term follow-up is warranted to detect the new aneurysm formation.