African journal of medicine and medical sciences
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We conducted this study in order to determine whether suturing the scalp wound prior to referral for definitive surgery reduces the rate of wound infection in patients with compound depressed skull fracture and to propose guidelines for the initial management of the wound. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 79 patients with compound depressed skull fractures treated surgically in our unit between January, 1987 and August, 1998 and compared the rate of infection in patients who presented with open wounds with the rate in patients whose scalps were sutured prior to presentation to us. Adults and children were nearly equally represented in this study group. ⋯ In compound depressed skull fractures, suturing the scalp laceration alone prior to referral for definitive surgery did not reduce the rate of infection of the cranial wound. We recommend haemostasis, thorough irrigation of the scalp wound and application of sterile dressings prior to transfer for definitive management, in patients who do not have immediate access to neurosurgical care. Prospective studies are required to validate these findings.
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We study the pattern of hand injuries in children presenting to a university hospital in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. A retrospective study evaluating all pediatric patients 12 years old or less with hand injuries excluding burns that attended the plastic surgery clinic at King Fahd Hospital of the University between January 1989-December 1991. One hundred and one cases were identified. ⋯ Familiarity with such injuries by the healthcare providers in emergency situations is of diagnostic and therapeutic importance. This attitude will lead to the best possible outcome functionally and cosmetically. Furthermore, such a practice will go along way in improving the morbidity and mortality pattern of these surgical casualties among innocent children.
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The Idikan adult mortality study is designed to explore the usefulness of the verbal autopsy methodology in the determination of cause-specific adult mortality. Such data have been largely unavailable in developing countries. Members of a stable urban community (4333 adults) were registered in their family units and followed up every 3 months to ascertain deaths, exits and new entries to the study population. ⋯ The cause of death assigned by verbal autopsy agreed moderately both between the independent coders as well as with the hospital assigned cause of death using the Kappa statistics for agreement beyond chance. We therefore concluded that verbal autopsies appear moderately useful for adult death statistics (Kappa = 0.23 to 0.1). Accumulation of more hospital deaths is needed, however, to make more definite conclusions about the validity of the technique.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Modified short-course chemotherapy of pulmonary tuberculosis in Ibadan, Nigeria--a preliminary report.
Over a 3 year period 3rd of April 1995 and 6th of April 1998 a controlled clinical trial of the modified short-course chemotherapy (SSC) in newly diagnosed cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in Nigeria was carried out. Between The SCC used was the one adopted from World Health Organisation/International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases for developing countries by the Nigerian National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTLCP). The regimen used consisted of streptomycin (S), isoniazid (H), Rifampicin (R) and pyrazinamide (Z) in the initial or intensive phase of 2 months. ⋯ Sputum conversion was 90% at the second month of treatment and there was no bacteriological relapse after 18 months of follow-up. Side effects were few and consisted mainly of acne vulgaris which occurred in twenty (20.6%) of 97 patients during the continuation phase. It is concluded that the 8-month chemotherapy regimen adopted by NTLCP is efficacious in treatment of smearpositive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).
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A rare case of a second ipsilateral ectopic gestation occurring in the stump of the cornua three years after total salpingectomy for ruptured ectopic pregnancy is presented.