Adamu Ahmed

Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections in a Worldwide Context: An Observational Prospective Study (CIAOW Study)

Despite advances in diagnosis, surgery, and antimicrobial therapy, mortality rates associated with complicated intra-abdominal infections remain exceedingly high. The World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) has designed the CIAOW study in order to describe the clinical, microbiological, and management-related profiles of both community- and healthcare-acquired complicated intra-abdominal infections in a worldwide context. The CIAOW study (Complicated Intra-Abdominal infection Observational Worldwide Study) is a multicenter observational study currently underway in 57 medical institutions worldwide. The study includes patients undergoing surgery or interventional drainage to address complicated intra-abdominal infections. This preliminary report includes all data from almost the first two months of the six-month study period. Patients who met inclusion criteria with either community-acquired or healthcare-associated complicated intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) were included in the study. 702 patients with a mean age of 49.2 years (range 18–98) were enrolled in the study. 272 patients (38.7%) were women and 430 (62.3%) were men. Among these patients, 615 (87.6%) were affected by community-acquired IAIs while the remaining 87 (12.4%) suffered from healthcare-associated infections. Generalized peritonitis was observed in 304 patients (43.3%), whereas localized peritonitis or abscesses was registered in 398 (57.7%) patients.The overall mortality rate was 10.1% (71/702). The final results of the CIAOW Study will be published following the conclusion of the study period in March 2013.

Management of appendiceal mass

BACKGROUND The management of appendiceal mass is surrounded with controversy. Traditional management has been conservative, with interval appendicectomy performed weeks after the mass had resolved. This remains the most common approach at many centers in the world. Recently, an increasing number of studies have challenged this approach. This article reviews some of the controversial issues in the management of appendix mass, assesses current practice and suggests an appropriate approach for the management of appendix mass. METHODS A Medline, Pubmed and Cochrane database search were used to find such key words and combinations of: appendix, appendiceal, appendicular, interval, appendectomy, appendicectomy, mass, abscess, phlegmon, and appendicitis. Results were saved and managed by Reference manager 11. All articles were cross-referenced by the authors. RESULTS A conservative management is still a highly acceptable approach for appendix mass. This should be followed with interval appendicectomy especially in patients with persistent right iliac fossa pain. CONCLUSION We recommend initially conservative approach to the management of appendiceal mass especially in our environment.

Achalasia: What is the best treatment?

BACKGROUND Achalasia is an infrequent primary motility disorder of the esophagus. Because of uncertain etiology, treatment is only palliative and is directed at decreasing lower esophageal sphincter pressure, improving esophageal emptying and relieving the symptoms of achalasia. Current treatment options include pharmacological, endoscopic and surgical. We undertook a systematic literature review of the management strategies currently available for achalasia. METHOD A Medline, PubMed and Cochrane database search was conducted using reference manager 11. Original articles and reviews published in the English literature on the management of achalasia were reviewed. Emphasis was placed on articles published in the last ten years on randomized controlled trials comparing the various forms of treatment. RESULTS Esophageal manometry is the standard diagnostic evaluation for achalasia. Accurate diagnosis can also be made based on clinical findings and barium esophagogram. Medical treatment with nitrates or calcium channel blockers has variable results in alleviating the symptoms of achalasia but long-term results are disappointing because of tolerance and side effects. Intrasphincteric injection of botulinum toxin, pneumatic dilatation and surgical myotomy are variably effective at controlling the symptoms of achalasia but each modality has specific strength and weaknesses which make their choice suitable in a particular group of patients. While pneumatic dilatation is superior to botulinum toxin injection surgical myotomy provides the best long-term control of symptoms in patients with achalasia. CONCLUSION Laparoscopic myotomy should be the initial treatment for most patients with achalasia. Pneumatic dilatation is the most cost-effective alternative but its long-term efficacy is less than that of surgical myotomy. Endoscopic botulinum toxin injection can be considered when other forms of treatment are contraindicated.

Inflammatory bowel disease in Nigerians: Still a rare diagnosis?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been thought to have a low incidence among subSaharan Africans mainly because of the sporadic cases reported from the continent in comparison with the larger numbers reported from North America and Western European countries. Is this difference based on real demographic susceptibilities or a reflection of lower level of healthcare delivery? Three cases of ulcerative colitis and one case of Crohns disease diagnosed in a tertiary institution in northern Nigeria in the span of three years are reported. Their presentation coincided with the creation of the Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit of our hospital and with it the availability of endoscopic diagnostic procedures. All four patients were indigenous Nigerians. Our findings suggest that IBD may be more common in this part of the world than previously thought. With an increased awareness of the disease in our population, a greater utilization of modern medicine as against alternative medicine and with wider availability of diagnostic tools in our hospitals, it is our guess that more cases may be found in the future to dispel the belief that Africans are somewhat immune to this affliction.

Progress in management of typhoid perforation

Case fatality rate (CFR) for typhoid perforation (TP) has been on gradual but variable decline world wide. This review highlights the progress in management of TP from 1960 including the controversies, current principles of management and the advances associated with the best results of treatment. This is a review of publications on TP from 1960 to 2010 principally from Medline and Ovid databases. Main search terms used are typhoid and perforation. The median CFR by decade was estimated from studies that reported CFR. With advances in surgery and supportive care, median CFR for TP declined from over 50% in 1960 to single digits in the last decade in some countries but with West Africa lagging behind at 16%. Variations in CFR are attributed to differences in perforation-operation interval and quality of care. Opportunities now exist for patients with TP to recover from the disease but priority remains with prevention of enteric fever in endemic areas.

Spontaneous rupture of umbilical hernia in pregnancy: a case report.

A 28 year old woman presented with a spontaneous rupture of an umbilical hernia in her seventh month of pregnancy. She had four previous unsupervised normal deliveries. There was no history of trauma or application of herbal medicine on the hernia. The hernia sac ruptured at the inferior surface where it was attached to the ulcerated and damaged overlying skin. There was a gangrenous eviscerated small bowel. The patient was resuscitated and the gangrenous small bowel was resected and end to end anastomosis done. The hernia sac was excised and the 12 cm defect repaired. Six weeks later, she had spontaneous vaginal delivery of a live baby. We advocate that large umbilical hernias should be routinely repaired when seen in women of child bearing age.

Management and Outcomes of Male Breast Cancer in Zaria, Nigeria

Male breast cancer is an uncommon disease accounting for only 1% of all breast cancers. We present the evaluation, treatment and outcome of male patients seen with breast cancer in our institution. Male patients that had histological diagnosis of breast cancer from 2001 to 2010 were retrospectively evaluated. After evaluation patients were treated with modified radical mastectomy. Combination chemotherapy was given to patients with positive axillary lymph nodes. Radiotherapy and hormonal therapy were also employed. There were 57 male patients with breast cancer which accounted for 9% of all breast cancers seen during the study period. Their mean age was 59 ± 2.3 years. The mean tumor diameter was 13 ± 2.5 cm. Fifty three (93%) patients presented with advanced disease including 15 with distant metastasis. Four patients with stage II disease were treated with modified radical mastectomy, chemotherapy and tamoxifen. Of the 30 patients with sage III disease that had modified radical mastectomy, complete axillary clearance and tumor free margins were achieved in 25. Overall 21 (36.8%) patients were tumor free at one year. Overall 5-year survival was 22.8%. In conclusion, male patients with breast cancer present with advanced disease which is associated with poor outcome of treatment.

Mobile caecum and ascending colon syndrome in a Nigerian adult

A mobile caecum and ascending colon is a rare congenital abnormality. Its presentation as a cause of right lower abdominal pain in an adult is usually mis-diagnosed as acute appendicitis. A 42-year-old civil servant presented with a 2-year history of recurrent right lower quadrant pain of the abdomen. The pain was sharp in nature and persistent in the last 2 weeks and centered mainly in the right side of the abdomen. No other associated symptoms were noted. Laboratory investigations did not reveal obvious abnormality. A diagnosis of acute on chronic lower quadrant pain of unknown etiology was made. The patient was resuscitated and had exploratory laparatomy. No abnormalities were found other than the caecum and the whole ascending colon, which were unattached to the posterior peritoneum. Appendectomy and caecopexy, using a lateral peritoneal flap were performed. The diagnosis of mobile caecal syndrome should be considered in patients with chronic right lower quadrant pain, and appendectomy and caecopexy offers a great relief.

Surgical hand scrub: lots of water wasted.

BACKGROUND Surgical hand scrub (SHS) is an important antisepsis measure before participating in surgical operation. It reduces the risk of microbial contamination of the surgical wound by skin flora. SHS is usually performed in a scrub sink with taps that have hand operated handles. During the scrub process large volume of water is wasted. The aim of this study was to determine the volume of water used during SHS in comparison to the actual volume necessary. METHOD Unknown to them various cadre of the operation team were timed during their first scrubbing of the day for scheduled operations. Duration of scrubbing (ST) and that during which the hands were being washed with flowing water (WT) were recorded. The amount of water flowing through the tap per minute was also recorded. Using the mean ST, WT and water flow per minute the total volume of water used during scrubbing and that necessary to wash the hand were calculated. RESULTS Overall, the ST ranged between 3 and 7 minutes with a mean of 4.8 +/- 0.5 SD minutes. Mean WT was 1.4 +/- 0.4 SD minutes. The mean water flow was 4,217mls per minutes. The volume of water used per scrubbing was 20.2 litres while only 5.9 litres was used for washing the hands. Between January and December 2002, the volume of water used for scrubbing was 200,283 litres while only 58,498.5 litres (29.2%) was necessary. CONCLUSION Plenty water is wasted during STIS. Reducing the amount of water flowing unused would provide cost saving to the hospital. The use of taps operated with foot pedal would reduce the waste.

Management of AIDS-Associated Kaposi's Sarcoma in Nigerian Children: A Case Series and Review of Literature

INTRODUCTION There is a paucity of published studies on the management and outcome of AIDS-associated Kaposis sarcoma (AAKS) in African children. In this study, we reviewed the management and literature of AAKS in Nigerian children. PATIENTS AND METHODS A prospective review of children aged 1 to 14 years and adolescents aged 15 to 18 years who presented with AAKS. Following clinical evaluation and resuscitation, patients were treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Stable patients were further treated with chemotherapy consisting of vincristine, doxorubicin, and bleomycin. Patients were monitored until death or loss to follow-up. RESULTS There were 9 patients: 6 children and 3 adolescents. Three children had vertical transmission of HIV infection. Kaposis sarcoma was the AIDS-defining disease in 5 patients. One patient was on HAART at the time of diagnosis. There were multiple skin lesions in all patients, and cervical lymph nodes and oropharynx were frequently affected. The CD4 counts at the time of AAKS diagnosis ranged 78 to 601 cells/ uL, mean of 317. Five patients had best palliative care. Three had anticancer chemotherapy, of which 2 were alive 4 years after diagnosis. Three patients died at the initial hospitalization 2 to 6 weeks after diagnosis. CONCLUSION Children and adolescents with AAKS presented with generalized skin lesions and lymphadenopathy, which facilitated the diagnosis. The majority of the patients presented with advanced disease that was rapidly fatal. However, patients with good immunity may have a prolonged control of symptoms if treated with HAART and appropriate anticancer chemotherapy.