Towards the quantification of perioperative cardiovascular risk in the African context: A sub-analysis of the South African Surgical Outcomes Study and the African Surgical Outcomes Study.

BACKGROUND: The burden of cardiovascular disease in patients requiring non-cardiac surgery in Africa is not known. These patients are at increased risk for postoperative cardiovascular complications. OBJECTIVES: In this sub-study, to use data on comorbidities and surgical outcomes from two large observational studies, the South African Surgical Outcomes Study (SASOS) and the African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS), to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in elective surgical patients and the risk of postoperative cardiovascular complications in this population. METHODS: SASOS and ASOS were both prospective, observational cohort studies that collected data over 1 week in each participating centre. The primary outcome was in-hospital postoperative complications, which included prespecified and defined cardiovascular complications. We defined the cardiovascular disease burden of patients aged ≥45 years presenting for surgery (main objective), determined the relative risk of developing postoperative cardiovascular complications (secondary objective) and assessed the utility of the Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI) for preoperative cardiovascular risk stratification of elective, non-cardiac surgical patients in Africa (third objective). RESULTS: The primary outcome analysis of 3 045 patients showed that patients with major cardiac complications were significantly older, with a higher prevalence of hypertension, coronary artery disease or congestive cardiac failure, and had undergone major surgery. In-hospital mortality for the cohort was 1.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The substantial burden of cardiovascular disease in patients presenting for non-cardiac surgery in Africa is shown in the principal findings of this study. The RCRI has moderate discrimination for major cardiac complications and major adverse cardiac events in African patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

Knowledge of Cervical Cancer and Cervical Cancer Screening Methods Among Female Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer of the female genital tract worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. For many years, the cervical Papanicolaou smear or Pap Test has been the standard method for cervical cancer screening. Screening with a Pap test has been shown to reduce the cervical cancer incidence by 60-90% and mortality by up to 90%, especially when more than 70% of those at risk accessed the test. The objective of the current study was to ascertain the level of knowledge of screening for cervical cancer among female secondary school pupils, since they were or would soon be at risk of the disease. This cross-sectional descriptive study recruited 361 female secondary school students from three different schools in Ibadan. Data was obtained over a period of five months, using a structured self-administered questionnaire, and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Of the 361 respondents aged 10 to 21, 78.7% had heard about cervical cancer but only 11% had good knowledge about it. Nearly 85% of the respondents had never heard about cervical cancer screening methods. Pupils attending private schools were more likely to have a better knowledge of cervical cancer screening methods than those attending public schools (p < 0.001). Majority of the secondary school students were not equipped with sufficient knowledge about cervical cancer, its causation and the screening methods to prevent it. Such information ought to be included in the curricula of secondary schools.

Trends in The Patterns of Cancers in Nigerian Women Over Five Decades.

Cancers are major contributors to mortality among women in developing countries, with patterns changing over time. This study was done to ascertain the changes in trends and patterns of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in women over two periods of one decade each, thirty-five years apart. Data on breast, cervical and ovarian cancers in Nigerian women over the two ten-year periods were obtained from the Ibadan Cancer Registry, using a well-structured proforma with extraction of information such as age, cancer sites and year of presentation. The extracted data were analyzed and related to information provided by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). There were about 400 cases of breast, cervical and ovarian cancers from 1960 to 1969 with cervical cancer having the highest relative frequency, while about 3000 cases of these cancers were reported from 2004 to 2013, with breast cancer having the highest ratio frequency. The age group with the highest frequencies for the three cancer types from 2004 to 2013 was 40 - 49 years, while it was 60 - 69 years from 1960 to 1969. Mean ages at presentation were 48.96 ± 13.32, 54.40 ± 13.41 and 44.42 ± 16.99 years for breast, cervical and ovarian cancers respectively. Breast and cervical cancers are the two commonest cancers in Nigerian women over the five-decade period, with breast cancer overtaking cervical cancer as the most frequently diagnosed. The number of cancer cases recorded increased seven-fold and the peak age group at diagnosis of breast cancer dropped by about twenty years over the period.

The African Surgical OutcomeS-2 (ASOS-2) Pilot Trial, a mixed-methods implementation study

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. The working hypothesis is that patients die as a result of failure to rescue following complications in the postoperative period. The African Surgical OutcomeS-2 (ASOS-2) Trial plans to test the efficacy of increased postoperative surveillance in high risk patients for decreasing perioperative morbidity and mortality. This pilot trial aimed i) to evaluate the adequacy of data produced by the data collection strategies of the ASOS-2 Trial, ii) to evaluate the fidelity of implementation of the increased postoperative surveillance intervention, and iii) to understand the acceptability, appropriateness and feasibility of the intervention and the trial processes. Methods: The ASOS-2 Pilot Trial was a mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) implementation study focusing on the intervention arm of the proposed ASOS-2 Trial. The intervention is increased postoperative surveillance for high-risk surgical patients. The intervention protocol was implemented at all sites for a seven-day period. A post pilot trial survey was used to collect data on the implementation outcomes. Results: 803 patients were recruited from 16 hospitals in eight African countries. The sampling and data collection strategies provided 98% complete data collection. Seventy-three percent of respondents believed that they truly provided increased postoperative surveillance to high risk patients. In reality 83/125 (66%) of high-risk patients received some form of increased postoperative surveillance. However, the individual components of the increased postoperative surveillance intervention were implemented in less than 50% of high-risk patients (excepting increasing nursing observations). The components most frequently unavailable were the ability to provide care in a higher care ward (32.1%) and assigning the patient to a bed in view of the nurses' station (28.4%). Failure to comply with available components of the intervention ranged from 27.5% to 54.3%. The post pilot survey had a response rate of 30/40 (75%). In Likert scale questions about acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the ASOS-2 intervention, 63% to 87% of respondents indicated agreement. Respondents reported barriers related to resources, trial processes, teamwork and communication as reasons for disagreement. Conclusions: The proposed ASOS-2 Trial appears to be appropriate, acceptable and feasible in Africa. This pilot trial provides support for the proposed ASOS-2 Trial. It emphasises the need for establishing trial site teams which address the needs of all stakeholders during the trial. A concerted effort must be made to help participating hospitals to increase compliance with all the components of the proposed intervention of 'increased postoperative surveillance' during the ASOS-2 Trial

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications.

BACKGROUND: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. METHODS: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. RESULTS: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. CONCLUSIONS: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03044899.

Population-based prevalence of abnormal cervical cytology findings and local risk factors in Ibadan, Nigeria: implications for cervical cancer control programs and human papilloma virus immunization.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of abnormal cervical cytological findings and local risk factors in Ibadan, Nigeria. STUDY DESIGN: All women aged ≥15 years in each household in Idikan, Ibadan, were invited to participate in a population-based study. Structured questionnaires were administered to all consenting women. Conventional cervical Papanicolaou smears obtained from sexually active women were classified using the 2001 Bethesda system. The diagnoses were correlated with sociodemographic data and risk factors. RESULTS: Of 2,870 women aged ≥15 years estimated to live in Idikan, 1,204 sexually active women consented to pelvic examination and cervical smears. Results were available for 1,104 women (mean age: 39.8 years). Mean ages at menarche, first sexual intercourse and first pregnancy were 16.1, 20.3 and 20.7 years, respectively. Cytological results were categorized into atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and atypical glandular cells 22 (1.99%); low-grade 43 (3.89%) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) 17 (1.54%); invasive cancer 2 (0.18%) and normal 593 (53.8%) and reactive changes 427 (38.7%). The prevalence of epithelial abnormalities is 7.6%. Significant host-related factors in those with HSIL and invasive cancer included older age (mean 56.2 years), high parity and gravidity, lack of formal education and being divorced (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides prevalence data and local risk factors for abnormal cervical cytology in a Nigerian population, which will be useful for planning future cervical cancer control programs.

Factors influencing gestational age at antenatal booking at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

In order to achieve the aim of improved outcome of pregnancy for mother and fetus, early booking (first antenatal visit), prior to 14 weeks' gestation is usually recommended. A survey of information on personal data, index pregnancy, reasons for booking at a particular gestational age, past obstetric history and medical history of 205 pregnant women attending the antenatal booking clinic at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria was carried out using a structured questionnaire. The mean gestational age at booking was 21.82 (+/-7.0) weeks. Only 29 patients (14.1%) booked before 14 weeks. The reasons given for early booking among them were the perceived benefits of such practice (41.4%), physician's recommendation (34.5%) and occurrence of complication(s) in previous pregnancy (24.1%). Illness in the index pregnancy and nulliparity were the only factors found to significantly favour early booking. The need to educate women of the reproductive age group, who are potential mothers, on the benefits of early booking was recommended.

Acceptability of caesarean delivery to antenatal patients in a tertiary health facility in south-west Nigeria.

Today, caesarean section is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures the world over. Despite the well-documented record of safety, the strong aversion of women in sub-Saharan Africa to the procedure, especially in the presence of life-threatening indications, is of great concern to many obstetricians. This cross-sectional study, aimed at assessing the knowledge of the patients about caesarean section and its acceptability as mode of delivery, was conducted among antenatal patients at a University Teaching Hospital in south-west Nigeria. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used. Among the 201 patients surveyed, a high level of acceptability of caesarean section (85%) was found. However, 96.5% of those who would accept would give consent only after seeking the opinion of other people, especially their husbands. Previous major surgery and caesarean section were found to favour its acceptability, while age, tribe, marital status and the woman or her husband's educational status did not have any influence. With proper health education, especially during antenatal care, many more women would find caesarean section acceptable.

Abdominal pregnancy at the University College Hospital, Ibadan: a ten-year review.

Fourteen cases of abdominal pregnancy managed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, over a ten-year period (January 1994 to December 2003) were reviewed. The incidence ratio of abdominal pregnancy was one in 654 deliveries. It accounted for 4.3% of ectopic pregnancies. Age range was 20 to 43 years; 63.4% of the patients were unemployed and 50% were nullipara. Pre-operative diagnosis was possible only in half of the cases. Only two patients with advanced pregnancies and live fetuses (14.3%) were allowed to have conservative management while the others had immediate laparotomy. Live birth rate was 7.1%, but overall fetal survival rate was 0%. Fetal malformations were common, with talipes equinovarus and jaw abnormalities occurring in 49.2% and 14.3% respectively. Twelve patients (85.7%) who had complete removal of the placenta, though lost more blood, had better outcome than those with placenta left in-situ. The case fatality rate was 7.1%.

Mobilization for cervical cancer screening: lessons from a poor-urban Yoruba community in Nigeria.

Cervical cancer is a major public health problem worldwide and it remains one of the commonest malignancies in Nigeria. Screening remains the most effective tool for the detection of pre-invasive stages of cervical cancer, giving the opportunity for prompt and effective treatment before the emergence of invasive disease. In Nigeria, as in most developing countries, the concept of screening for cancer and its pre-emptive treatment is underdeveloped. The fact that the facilities and logistics for cervical cancer screening are generally located in the hospital setting, a place where one goes when ill, according to local beliefs, makes acceptance more difficult. That Nigeria urgently needs to set up or develop cervical screening programmes that will reach women outside the hospital setting in a culturally acceptable milieu is not in doubt. A community cervical screening survey for the prevalence of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and HPV infection was initiated in Idikan, a poor-urban inner core area of Ibadan. The challenges and experiences encountered in the execution of the project which could serve as useful knowledge to those undertaking similar exercises, requiring mass mobilization for cancer screening of an uninformed group, are highlighted. Our experience in the course of this study is important as it brought out the probable influences of community dynamics and social organization in illness decisions and prescriptions for health operative in this particular population group. Cervical cancer screening programmes should therefore make provisions to accommodate the occasional outcomes as we had encountered. In addition, screening programmes in developing societies would require sensitive designs that should address the cultural attitudes, personal conflicts, expectations of treatment and overall context of preventive care.

Pre-induction cervical ripening: transcervical foley catheter versus intravaginal misoprostol.

The object of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the intravaginal Misoprostol and transcervical Foley catheters as pre-induction cervical ripening agents, to estimate the proportion of patients achieving vaginal delivery and to compare the complications of labour and foetal outcome between the two groups. The study was a prospective, randomised study of pregnant women, with singleton pregnancies who presented for antenatal care and delivery at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria. Ninety-nine patients were invited to participate and ninety-six (96) agreed. No patient withdrew from the study. The patients were assigned by means of computer-generated random numbers to receive transcervical Foley catheters (Size 16F, with 30 ml balloon capacity) or 50 microg intravaginal Misoprostol (Cytotec tablet, Searle & Co., Chicago). Fifty (50) patients received intravaginal Misoprostol and Forty-six (46) received Transcervical Foley catheters. The proportions of nulliparous, primiparous and multiparous patients were 52, 20 and 28% in the misoprostol group and 43.5, 26.1 and 30.4%, respectively, in the Foley catheter group. The time to achieve a favourable cervical status was significantly shorter in the Misoprostol group, with 98.0% of the subjects attaining Bishop score > or = 6 within 6-12 hours of insertion of the study agent, in contrast to 69.0% of the subjects in the Foley catheters group (P<0.001). Thirteen (26.6%) and three (6.5%) patients in the Misoprostol and Foley catheters groups, respectively, went into labour while undergoing cervical ripening and all had uneventful vaginal deliveries (P<0.05). The induction-delivery interval did not differ significantly between the groups. The incidence of caesarean delivery was 6.0% in the Misoprostol group compared with 2.2% in the Foley catheter group (P=0.62). Instrumental vaginal delivery rates were similar in both groups. Overall, the mode of delivery did not differ significantly between the groups. The number of neonates with 1-minute Apgar score <7 did not differ significantly in both groups and no neonate had 5-minute Apgar score <7. Meconium stained liquor was noticed in 5 (Misoprostol) vs 2 (Foley catheters) patients in labour. None of the neonates had any features suggestive of meconium aspiration. Labour complications were mainly precipitate labour {2 (Misoprostol) vs 1 (Foley catheters) } and 1 patient with transient tachysystole (> or =6 contractions in 10 minutes for two consecutive 10-minute periods) in the Misoprostol group. Hyperstimulation was not noticed in any of the patients in either arm of the study groups. Intravaginal Misoprostol is as effective a pre-induction cervical ripening agent as transcervical Foley catheters, with added advantages of shorter duration of cervical ripening, reduced oxytocin requirement for induction of labour and greater acceptability to patients. The incidence of caesarean sections, other labour complications and the foetal outcome were similar with both methods.

Total ovulating period: any contribution to ovarian carcinogenesis?

The etiology of ovarian cancer has many postulates including that of incessant ovulation. Women of high parity especially those that breastfeed in addition are supposed to be protected. Ovarian cancer patients in the developing world are of higher parity than their Caucasian counterparts. Our study compared the length of reproductive career (LRC), the physiological ovulation free period (PFP) and the total ovulating period (TOP) amongst histologically proven ovarian cancer patients and age - matched controls. This is a questionnaire survey of 21 ovarian cancer patients managed by us between 1st December 1998 and 31st July 2002 and 42 gynaecological patients not known to have ovarian cancer. The mean age among the patients was 45.7+16.9 years while among the controls it was 45.4 +/- 16.1 years. The mean parity of the patients was 3.6 +/- 2.2 compared to 3.4 +/- 2.9 in the controls. The patients had a mean LRC of 23.8 +/- 11.2 years while in the controls it was 25.7+10.8 years. The mean PFP of the patients was 7.4 +/- 5.6 years and for the controls 7.1 +/- 6.5 years. The patients had a mean TOP of 15.8 +/- 8.8 years while this was 18.6 +/- 8.1 years for the controls. None of these differences was statistically significant. Our study revealed no statistically significant differences in the total ovulating periods between ovarian cancer patients and age-matched controls. Further studies will be necessary.

Comparison of changes in pre-induction cervical factors' scores following ripening with transcervical foley catheter and intravaginal misoprostol.

The study compares the changes in the cervical factors in pre-induction cervical ripening with both transcervical Foley catheter and Intravaginal Misoprostol. This was a randomised prospective study of pregnant women, with singleton gestations who presented for antenatal care and delivery at a tertiary health institution in the South-western Nigeria between 1st March 2003 and 31st March 2004. One hundred and two (102) patients received 50microg intravaginal Misoprostol and Ninety-six (96) received size 16F Transcervical Foley catheters. Both groups were similar at the baseline. Misoprostol group showed greater improvement in the final cervical length score, with 38.4% and 58.6% scoring 2 and 3 respectively, in contrast with the Foley catheter group where 77.7% had final score of 1, with only 16% scoring 2 and none scored 3 (P = 0.00). Ninety-one percent of the patients in the misoprostol group achieved the maximum cervical consistency score of 2, contrasting with the 31.9% in the Foley Catheter group (P = 0.00). 64.9% of the patients in the Foley catheter group did not achieve appreciable change in cervical consistency. Our findings indicate that intravaginal misoprostol was more effective in improving the scores of cervical length and consistency, while transcervical Foley catheter was better at improving the cervical os dilatation score at pre-induction cervical ripening. The clinical implication is that, patients for pre-induction cervical ripening can be selected for either of these ripening agents based on which cervical factors require improvement in scores

Cervico-vaginal foetal fibronectin: a predictor of cervical response at pre-induction cervical ripening.

CONTEXT: Not all pregnant women with an "unripe" cervix can be successfully ripened by the cervical ripening agents; therefore tests with predictive information are justified. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of the presence of foetal fibronectin (FFN) in the cervico-vaginal secretions on pre-induction cervical ripening with either intravaginal Misoprostol or transcervical Foley catheter. METHODOLOGY: Twenty (20) patients managed at a tertiary health institution in South-western Nigeria between March and May 2003 were randomised for cervical ripening by either intravaginal Misoprostol or Transcervical Foley catheters. Cervico-vaginal secretions were assessed for presence of FFN with Foetal Fibronectin Enzyme Immunoassay Kit (Adeza Corp.) prior to commencement of cervical ripening. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FFN status, Pre-ripening and Pre-induction modified Bishop scores and duration of cervical ripening. RESULTS: Ten of the fifteen patients with positive membrane immunoassay for FFN achieved ripened cervix (modified Bishop score > or = 6) within 6 - 12 hours of exposure to the agents of cervical ripening. In the FFN negative group, only 2 of the five patients achieved ripe cervix within the >12 - 18 hours period, the rest being in the >18 - 24 hours period. CONCLUSION: Foetal fibronectin test may offer useful predictive information prior to institution of processes of cervical ripening in patients with unfavourable cervices.