Panniculectomy as a surgical option for the management of a deep surgical site infection after C-section in a morbidly obese woman: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of surgical site infections (SSIs) following all types of surgeries, especially after Caesarean section (C-section). SSIs increase postoperative morbidity, health economic cost and their management is quiet complex with no universal therapeutic consensus. Herein, we report a challenging case of a deep SSI after C-section in a central morbidly obese woman managed successfully by panniculectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old black African pregnant woman with marked abdominal panniculus extending to the pubic area, a waist circumference = 162 cm and BMI = 47.7 kg/m2 underwent an emergency CS indicated for acute fetal distress. By day five post-operation, she developed a deep parietal incisional infection unremitting to antibiotic therapy, wound dressings and beside wound debridement till the 26th postoperative day. A large abdomen panniculus and maceration of the wound enhanced by central obesity increased the risk of failure of spontaneous closure; thus, an abdominoplasty by panniculectomy was indicated. The patient underwent panniculectomy on the 26th day after the initial surgery and her post-operative course was uneventful. Wound esthetics was satisfactory three months later. Adjuvant dietary and psychological management were associated. CONCLUSION: Post-Caesarean deep SSI is a frequent complication in obese patients. A panniculectomy may be a safe and promising therapeutic surgical option with good cosmetic results and little postoperative complications when used in a multidisciplinary anti-obesogenic approach.

Palliative and end-of-life care in COVID-19 management in sub-Saharan Africa: a matter of concern.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health care systems beyond capacity resulting in many people not having access to life-sustaining measures even in well-resourced countries. Palliative and end-of-life care are therefore essential to alleviate suffering and ensure a continuum of care for patients unlikely to survive. This is challenging in sub-Saharan Africa where lack of trained teams on basic palliative care and reduced access to opioids limit implementation of palliative and end-of-life care. At the same time, health care providers have to cope with local cultural conceptions of death and absence of advance care directives.

Impact of perioperative nutritional status on the outcome of abdominal surgery in a sub-Saharan Africa setting.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is a clinical condition of multifactorial etiologies and it is associated with several adverse outcomes. In high-income countries, malnutrition has been described as a determinant of delayed wound healing, surgical site infections and mortality in the postoperative period. There is limited information available regarding the outcome of surgery in malnourished patients in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: A cross-sectional analytic study was carried out between March and August 2014 in the visceral surgery and the emergency departments of the Yaounde Central Hospital in Cameroon. All consecutive consenting preoperative and postoperative patients of abdominal surgical procedures were enrolled. Variables studied were: socio-demographic characteristics, medical and surgical past histories, nutritional survey, anthropometric parameters and serum albumin level in order to determine the nutritional risk index (or Buzby score). RESULTS: A total of 85 patients aged from 19 to 50 years with mean age of 34.4 ± 8 years were included. The most performed abdominal surgical procedure was appendectomy (30.6%). The prevalence of preoperative malnutrition according to the Buzby score was 39.1%. Mean postoperative weight lost was 2.9 ± 1.2 kg and mean decrease in postoperative serum albumin was 4.2 ± 0.2 g. A normal postoperative serum albumin was associated with a favorable outcome [OR (95% CI) = 55 (13.4-224.3), p < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of malnutrition is high in our visceral surgery and emergency departments; this is associated with an increased risk of adverse early postoperative outcomes. Overall, our results emphasize the need of optimizing perioperative care through routine nutritional assessment and management of surgical patients in Cameroon.