The Pan African medical journal
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Observational Study
Acid-base disorders as predictors of early outcomes in major trauma in a resource limited setting: An observational prospective study.
Mortality from trauma remains a major challenge despite recent substantial improvements in acute trauma care. In trauma care patient resuscitation to correct hypotension from volume loss still majorly relies on use of physiological parameters such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, urine output and oxygen saturation. In resource limited settings these methods may not be sufficient to detect occult tissue hypoxia and the accompanying metabolic derangements. ⋯ Metabolic acidosis is common among major trauma patients, its severity may be related to delay in initiating care. Acid base derangements were predictors of mortality among major trauma patients in this resource limited setting.
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Case Reports
Retropharyngeal abscess revealing a migrant foreign body complicated by mediastinitis: a case report.
Pharyngeal foreign bodies are quite common. Their diagnosis is usually easy. The risk of complications including retropharyngeal abscess and mediastinitis is rare and it depends mainly on the nature of the foreign body and the period of the therapeutic management. ⋯ The outcome was favorable clinically and biologically. Pharyngeal foreign bodies are common and favorable when the diagnosis and extraction are made on time. The occurrence of complications, especially retropharyngeal abscess and mediastinitis is rare and burdened with a high morbidity and mortality.
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The burnout syndrome is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. It is associated with impaired job performance. ⋯ There is a significant difference of burnout between hospital physicians and family physicians among the study subjects. Working in the teaching hospital and being married are strong predictors for occurrence of burnout.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited disorder of haemoglobin worldwide. This study evaluated the chromatographic patterns and red blood cell indices of sickle cell patients to determine the co-inheritance of other haemoglobin(Hb) variants and β-thalassaemia trait. ⋯ Our data suggests that α and β- thalassaemia traits, and other haemoglobin variants co-exist frequently with SCD in our population.
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Forestier's disease, also known as diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), is a pathology of vertebral bodies characterised by exuberant osteophytis formation. Forestier's disease is usually managed conservatively. ⋯ He was managed successfully with an anterior cervical osteophytectomy without fusion. A literature review is included.