Comparative Study of Use of Reusable Skin Staples and Vertical Mattress Sutures in the Closure of Midline Laparotomy Wounds.

Background: There is an increasing tendency to close midline abdominal wounds with staples because of the speed of closure. The aim of this study was to compare the use of skin staples and vertical mattress sutures in the closure of midline abdominal wounds. Materials and Methods: Patients who met inclusion criteria and were booked for laparotomy in our teaching hospital were counseled on the two methods of skin closure using vertical mattress sutures or the use of staples (35 W Surustap, Suru International PVT Ltd, India). Alternating post-laparotomy wounds were closed using skin staples and with a vertical mattress, using nylon 2(0) (3 metric) sutures. The parameters assessed were speed of closure, cost of closure using the different methods, wound infection rate, and short-term cosmetic appearance of wounds. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 (IBM, SPSS, Chicago, Illinois). Results: Sixty patients met the inclusion criteria and were recruited for the study. The speed of closure of midline laparotomy skin wound was significantly higher in "the staple group" than in "the suture group" (0.14 vs. 0.034 cm/s), P < 0.05, while the cost of use of staples was significantly more than the cost for closure with sutures (184 vs. 26 Naira/cm), P < 0.05. The mean operative time was significantly less in "the staple group" than in "the suture group" (128.9 minutes versus 157.6 min), P < 0.05. There was no significant difference in the infection rates and cosmetic appearance between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Midline abdominal wound closure with staples is faster. There was no difference in wound complication rates and scar appearance when compared with skin closures using the vertical mattress technique. Wound closure with staples is, however, more costly.

Correction: Academic global surgical competencies: A modified Delphi consensus study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002102.].

Academic global surgical competencies: A modified Delphi consensus study.

Academic global surgery is a rapidly growing field that aims to improve access to safe surgical care worldwide. However, no universally accepted competencies exist to inform this developing field. A consensus-based approach, with input from a diverse group of experts, is needed to identify essential competencies that will lead to standardization in this field. A task force was set up using snowball sampling to recruit a broad group of content and context experts in global surgical and perioperative care. A draft set of competencies was revised through the modified Delphi process with two rounds of anonymous input. A threshold of 80% consensus was used to determine whether a competency or sub-competency learning objective was relevant to the skillset needed within academic global surgery and perioperative care. A diverse task force recruited experts from 22 countries to participate in both rounds of the Delphi process. Of the n = 59 respondents completing both rounds of iterative polling, 63% were from low- or middle-income countries. After two rounds of anonymous feedback, participants reached consensus on nine core competencies and 31 sub-competency objectives. The greatest consensus pertained to competency in ethics and professionalism in global surgery (100%) with emphasis on justice, equity, and decolonization across multiple competencies. This Delphi process, with input from experts worldwide, identified nine competencies which can be used to develop standardized academic global surgery and perioperative care curricula worldwide. Further work needs to be done to validate these competencies and establish assessments to ensure that they are taught effectively.

Acceptance and adherence to treatment among breast cancer patients in Eastern Nigeria.

This study reports on the acceptance and adherence behaviors of patients presenting with a clinical suspicion of breast cancer at a breast clinic in Nigeria during a 5-year period (2004-2008). Of the 275 study patients, 28.7% (79 patients) refused a biopsy needed for a definitive diagnosis. Of those who agreed to a biopsy, 10.2% (28 patients) did not return for a follow-up visit. Mastectomy was offered to 140 patients, 47.9% (67 patients) refused the surgery. Of the 53 patients diagnosed with locally advanced lesions offered neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, 28.3% (15 patients) completed the recommended therapy. Of the 44 patients offered adjuvant chemotherapy, 38.6% (17 patients) completed the recommended therapy. Only 23 of the patients advised to go for radiotherapy complied. Barriers to patient adherence to diagnostic and treatment recommendations included both patient barriers and system barriers.

Temporal trends in breast cancer presentation in the third world.

BACKGROUND: Third world breast cancer is characterized by late presentation, occurrence at relatively young ages and dismal mortality. This poor outcome has encouraged patients to patronize quacks and alternative healers. Public control measures have targeted mainly public education and provision of screening facilities. Recent reports from the developed world indicate a high association with obesity, tobacco and alcohol, habits which though not currently very popular in the third world are nevertheless increasingly accepted. METHODS: A prospective study initiated in 1985 for all breast cancer patients attending 4 hospitals located in the Eastern Nigeria heartland where the author practiced. On attendance to hospital detailed epidemiological data including social habits were collected from patients. RESULTS: Reports from our first series [1987-97] showed some improvement in terms of earlier presentation compared to a historical control of earlier reports from the sub-region. Reports from the present study showed that this improvement has not been maintained probably as a result of diversion of public health campaign finances to HIV/AIDS. However there is an increasing mean age of presentation due to a higher representation of above 70 years age group and a significant reduction in parity. Alcohol intake and smoking have remained at low levels among the patients. CONCLUSION: There is need to take another look at cancer public health campaign mechanisms in the face of competing demands from HIV. Public control measures should include among others teaching of Breast Self Examination [BSE] to patients, Clinical Breast Examination [CBE] to health workers and opportunistic CBE to all patients. Strenuous efforts should be made to break the vicious cycle of late presentation, poor treatment outcome and reluctance of patients to present to health facilities because of poor outcome.

Anthropometry and breast cancer risk in Nigerian women.

The recent upsurge in global obesity and the recognition of the role of metabolic syndrome and other correlates of obesity in the etiology of breast cancer and other chronic diseases has created the impetus for renewed interest in the role of anthropometric measures in breast cancer risk. This case-control study was designed to evaluate the role of anthropometric variables in breast cancer susceptibility in an indigenous sub-Saharan African population drawn from midwestern and southeastern Nigeria, a population grossly underreported in the global epidemiologic literature. Study participants were 250 women with breast cancer who were receiving treatment in the surgical outpatient clinics and surgical wards of four university teaching hospitals located in midwestern and southeastern Nigeria, while the controls were 250 age-matched women without breast cancer or other malignant diseases being treated for other surgical diseases in the same institutions between September 2002 and April 2004. Waist:hip ratio (WHR) was associated with a significant 2.5-fold increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-4.41] and a 2-fold increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer (OR = 2.00, 95% CI 1.04-2.53). Increasing height conferred a modestly nonsignificant increased risk of premenopausal breast cancer (OR = 1.59, 95% CI 0.98-2.58). The study showed that WHR is a significant predictor of breast cancer risk in Nigerian women and measures to sustain increased physical activity and ensure healthy dietary practices are recommended to reduce the burden of obesity in the population.

Simple tandem repeat (TTTA)n polymorphism in CYP19 (aromatase) gene and breast cancer risk in Nigerian women.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer related deaths in women worldwide. The incidence of the disease is increasing globally and this increase is occurring at a faster rate in population groups that hirtherto enjoyed low incidence. This study was designed to evaluate the role of a simple tandem repeat polymorphism (STRP) in the aromatase (CYP19) gene in breast cancer susceptibility in Nigerian women, a population of indigenous sub-Saharan African ancestry. METHODS: A case-control study recruiting 250 women with breast cancer and 250 women without the disease from four University Teaching Hospitals in Southern Nigeria was carried out between September 2002 and April 2004. Participants were recruited from the surgical outpatient clinics and surgical wards of the Nigerian institutions. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was employed for genotyping and product sizes were detected with an ABI 3730 DNA Analyzer. RESULTS: Conditional logistic regression analysis revealed that harboring the putative high risk genotypes conferred a 29% increased risk of breast cancer when all women in the study were considered (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83-2.00), although this association was not statistically significant. Subgroup analysis based on menopausal status showed similar results among premenopausal women (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 0.76-2.41 and postmenopausal women (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 0.64-2.49). The data also demonstrated marked differences in the distribution of (TTTA)n repeats in Nigerian women compared with other populations. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that harboring 10 or more repeats of the microsatellite (TTTA)n repeats of the CYY19 gene is associated with a modest increased risk of breast cancer in Nigerian women.

Adult surgical emergencies in a developing country: the experience of Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria.

The goal of this study was to examine the adult surgical emergencies seen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, with a view to proffering preventive solutions where appropriate and improving outcome. From the register of patients seen at the Casualty department and from the operations register in the main operation room of NAUTH, names and hospital numbers of adult patients treated as emergencies over a 5-year period, from 7 September 1998 to 6 September 2003, were obtained. The hospital folders were then retrieved from the Records Department. From each folder, the following details about each patient were extracted: age, sex, diagnosis at presentation, causative factors, treatment given, and outcome. A total of 902 adult patients were treated during the period. The commonest emergency operation was appendectomy for acute appendicitis in 139 patients (97 women and 42 men), followed closely by road traffic accidents (RTAs) involving 137 patients (103 men and 34 women). Gunshot injuries, which resulted mainly from armed robbery attacks, accounted for 127 cases. More men (113) sustained gunshot injuries than women (14). Of the 92 cases of acute intestinal obstruction seen, 62 occurred in women and 30 in men. Some 126 men presented with acute urinary retention, and two others presented with priapism. Governments at various levels should provide modern diagnostic tools for the accurate preoperative diagnosis of surgical emergencies in hospitals. Governments should also inculcate strict discipline into drivers using the highways, particularly in relation to abuse of alcohol and drugs. Good roads and adequate security should be provided for the people. The need for Pre-Hospital Care for the efficient evacuation of accident victims is emphasized. These measures will help to improve the management and outcome of surgical emergencies, and decrease the number of surgical emergencies resulting from RTAs and gunshot wounds.