A case report of complete appendiceal duplication on the normal site of a single caecum: A new variant?

INTRODUCTION: Duplicated appendix is an uncommon entity, typically discovered as an incidental finding during surgery for appendicitis or other abdominal pathologies. It may be associated with other congenital malformations. We report a case of a male neonate incidentally discovered to have an unrecognized variant of duplicated appendix during a laparotomy plus diversion colostomy for imperforate anus at 4 days of age. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A baby delivered at home from an unbooked pregnancy at term, was referred from a primary care clinic to a specialist referral hospital, with a fever and suspected neonatal sepsis on day 1 of life. The patient had not passed meconium and physical examination revealed an imperforate anus. After initiating treatment for sepsis, the patient underwent a laparotomy where a situs inversus totalis and complete appendiceal duplication was found, with both appendices on the normal site of a single caecum. The appendices were left in situ and a diversion colostomy was performed. The patient did well following surgery and was discharged on postoperative day 10 to await definitive surgery. DISCUSSION: Appendiceal malformations have been reported either in isolation or in association with other congenital anomalies. Duplicated appendix occurs rarely and the pathogenesis is not fully understood. This case adds more evidence that the classification of appendiceal abnormalities should continue evolving as newer types are described. CONCLUSION: Surgeons operating on patients with congenital anomalies must exercise extreme vigilance to identify and document other rare pathologies that may later pose challenges thus avoid morbidity, mortality and potential medicolegal pitfalls.

Children and adolescents on anti-retroviral therapy in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: How many are virally suppressed by month six?

Background: Zimbabwe is one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus. In the "treat all" era, we assessed the gaps in routine viral load (VL) monitoring at six months for children (0-9 years) and adolescents (10-19 years) newly initiated on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) from January 2017 to September 2018 at a large tertiary hospital in Bulawayo. Methods: In this cohort study using secondary data, we considered first VL done within six to nine months of starting therapy as 'undergoing VL test at six months'. We classified repeat VL≥1000 copies/ml despite enhanced adherence counselling as virally unsuppressed. Results: Of 295 patients initiated on ART, 196 (66%) were children and 99 (34%) adolescents. A total 244 (83%) underwent VL test at six months, with 161 (54%) virally suppressed, 52 (18%) unsuppressed and 82 (28%) with unknown status (due to losses in the cascade). Switch to second line was seen in 35% (18/52). When compared to children, adolescents were less likely to undergo a VL test at six months (73% versus 88%, p=0.002) and more likely to have an unknown VL status (40% versus 22%, p=0.001). Conclusion: At six months of ART, viral suppression was low and losses in the cascade high.

Loss to follow-up among children and adolescents growing up with HIV infection: age really matters.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, increasing numbers of HIV-infected children are reaching adolescence due to antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated rates of loss-to-follow-up (LTFU) from HIV care services among children as they transition from childhood through adolescence. METHODS: Individuals aged 5-19 years initiated on ART in a public-sector HIV clinic in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, between 2005 and 2009 were included in a retrospective cohort study. Participants were categorized into narrow age-bands namely: 5-9 (children), 10-14 (young adolescents) and 15-19 (older adolescents). The effect of age at ART initiation, current age (using a time-updated Lexis expansion) and transitioning from one age group to the next on LTFU was estimated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Of 2273 participants, 1013, 875 and 385 initiated ART aged 5-9, 10-14 and 15-19 years, respectively. Unlike those starting ART as children, individuals starting ART as young adolescents had higher LTFU rates after moving to the older adolescent age-band (Adjusted rate ratio (ARR) 1.54; 95% CI: 0.94-2.55) and similarly, older adolescents had higher LTFU rates after transitioning to being young adults (ARR 1.79; 95% CI: 1.05-3.07). In older adolescents, the LTFU rate among those who started ART in that age-band was higher compared to the rate among those starting ART at a younger age (ARR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.77). This however did not hold true for other age-groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents had higher rates of LTFU compared to other age-groups, with older adolescents at particularly high risk in all analyses. Age-updated analyses that examine movement across narrow age-bands are paramount in understanding how developmental heterogeneity in children affects HIV outcomes.

Relationship Between Time to Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy and Treatment Outcomes: A Cohort Analysis of ART Eligible Adolescents in Zimbabwe.

BACKGROUND: Age-specific retention challenges make antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in adolescents difficult, often requiring a lengthy preparation process. This needs to be balanced against the benefits of starting treatment quickly. The optimal time to initiation duration in adolescents is currently unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of time to ART initiation on mortality and loss to follow-up (LTFU) among treatment eligible adolescents. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis among 1499 ART eligible adolescents aged ≥10 to <19 years registered in a public sector HIV program in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, between 2004 and 2011. Hazard ratios (HR) for mortality and LTFU were calculated for different time to ART durations using multivariate Cox regression models. RESULTS: Median follow-up duration was 1.6 years. Mortality HRs of patients who initiated at 0 to ≤7 days, >14 days to ≤1 month, >1 to ≤2 months, >2 months, and before initiation were 1.59, 1.19, 1.56, 1.08, and 0.94, respectively, compared with the reference group of >7 to ≤14 days. LTFU HRs were 1.02, 1.07, 0.85, 0.97, and 3.96, respectively. Among patients not on ART, 88% of deaths and 85% of LTFU occurred during the first 3 months after becoming ART eligible, but only 37% and 29% among adolescents on ART, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Neither mortality or LTFU was associated with varying time to ART. The initiation process can be tailored to the adolescents' needs and individual life situations without risking to increase poor treatment outcomes. Early mortality was high despite rapid ART initiation, calling for earlier rather than faster initiation through HIV testing scale-up.

Onsite training of doctors, midwives and nurses in obstetric emergencies, Zimbabwe.

PROBLEM: In Zimbabwe, many health facilities are not able to manage serious obstetric complications. Staff most commonly identified inadequate training as the greatest barrier to preventing avoidable maternal deaths. APPROACH: We established an onsite obstetric emergencies training programme for maternity staff in the Mpilo Central Hospital. We trained 12 local staff to become trainers and provided them with the equipment and resources needed for the course. The trainers held one-day courses for 299 staff at the hospital. LOCAL SETTING: Maternal mortality in Zimbabwe has increased from 555 to 960 per 100,000 pregnant women from 2006 to 2011 and 47% of the deaths are believed to be avoidable. Most obstetric emergencies trainings are held off-site, away from the clinical area, for a limited number of staff. RELEVANT CHANGES: Following an in-hospital train-the-trainers course, 90% (138/153) of maternity staff were trained locally within the first year, with 299 hospital staff trained to date. Local system changes included: the introduction of a labour ward board, emergency boxes, colour-coded early warning observation charts and a maternity dashboard. In this hospital, these changes have been associated with a 34% reduction in hospital maternal mortality from 67 maternal deaths per 9078 births (0.74%) in 2011 compared with 48 maternal deaths per 9884 births (0.49%) in 2014. LESSONS LEARNT: Introducing obstetric emergencies training and tools was feasible onsite, improved clinical practice, was sustained by local staff and associated with improved clinical outcomes. Further work to study the implementation and effect of this intervention at scale is required.

Risk of death among those awaiting treatment for HIV infection in Zimbabwe: adolescents are at particular risk.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality among HIV-positive adults awaiting antiretroviral therapy (ART) has previously been found to be high. Here, we compare adolescent pre-ART mortality to that of adults in a public sector HIV care programme in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we compared adolescent pre-ART outcomes with those of adults enrolled for HIV care in the same clinic. Adolescents were defined as those aged 10-19 at the time of registration. Comparisons of means and proportions were carried out using two-tailed sample t-tests and chi-square tests respectively, for normally distributed data, and the Mann-Whitney U-tests for non-normally distributed data. Loss to follow-up (LTFU) was defined as missing a scheduled appointment by three or more months. RESULTS: Between 2004 and 2010, 1382 of 1628 adolescents and 7557 of 11,106 adults who registered for HIV care met the eligibility criteria for ART. Adolescents registered at a more advanced disease stage than did adults (83% vs. 73% WHO stage III/IV, respectively, p<0.001), and the median time to ART initiation was longer for adolescents than for adults [21 (10-55) days vs. 15 (7-42) days, p<0.001]. Among the 138 adolescents and 942 adults who never commenced ART, 39 (28%) of adolescents and 135 (14%) of adults died, the remainder being LTFU. Mortality among treatment-eligible adolescents awaiting ART was significantly higher than among adults (3% vs. 1.8%, respectively, p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents present to ART services at a later clinical stage than adults and are at an increased risk of death prior to commencing ART. Improved and innovative HIV case-finding approaches and emphasis on prompt ART initiation in adolescents are urgently needed. Following registration, defaulter tracing should be used, whether or not ART has been commenced.

Massive hemoptysis and complete unilateral lung collapse in pregnancy due to pulmonary tuberculosis with good maternal and fetal outcome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: We report an extremely rare case of massive hemoptysis and complete left-sided lung collapse in pregnancy due to pulmonary tuberculosis in a health care worker with good maternal and fetal outcome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 33-year-old human immuno deficiency virus seronegative African health care worker in her fourth pregnancy with two previous second trimester miscarriages and an apparently healthy daughter from her third pregnancy presented coughing up copious amounts of blood at 18 weeks and two days of gestation. She had a cervical suture in situ for presumed cervical weakness. Computed tomography of her chest showed complete collapse of the left lung; subsequent bronchoscopy was apparently normal. Her serum ß-human chorionic gonadotropin, tests for autoimmune disease and echocardiography were all normal. Her lung re-inflated spontaneously. Sputum for acid alcohol fast bacilli was positive; our patient was commenced on anti-tuberculosis medication and pyridoxine. At 41 weeks and three days of pregnancy our patient went into spontaneous labor and delivered a live born female baby weighing 2.6 kg with APGAR scores of nine and 10 at one and five minutes respectively. She and her baby are apparently doing well about 10 months after delivery. CONCLUSION: It is possible to have massive hemoptysis and complete unilateral lung collapse with spontaneous resolution in pregnancy due to pulmonary tuberculosis with good maternal and fetal outcome.

HIV-infected adolescents in southern Africa can achieve good treatment outcomes: results from a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: In this study we examine whether adolescents treated for HIV/AIDS in southern Africa can achieve similar treatment outcomes to adults. DESIGN: We have used a retrospective cohort study design to compare outcomes for adolescents and adults commencing antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 2004 and 2010 in a public sector hospital clinic in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. METHODS: Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to investigate risk factors for death and loss to follow-up (LTFU) (defined as missing a scheduled appointment by ≥3months). RESULTS: One thousand, seven hundred and seventy-six adolescents commenced ART, 94% having had no previous history of ART. The median age at ART initiation was 13.3 years. HIV diagnosis in 97% of adolescents occurred after presentation with clinical disease and a higher proportion had advanced HIV disease at presentation compared with adults [WHO Stage 3/4 disease (79.3 versus 65.2%, P < 0.001)]. Despite this, adolescents had no worse mortality than adults, assuming 50% mortality among those LTFU (6.4 versus 7.3 per 100 person-years, P = 0.75) with rates of loss to follow-up significantly lower than in adults (4.8 versus 9.2 per 100 person-years, P < 0.001). Among those who were followed for 5 years or more, 5.8% of adolescents switched to a second-line regimen as a result of treatment failure, compared with 2.1% of adults (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: With adolescent-focused services, it is feasible to achieve good outcomes for adolescents in large-scale ART programs in sub-Saharan Africa. However, adolescents are at high risk of treatment failure, which compromises future drug options. Interventions to address poor adherence in adolescence should be prioritized.

Full-term abdominal extrauterine pregnancy complicated by post-operative ascites with successful outcome: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Advanced abdominal (extrauterine) pregnancy is a rare condition with high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Because the placentation in advanced abdominal pregnancy is presumed to be inadequate, advanced abdominal pregnancy can be complicated by pre-eclampsia, which is another condition with high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis and management of advanced abdominal pregnancy is difficult. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 33-year-old African woman in her first pregnancy who had a full-term advanced abdominal pregnancy and developed gross ascites post-operatively. The patient was successfully managed; both the patient and her baby are apparently doing well. CONCLUSION: Because most diagnoses of advanced abdominal pregnancy are missed pre-operatively, even with the use of sonography, the cornerstones of successful management seem to be quick intra-operative recognition, surgical skill, ready access to blood products, meticulous post-operative care and thorough assessment of the newborn.