scholarly journals Morbidity and Mortality following Traditional Uvulectomy among Children Presenting to the Muhimbili National Hospital Emergency Department in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. R. Sawe ◽  
J. A. Mfinanga ◽  
F. H. Ringo ◽  
V. Mwafongo ◽  
T. A. Reynolds ◽  
...  

Background. Traditional uvulectomy is performed as a cultural ritual or purported medical remedy. We describe the associated emergency department (ED) presentations and outcomes.Methods.This was a subgroup analysis of a retrospective review of all pediatric visits to our ED in 2012. Trained abstracters recorded demographics, clinical presentations, and outcomes.Results. Complete data were available for 5540/5774 (96%) visits and 56 (1.0%, 95% CI: 0.7–1.3%) were related to recent uvulectomy, median age 1.3 years (interquartile range: 7 months–2 years) and 30 (54%) were male. Presenting complaints included cough (82%), fever (46%), and hematemesis (38%). Clinical findings included fever (54%), tachypnea (30%), and tachycardia (25%). 35 patients (63%, 95% CI: 49–75%) received intravenous antibiotics, 11 (20%, 95% CI: 10–32%) required blood transfusion, and 3 (5%, 95% CI: 1–15%) had surgical intervention. All were admitted to the hospital and 12 (21%, 95% CI: 12–34%) died. By comparison, 498 (9.1%, 95% CI: 8–10%) of the 5484 children presenting for reasons unrelated to uvulectomy died (p=0.003).Conclusion. In our cohort, traditional uvulectomy was associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Emergency care providers should advocate for legal and public health interventions to eliminate this dangerous practice.

2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (205) ◽  
pp. 137-140
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar Adhikari ◽  
Mahuya Dutta ◽  
Chittra Ranjan Das

Introduction: The study of lower genital tract trauma has become important in gynaecological practice. There is paucity of reports on this clinical entity from our settings. The main aim of this study is to document injuries in female lower genital tract in Mid-Western Nepal. Methods: Sixty female patients admitted to the hospital with genital tract injuries caused by coitus or accidents were included in the study. Details of the causes of trauma clinical presentations and management were recorded. Results: These injuries were grouped according to etiological factors. This study included 33 (55%) coital injuries and 27 (45%) non- coital injuries. Out of coital injury, 12 cases were criminal assault (rape) in age group of 4 to 18 years. Four unmarried girls had consensual sex. Non-coital injuries were due to fall from height, cattle horn injuries, straddle type of trauma, vulvar haematoma and anorectal injuries. Conclusions: Appropriate surgical intervention can avert morbidity and mortality. Keywords: accident; lower genital tract; Nepal; trauma.


CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-437
Author(s):  
Chelsea R. Beaton ◽  
Clinton Meyer

Learning Points:•Know and identify clinical presentations of toxic alcohols.•Understand the differential diagnosis of high anion gap metabolic acidosis.•Appreciate the importance of history and clinical findings in establishing methanol toxicity diagnoses, especially in centres where laboratory testing is unavailable.•Recognize the value of provincial poison centres in supporting emergency physicians in the diagnosis and management of poisonings and overdoses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-147
Author(s):  
S Birks ◽  
◽  
L Peart ◽  

A 27 year old female presented to the emergency department with intermittent central forehead swelling over several months associated with a headache. She was admitted under the medical team as having had a suspected allergic reaction but the diagnosis of a Pott’s Puffy Tumour was quickly made and confirmed through CT and MR imaging. This uncommon condition is related to sinusitis leading to localised abscess formation with osteomyelitis and a subsequent swollen appearance over the affected facial sinus. This patient’s sinus abscess extended into the epidural space and caused destruction of the anterior and posterior walls of the frontal sinus. The patient was managed with intravenous antibiotics, analgesia and referral to the local ENT team for surgical intervention.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-97
Author(s):  
David Dornbos ◽  
Christy Monson ◽  
Andrew Look ◽  
Kristin Huntoon ◽  
Luke G. F. Smith ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEWhile the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) has been effective in describing severity in traumatic brain injury (TBI), there is no current method for communicating the possible need for surgical intervention. This study utilizes a recently developed scoring system, the Surgical Intervention for Traumatic Injury (SITI) scale, which was developed to efficiently communicate the potential need for surgical decompression in adult patients with TBI. The objective of this study was to apply the SITI scale to a pediatric population to provide a tool to increase communication of possible surgical urgency.METHODSThe SITI scale uses both radiographic and clinical findings, including the GCS score on presentation, pupillary examination, and CT findings. To examine the scale in pediatric TBI, a neurotrauma database at a level 1 pediatric trauma center was retrospectively evaluated, and the SITI score for all patients with an admission diagnosis of TBI between 2010 and 2015 was calculated. The primary endpoint was operative intervention, defined as a craniotomy or craniectomy for decompression, performed within the first 24 hours of admission.RESULTSA total of 1524 patients met inclusion criteria for the study during the 5-year span: 1469 (96.4%) were managed nonoperatively and 55 (3.6%) patients underwent emergent operative intervention. The mean SITI score was 4.98 ± 0.31 for patients undergoing surgical intervention and 0.41 ± 0.02 for patients treated nonoperatively (p < 0.0001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was used to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the SITI scale in this pediatric population and was found to be 0.98. Further evaluation of patients presenting with moderate to severe TBI revealed a mean SITI score of 5.51 ± 0.31 in 40 (15.3%) operative patients and 1.55 ± 0.02 in 221 (84.7%) nonoperative patients, with an AUROC curve of 0.95.CONCLUSIONSThe SITI scale was designed to be a simple, objective communication tool regarding the potential need for surgical decompression after TBI. Application of this scale to a pediatric population reveals that the score correlated with the perceived need for emergent surgical intervention, further suggesting its potential utility in clinical practice.


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