Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery at a Rural African Hospital: A 13-Year Experience From Western Kenya.

INTRODUCTION: Most studies on the treatment of cleft lip and palate (CLP) in low-income and middle-income countries have reported on the experience of urban centers or surgical mission trips to rural locations. There is a paucity of literature on the experience of local teams providing orofacial cleft surgery in rural Sub-Saharan Africa. This study reports the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of cleft surgery performed by an all-local team in rural Kenya. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients who received CLP repair at Kapsowar Hospital between 2011 and 2023. Information regarding patient age, sex, cleft etiology, surgical management, and home location was retrieved. For the most recent year of study (2023), the authors performed a financial audit of all costs related to the performance of unilateral cleft lip surgery. Descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: The authors identified 381 CLP surgeries performed on 311 patients (197 male, 63.3%). The most common etiology of the cleft was left unilateral (28.3%). The average age of primary lip repair decreased from 46.3 months in 2008 to 2009 to 20.2 months in 2022 to 2023 ( P <0.001). The average age of primary cleft palate repair decreased from 38.0 months in 2008 to 2009 to 25.3 months in 2022 to 2023 ( P <0.001). Patients traveled from 23 districts to receive treatment. Age of treatment was not different when distinguished by sex, county poverty level, or travel time from the hospital. The total costs associated with cleft lip repair was $201.6. CONCLUSIONS: Adequately staffed hospitals in rural locations can meaningfully address a regional CLP backlog more cost-effectively than surgical mission trips.

Surgical Training Throughout Africa: A Review of Operative Case Volumes at Multiple Training Centers.

BACKGROUND: Adequate surgical training is paramount to produce competent surgeons to address the global burden of surgical disease. The Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) has general surgery training programs in eight countries. Operative case volumes have been positively associated with improved trainee performance and patient outcomes. For certification in the USA, 850 total operations are required from defined case categories. Yet, little is known about the operative experience of surgical trainees throughout Africa. METHODS: Operative procedures were reviewed, categorized, and validated from a cohort of PAACS graduates and compared to graduates from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) programs. The primary and secondary outcomes were total case volumes and cases within ACGME-defined categories. Regional variations were explored. RESULTS: Twenty PAACS trainees, from five programs in four countries, performed 38,267 unique procedures. ACGME reports on 1211 residents from 251 programs. PAACS graduates logged more major cases (median 1448) than ACGME graduates (median 993) (p value = 0·0001). PAACS graduates performed more gynecology and obstetrics, orthopedics, head and neck, urology, endocrine, operative trauma, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, and skin and soft tissue cases. US graduates performed more cases in abdomen, alimentary tract, breast, thoracic, and vascular categories. Comparison between regions demonstrated volume and category variations between Kenya and Gabon, Ethiopia, and Cameroon. CONCLUSION: PAACS trainees perform more operations than ACGME trainees with differences in distribution. This experience can serve as a model for regional educational programs seeking to address the broad and largely unmet burden of surgical disease.