Panniculectomy as a surgical option for the management of a deep surgical site infection after C-section in a morbidly obese woman: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of surgical site infections (SSIs) following all types of surgeries, especially after Caesarean section (C-section). SSIs increase postoperative morbidity, health economic cost and their management is quiet complex with no universal therapeutic consensus. Herein, we report a challenging case of a deep SSI after C-section in a central morbidly obese woman managed successfully by panniculectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old black African pregnant woman with marked abdominal panniculus extending to the pubic area, a waist circumference = 162 cm and BMI = 47.7 kg/m2 underwent an emergency CS indicated for acute fetal distress. By day five post-operation, she developed a deep parietal incisional infection unremitting to antibiotic therapy, wound dressings and beside wound debridement till the 26th postoperative day. A large abdomen panniculus and maceration of the wound enhanced by central obesity increased the risk of failure of spontaneous closure; thus, an abdominoplasty by panniculectomy was indicated. The patient underwent panniculectomy on the 26th day after the initial surgery and her post-operative course was uneventful. Wound esthetics was satisfactory three months later. Adjuvant dietary and psychological management were associated. CONCLUSION: Post-Caesarean deep SSI is a frequent complication in obese patients. A panniculectomy may be a safe and promising therapeutic surgical option with good cosmetic results and little postoperative complications when used in a multidisciplinary anti-obesogenic approach.

Palliative and end-of-life care in COVID-19 management in sub-Saharan Africa: a matter of concern.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health care systems beyond capacity resulting in many people not having access to life-sustaining measures even in well-resourced countries. Palliative and end-of-life care are therefore essential to alleviate suffering and ensure a continuum of care for patients unlikely to survive. This is challenging in sub-Saharan Africa where lack of trained teams on basic palliative care and reduced access to opioids limit implementation of palliative and end-of-life care. At the same time, health care providers have to cope with local cultural conceptions of death and absence of advance care directives.

Retraction Note: Severe Viperidae envenomation complicated by a state of shock, acute kidney injury, and gangrene presenting late at the emergency department: a case report.

The authors have retracted this case report [1] because the head of the snake shown in Figure 1 and described as being that of a viper (Echis occellatus) is identical to the head of a snake shown in Figure 1 of a different case report [2] where it was identified as being Naja melanoleuca, a member of the Elapidae family.

A comparative analysis of the diagnostic performances of four clinical probability models for acute pulmonary embolism in a sub-Saharan African population: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the most challenging in emergency settings where prompt and accurate decisions need to be taken for life-saving purposes. Here, the assessment of the clinical probability of PE is a paramount step in its diagnosis. Although clinical probability models (CPM) for PE are routinely used in emergency departments (EDs) of low-resource settings, few studies have cited their diagnostic performances in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We aimed to comparatively assess the accuracy of four CPM in the diagnosis of acute PE in sub-Saharan Africans. METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study to compare the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy of four CPM namely; the Wells, simplified Wells, revised Geneva and the simplified revised Geneva (SRG) Scores to computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in all adults patients with suspected PE admitted to the EDs of the Gynaeco-obstetric and Paediatric Hospital of Yaoundé and the Yaoundé Central Hospital in Cameroon between January 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018. RESULTS: In total, we enrolled 30 patients with clinical suspicion of acute PE. PE was confirmed on CTPA in 16 (53.3%) cases. Their mean age was 53.7 ± 15.5 years and 36.7% were males. All four scores had a diagnostic performance superior to 50% in all criteria assessed. The simplified Wells score had the highest sensitivity (62.5%) followed by the Wells score (56.3%). The SRG score had the highest specificity (71.4%). The score with highest PPV was the SRG score (66.7%) and that with the highest NPV was the Wells score (56.3%). Overall the models with the highest accuracies were the Wells and SRG scores (60% for each). CONCLUSION: All CPM had a suboptimal diagnostic performance, perhaps highlighting the need of a more optimal CPM for acute PE in SSA. However, the Wells and the SRG scores appeared to be most accurate than the other two scores in the ED. Hence, both or either of them may be used in first intention to predict PE and guide which ED patients should undergo further investigations in an emergency SSA setting.

Validity of four clinical prediction scores for pulmonary embolism in a sub-Saharan African setting: a protocol for a Cameroonian multicentre cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary embolism poses one of the most challenging diagnoses in medicine. Resolving these diagnostic difficulties is more crucial in emergency departments where fast and accurate decisions are needed for a life-saving purpose. Here, clinical pretest evaluation is an important step in the diagnostic algorithm of pulmonary embolism. Although clinical probability scores are widely used in emergency departments of sub-Saharan Africa, no study has cited their diagnostic performance in this resource-constrained environment. This study will seek to assess the performance of four routinely used clinical prediction models in Cameroonians presenting with suspicion of pulmonary embolism at the emergency department. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: It will be a cross-sectional study comparing the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy of the Wells, Simplified Wells, Revised Geneva and the Simplified Revised Geneva Scores to CT pulmonary angiography as gold standard in all consecutive consenting patients aged above 15 years admitted for clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism to the emergency departments of seven major referral hospitals of Cameroon between 1 July 2019 and 31 December 2020. The area under the receiver operating curve, calibration plots, Hosmer and Lemeshow statistics, observed/expected event rates, net benefit and decision curve will be measured of each the clinical prediction test to ascertain the clinical score with the best diagnostic performance. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Clearance has been obtained from the Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of medicine and biomedical sciences of the University of Yaounde I, Cameroon and the directorates of all participating hospitals to conduct this study. Also, informed consent will be sought from each patient or their legal next of kin and parents for minors, before enrolment into this study. The final study will be published in a peer-review journal and the findings presented to health authorities and healthcare providers.

Severe Viperidae envenomation complicated by a state of shock, acute kidney injury, and gangrene presenting late at the emergency department: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Snake envenomation is an underestimated pathology in sub-Saharan Africa associated with severe emergencies, and even death in case of late presentation. We herein present a case of severe envenomation managed at the surgical emergency department of the Yaoundé Central Hospital. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 47-year-old female farmer with no relevant past history who sustained a snakebite by an Echis occellatus viper during an agricultural activity. Her initial management consisted in visiting a traditional healer who administered her some herbal remedies orally and applied a white balm on the affected limb. Due to progressive deterioration of her condition, she was rushed to our surgical department where she arrived 20 h after the snakebite incident. On admission she presented in a state of shock (suggestive of an anaphylactic shock), coagulopathy, renal impairment, and gangrene of the entire right upper limb. Emergency management consisted of fluid resuscitation, repeated boluses of adrenaline, a total of three vials of polyvalent anti-venom sera, promethazine, analgesics, corticosteroids, and administration of fresh frozen plasma. Within four hours of emergency department hospitalisation she developped signs of sepsis and persistent hypotension refractory to fluid resuscitation, suggestive of an associated septic shock. Management pursued with antiobiotherapy and administration of noradrenaline through an electric pump syringe to achieve a mean arterial blood pressure above 65 mmHg. The patient deceased at the 10th hour of hospitalisation in a state of circulatory collapse unresponsive to vasopressors, coagulopathy, renal failure, sepsis and gangrene of the right forearm. CONCLUSION: The authors highlight this unusual presentation but equally pinpoint how late presentation to the emergency department, harmful tradition practices, poverty and cultural beliefs can adversely affect the prognosis of snakebite in our setting.

Impact of perioperative nutritional status on the outcome of abdominal surgery in a sub-Saharan Africa setting.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a clinical condition of multifactorial etiologies and it is associated with several adverse outcomes. In high-income countries, malnutrition has been described as a determinant of delayed wound healing, surgical site infections and mortality in the postoperative period. There is limited information available regarding the outcome of surgery in malnourished patients in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytic study was carried out between March and August 2014 in the visceral surgery and the emergency departments of the Yaounde Central Hospital in Cameroon. All consecutive consenting preoperative and postoperative patients of abdominal surgical procedures were enrolled. Variables studied were: socio-demographic characteristics, medical and surgical past histories, nutritional survey, anthropometric parameters and serum albumin level in order to determine the nutritional risk index (or Buzby score). RESULTS: A total of 85 patients aged from 19 to 50 years with mean age of 34.4 ± 8 years were included. The most performed abdominal surgical procedure was appendectomy (30.6%). The prevalence of preoperative malnutrition according to the Buzby score was 39.1%. Mean postoperative weight lost was 2.9 ± 1.2 kg and mean decrease in postoperative serum albumin was 4.2 ± 0.2 g. A normal postoperative serum albumin was associated with a favorable outcome [OR (95% CI) = 55 (13.4-224.3), p < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of malnutrition is high in our visceral surgery and emergency departments; this is associated with an increased risk of adverse early postoperative outcomes. Overall, our results emphasize the need of optimizing perioperative care through routine nutritional assessment and management of surgical patients in Cameroon.

Evaluation de la prise en charge de la douleur du patient drépanocytaire à l'hôpital central de Yaoundé

But. La drépanocytose a pour maitre symptôme la douleur, laquelle nécessite une thérapeutique analgésiante dont la référence demeure la morphine. C'est un antalgique de troisième palier, classe thérapeutique peu utilisée sur le continent africain selon des études menées par l'OMS. Notre étude avait pour but de décrire la prise en charge de la douleur du patient drépanocytaire hospitalisé pour crises vaso-occlusives au service d'hémato-oncologie de l'Hôpital Central de Yaoundé. Méthodes. Nous avons mené une étude prospective, descriptive du 1er janvier au 30 juin 2014. Des drépanocytaires connus d'au moins 6 ans hospitalisés pour crise vaso-occlusive étaient recrutés. Les analgésiques utilisés et leur posologie étaient relevés pour chacun. La douleur avant et après l'administration des antalgiques était évaluée avec une Échelle Visuelle Analogique (EVA) ou une Échelle Numérique (EN) et la satisfaction du patient aux analgésiques reçus, notée. Résultats. Nous avons recruté 73 drépanocytaires homozygotes âgés de 7 à 53 ans et d'âge moyen égal à 23,04 ±8,35 ans pour un sex ratio de 1,21. Les antalgiques des paliers 1 et 2 ont été prescrits et administrés respectivement à 97.30% et 94.50%, le kétoprofène et le tramadol étant utilisés en première intention. Aucun antalgique de palier 3 n'a été utilisé. L'analgésie complète a été obtenue après quatre jours ou plus. 49 patients (67.1%) ont attribué les mentions d'appréciation les plus basses au traitement analgésique reçu et seuls 4 (5.5%) l'ont estimé excellent. Dans 53,42% des cas il a fallu soixante minutes ou plus pour que les différents produits prescrits soient disponibles. Pour tous les patients, aucun traitement n'a permis d'obtenir une analgésie dans les 30 minutes suivant son administration. Conclusion. La majorité des sujets drépanocytaires est insatisfaite du traitement antalgique reçu. Des sessions de formation du personnel sont nécessaires

Facteurs d'allongement du delai d'admission des brules graves a l'Hopital Central de Yaounde

Objectifs : Le but de cette etude etait de determiner les facteurs d'allongement du delai d'admission des brules graves en reanimation a Hopital Central de Yaounde. Patients et methodes : Il s'agi d'une etude prospective; descriptive et analytique; qui a couvert la periode allant du 1er janvier 2012 au 31 decembre 2013. Nous avons inclus 57 patients admis en reanimation pour une brulure grave et chez ces patients; nous avons analyse les donnees sociodemographiques; les caracteristiques de la brulure; les donnees sur la prise en charge prehospitaliere et l'admission en reanimation (date; heure). Resultats : Les accidents domestiques etaient en tete des circonstances de survenue (77;2) et la brulure thermique par ebouillantement etait la plus frequentes (61;4 ). La prise en charge medicale etait inexistante sur les lieux de l'accident; les patients n'avaient recu que des traitements traditionnels. Les patients etaient transportes par des vehicules non medicalises vers des centres de soins peripheriques en premiere reference (79); ou ils ont ete retenus pendant au moins 24 heures avant leur transfert secondaire a l'Hopital Central de Yaounde. Le delai d'admission en reanimation etait superieur a 12 heures (79); cet allongement etant du a la retention des victimes dans les centres de soins peripheriques; a l'automedication et aux pratiques traditionnelles; aux difficultes de transfert des patients liees aux moyens financiers limites et a l'ignorance. Conclusion : Le brule grave necessite une prise en charge precoce et adequate. Une chaine de secours devrait etre mise en place pour ameliorer la qualite la prise en charge initiale