Médecine tropicale : revue du Corps de santé colonial
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Comparative Study
[Utilization of laryngeal masks. Preliminary study. 21 cases. Department of Anesthesia-Resuscitation, Yaounde, Cameroon].
The authors present a preliminary and retrospective study about the utilization of laryngeal mask. 21 patients underwent surgery concerning short or mid term intervention. A positioning of a laryngeal mask was easy with 83 p.c. of success. ⋯ Not at all replacing endotracheal intubation, the laryngeal mask is in peculiar situations an other possibility of protection of respiratory tract, and of ventilation be spontaneous manual or mechanical. The advantages of laryngeal mask versus facial one are obvious.
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[Are health care facilities in Cameroon compatible with rational management of emergency patients?].
The aim of this month-long cross sectional study was to evaluate the preparedness of health care institutions in Cameroon to provide rational management of emergency patients. During January 2002 a survey was carried out to list all health care institutions offering emergency care services and to determine their other departments and available equipment and staff. A total of 144 institutions with emergency care facilities were found including 12 central reference hospitals and 123 district hospitals equipped to provide primary emergency care. ⋯ This ratio was 10 times higher than in France in 1994. Almost all major equipment and trained personnel for emergency care medicine were concentrated at the central reference hospitals but these resources were insufficient to organize round-the-clock services except at a single site. The findings of this survey indicate that the distribution of health care facilities in Cameroon was relatively adequate in relation to population density but that equipment and human resources were still insufficient to provide rational management of emergency patients.
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The objective of this study conducted between January 2000 and December 2007 was to assess the current epidemiological, clinical and outcome features of maternal tetanus (MT) observed in the Infectious Diseases Clinic of Fann University Hospital in Dakar, Senegal. A total of 1156 patients were admitted for tetanus during this period including 9 (0.8%) presenting MT. A progressive decrease in the annual number of MT cases was observed. ⋯ This rate was similar to that associated with tetanus in newborns (48.5%), but higher than that associated with tetanus in WCBA (25.6%). The incidence of life-threatening MT is declining in the Infectious Diseases Clinic of Fann University Hospital in Dakar. A systematic immunization program along with campaigns to prevent unwanted pregnancy in women of childbearing age will be needed to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus in Dakar.
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This study was based on a retrospective descriptive analysis of all cases of snakebite recorded at the Poison Control and Pharmacovigilance Center of Morocco from 1980 to 2008. A total of 1,761 snakebites, i.e., 61 cases per year, were observed during the study period. Males accounted for 54.5% of victims (sex ratio (M/F) = 1.2) and 70% of cases occurred in rural areas. ⋯ This study demonstrates that management of snakebite is problematic in Morocco. Morbidity was probably underestimated. Restricted access to antivenom is a major problem in rural areas where the population cannot afford the cost.
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At the present time, cholera epidemics have become annual, even seasonal, events in Chad. This review of data obtained from a Division of the Sanitation Information System in Chad was carried out to determine the epidemiological profile and natural course of cholera in Chad and to propose preventive measures within the country's means. The main findings were that cholera epidemics start at the junction between the dry and rainy season (March to June), that they last for six months, and that peak incidence occurs 4 to 6 weeks after the first reported cases. ⋯ A major implication of this study is that decentralized epidemiological surveillance should be set up with monitoring units located around endemic sites. Mortality could probably be lowered by better patient care at the beginning of the epidemic. Improvements in public hygiene, waste disposal, and water purification are needed.