Management of Traumatic Diaphragmatic Injury-A Peep into Bowel Repair via Thoracotomy.

Background: Traumatic diaphragmatic injury (TDI) is a relatively rare condition, and there is a high tendency for it to be missed if thorough clinical assessment and imaging review are not carried out. The surgical approach for TDI can be challenging, especially with bowel perforation. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective case series of all consecutive patients with TDI from two tertiary hospitals in the southern part of Nigeria between January 2013 and December 2019. The demographic data of the patients, type, cause, and clinical diagnosis, intraoperative findings, Injury Severity Score, and outcome were noted. The descriptive statistics were presented in percentages and fractions. Results: Fourteen (4.3%) of the 326 chest trauma patients had TDI with 57.1% from penetrating causes and 42.9% from blunt causes. The causes of the TDI were gunshot injuries (42.9%), road traffic crashes (35.7%), stab injury (14.3%), and domestic accidents (7.1%). The preoperative method of diagnosis was mainly by massive haemothorax necessitating open thoracotomy (42.9%) and mixed clinical evaluation, chest radiograph, and upper gastrointestinal contrast studies (35.7%), and the drainage of intestinal content following the insertion of a chest tube to initially drain haemothorax (21.4%) and other modality of diagnoses (7.1%). The operative finding was mainly intestine content in the chest (50%) and only diaphragmatic injury (35.7%). The major complication after surgery was empyema thoracis (14.3%) and the mortality rate (14.3%). Conclusion: Penetrating injury of the chest was the major factor responsible for the TDI, and even with bowel perforation and acute TDI, thoracotomy offered an effective surgical approach for all the patients.

Management of caustic pharyngoesophageal injuries in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana: a 12-year retrospective review of 29 cases.

Introduction: caustic pharyngoesophageal strictures are life-threatening injuries with important management difficulties, lacking clear therapeutic guidelines. The aim of this study is to evaluate the surgical procedures and outcomes of severe caustic pharyngoesophageal strictures in our institution. Methods: a total of 29 patients who underwent surgery for severe caustic pharyngoesophageal injury at the National Cardiothoracic Center from June 2006 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The age distribution, sex, management procedures, complications after surgery, and the outcome were analyzed. Results: there were 17 males. The mean age was 11.7 years (range 2- 56 years). All patients accidentally swallowed caustic soda, except the oldest patient who ingested an unidentified substance. The treatment procedures included colopharyngoplasty in 15 (51.7%) patients, colon-flap augmentation pharyngoesophagoplasty (CFAP) in 10 (34.5%), and colopharyngoplasty with tracheostomy in 4 (13.8%). There was one case of graft obstruction from a retrosternal adhesive band and one case of postoperative reflux with nocturnal regurgitation. No cervical anastomotic leak occurred. Rehabilitative training for oral feeding was required for less than a month in most patients. Follow-up period ranged from one to twelve years. Four patients died within this period; two were immediate post-operative deaths and two occurred late. One patient was lost to follow-up. Conclusion: outcome of surgery for caustic pharyngoesophageal stricture is satisfactory. Colon-flap augmentation pharyngoesophagoplasty reduces the need for tracheostomy before surgery, and our patients start eating early without aspiration.

Profile of Lung Cancer in two Niger Delta States of Nigeria: An Evaluation of 43 Cases.

Background: The data on the epidemiology of lung cancer in Niger delta states is scarce. Therefore, this study aims to determine the epidemiological profile of lung cancer in two Niger Delta states in Nigeria. Methodology: This was a retrospective analysis of all patients managed for histologically diagnosed lung cancer from Jan 2014 to Dec 2019 at two tertiary hospitals in Niger Delta states of Nigeria. The demographics, diagnoses, results of investigations, and outcomes were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: Forty-three patients were reviewed with a male-to-female ratio of 1.5:1 and an age range between 13-89 years with a mean of 53.5+17.0 years. The following number of patients; 1(2.3%), 26(60.5%), 4 (9.3%) and 12(27.9%) were distributed according into the following age groups ;< 20, 20-59, 60-64 and >65 respectively. Eleven (25.6%) patients were smokers. The commonest symptoms were dyspnoea in 39(90.7%), cough in 35(81.4%), weight loss in 29(67.4%), chest pain in 28(65.1%), and change in voice (hoarseness of voice) in 8(18.6%); while the signs were respiratory distress in 33(76.7%), digital clubbing in 8(18.6%), superior vena cava syndrome in 2(4.7%).The left lung was commonly affected in 24(55.8%) patients, and the left upper lobe was the most common in 21 (20.2%), while the right upper lobe was the least in 13(12.6%) patients. The histological types were Adenocarcinoma in 26(60.5%), squamous cell carcinoma in 15(34.9%) patients, and small cell carcinoma in 2(4.7%) patients. Fifteen (34.9%) patients had elevated platelets. The modalities of pathologic diagnoses were: Mini-Thoracotomy10 (23.3%), Tru-cut biopsy 28 (65.1%), and Bronchoscopy 5 (11.6%).The mortality rate after six months following lung cancer diagnosis was 7(16.2%). Conclusion: In our environment, lung cancer may have a bimodal distribution, peaking in the middle age group and elderly patients who were mainly non-smokers. Elevation of platelets was observed in a significant number of patients.

Delayed brachial artery reconstruction after traumatic injury: a case for sustainment of surgical intervention.

The brachial artery is the commonest artery injured in the extremities. Although the patients present late, nevertheless reconstructions is advocated in other to salvage the limb and maintain function of the hand. We retrospectively examined 25 consecutive patients with vascular injuries treated at The Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Unit of a tertiary health centre over a period of 4 years. We assessed the pre-tertiary methods of stopping of bleeding injured brachial arteries, mechanisms of injury, associated injuries, treatment and the outcome following vascular repair in terms of functionality of the forearm and the volume of the radial pulsation. A total of 12 patients (48.0%) had brachial artery injuries out of the 25 patients with different forms of vascular injuries during the period. There were 10 males and 2 females, aged 7.5-65 years. The aetiology of the brachial artery injuries were: Glass cut in 5 patients, knife cut in 3 patients, surgical complication of tendon release (iatrogenic) in 1 patient, injury from self injection of pentazocine in 1 patient, machete cut in 1 patient and blunt vascular injury from fan belt injury in 1 patient. Except for the young girl whose brachial artery was injured at surgery, and had lateral repair done within 3hours, the timing between injury and repair in the remaining 11 patients ranged between 6-288 hours. This was beyond the golden time in trauma cases. Two patients had the brachial artery revascularised using the Reversed Saphenous Vein Graft (RSVG). The wrist pulsation was small volume in one patient as felt by palpation before discharge though the forearm was viable. Otherwise the remaining patients' outcome was good. Most of the patients with brachial artery injury present late following injury. Revascularisation beyond the golden hour is still desirable as it will help to prevent limb loss. Plans should be put in place to train vascular surgeon to encourage prompt and expertise care.

Massive Pleural Fluid Collection in Adult Nigerians.

Background. There are no available literatures on massive pleural effusions (MPE) in our country. Aim. To determine the aetiology of MPE and compare the mortality rate between malignant and nonmalignant MPE in adult Nigerians. Methods. A prospective study of all the patients diagnosed with nontraumatic pleural fluid collections for one year in two tertiary federal hospitals in Southern Nigeria. A total of 101 consecutive patients with pleural fluid collections were studied. Diagnoses were made by clinical features and laboratory and radiological investigations. Results. Forty-eight patients (47.5%) had MPE with a mean age of 43 years ± 14.04 and 35 were females. Thirty patients (62.5%) were diagnosed with nonmalignant conditions (21 from pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and 9 from other causes). Haemorrhagic pleural collections were from malignancy in 12 (30.8%) and from PTB in 6 (15.4%). Straw-coloured collections were from malignancy in 9 (23.1%), from PTB in 8 (20.1%), and from posttraumatic exudative effusion in 3 (7.7%). Compared with nonmalignant MPE, patients with malignant collections had higher mortality within 6 months (8/18 versus 0/30 with a P value of 0.000). Conclusion. The presentation of patients with nontraumatic haemorrhagic or straw-coloured MPE narrows the diagnosis to PTB and malignancy with MPE cases being a marker for short survival rate.

Challenges with the establishment of congenital cardiac surgery centers in Nigeria: survey of cardiothoracic surgeons and residents.

BACKGROUND: There are gaps in understanding the challenges with the establishment of pediatric cardiac surgical practices in Nigeria. The aim of this study was to examine the prospects and challenges limiting the establishment of pediatric cardiac surgical practices in Nigeria from the perspectives of cardiothoracic surgeons and resident doctors. METHODS: A descriptive study was carried out to articulate the views of the cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiothoracic resident doctors in Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire was used to generate information from the participants between December 2014 and January 2015. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 21 statistical software package. RESULT: Thirty-one of the 51 eligible participants (60.7%) took part in the survey. Twenty-one (67.7%) were specialists/consultants, and 10 (32.3%) were resident doctors in cardiothoracic surgical units. Most of the respondents, 26 (83.9%) acknowledged the enormity of pediatric patients with cardiac problems in Nigeria; however, nearly all such children were referred outside Nigeria for treatment. The dearth of pediatric cardiac surgical centers in Nigeria was attributed to weak health system, absence of skilled manpower, funds, and equipment. Although there was a general consensus on the need for the establishment of open pediatric cardiac surgical centers in the country, their set up mechanisms were not explicit. CONCLUSIONS: The obvious necessity and huge potentials for the establishment of pediatric cardiac centers in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Nevertheless, weakness of the national health system, including human resources remains a daunting challenge. Therefore, local and international partnerships and collaborations with country leadership are strongly advocated to pioneer this noble service.

Traumatic chest injury in children: A single thoracic surgeon's experience in two Nigerian tertiary hospitals.

BACKGROUND: This study was to determine the extent and outcome of childhood chest injury in Nigeria, and to compare results with that of other literatures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A Prospective study of all children under 18 years of age with chest trauma in two tertiary hospitals in Southern Nigeria from January 2012 to December 2014 was reviewed. The aetiology, type, associated injury, mechanism, treatment and outcome were evaluated. The patients were followed up in the clinic. The data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0 with a significant P < 0.05. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (12.1%) under 18 years of age of 256 chest trauma patients were managed in the thoracic units. The mean age was 9.78 ± 6.77 years and 27 (87.1%) were male. The aetiology in 13 was from falls, 10 from automobile crashes, 3 from gunshots, 4 from stabbing and 1 from abuse. The highest peak of chest injury was on Saturday of the week and April of the year. The pleural collections are as follows: 15 (71.4%) was haemothorax, 4 (19.1%) pneumothorax, 2 (9.5%) haemopneumothorax and 18 patients had lung contusion in combination or alone with the pleural collections. Seven patients who presented >12-h versus 2 who presented <12-h and 6 of children between 0 and 9 years versus 3 at 10-18 years of age had empyema thoracis (P value not significant). One death was recorded. CONCLUSION: Chest trauma in children is still not common, and blunt chest injury from falls and automobile accidents are more common than penetrating chest injury. Treatment with tube thoracostomy is the major management modality with empyema thoracis as the most common complication.

Multi-center survey of House officers' choice of Medical specialties in Nigeria: preferences and determining factors.

The objective of the study was to determine preferences and factors influencing the choice of medical specialties by House officers. Questionnaires were distributed to House-officers in 4 tertiary hospitals namely: the National hospital, Abuja, the University of Port-Harcourt, the Jos University, and the University of Uyo Teaching Hospitals. The data were simultaneously collected and analyzed using SPSS 20.0 version. Of the 150 questionnaires distributed, 129(86%) were duly filled. The mean age was 22.4 years (range 21-40 years), 79(61.2%) of the respondent were male. Fifty-nine(45.7%) chose training within the country while 32(24.8%) preferred outside as 107(86%) chose training in Teaching Hospitals. Teachers, Resident doctors and parents influenced choices in 34(26.3%), 17(13.1%) and 16(12.4%) respectively. Thirty-four(26.3%), 28 (21.7%), 13(10.1%) and 15(11.6%) preferred obstetrics, surgery, internal medicine and paediatrics respectively. Seventy (46.7%) chose specialties for personal likeness and 17(11.3%) for role models in that specialty. House officers preferred to pursue medical specialty in teaching hospitals within the country and they are motivated by personal fulfillment, independence of practice and role models while more prefer to specialize in more Obstetrics/ Gyaenocology and surgery.

Superior repair: A useful approach for some anatomic variants of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.

BACKGROUND: Total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) occurs when all the four pulmonary veins drain to the right atrium or to tributaries of the systemic veins. There have been various published techniques for the repair but none has been agreed on for the different anatomical variants that may be encountered during surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2005 and June 2010 the data of 6 of 18 patients who had surgical repair using the superior approach were retrospectively reviewed.Three patients had long narrow venous stalk connecting the coronary sinus to venous confluence; two had the right pulmonary veins draining to superior vena cava (SVC) and left pulmonary veins to left lateral wall of SVC and one had an obstruction at entrance of Pulmonary Vein into venous confluence. RESULTS: Five patients initially had the superior approach while one had transatrial with unroofing of the coronary sinus. Two had a concomitant Wardens procedure. The mean aortic cross clamping was 87.5 (60-125) min, the mean cardiopulmonary bypass time should have min as unit of 127.8 (100-180), the mean Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay of 2.5 (2-4) days and the mean hospital stay 8.2 (7-9) days. One patient died at early post-operation from low cardiac outputand five had an uneventful post-operative course and had remained stable until date. CONCLUSION: In our experience, the superior approach was an effective alternative approach for some anatomic variants of TAPVC that may be unexpectedly encountered during operation and also useful surgical approach for older children.

Late presentation of giant intrathoracic neurofibroma with significant mediastinal shift: a case report and review of the literature.

Intrathoracic tumours in patients with Von Recklinghausen's disease have been widely reported, but there are very few cases of reported intrathoracic giant benign neurofibroma with marked mediastinal shift and superior vena cava syndrome. Patients that present with this pathology should be adequately investigated. Surgical resection has been considered curative.

Recombinant-activated factor VII in the paediatric cardiac surgery: single unit experience.

BACKGROUND: The control of excessive bleeding after paediatric cardiac surgery can be challenging. This may make the use of recombinant-activated factor VII (rFVIIa) in preventing this excessive bleeding, after adopted conventional methods have failed, desirable. Our aim is to highlight our experience with the use of rFVIIa in preventing excessive bleeding after paediatric cardiac surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The data for 14 patients who had rFVIIa for excessive haemorrhage after cardiac surgery from December 2009 to November 2010 was analysed. The perioperative blood loss from the chest drain before and after the administration of rFVIIa, use of blood products, international normalized ratio (INR) and activated partial thromboplastin (aPTT), before and after administration of rFVIIa, were analysed. RESULTS: The rFVIIa was successful in stopping bleeding in all the patients. The mean coagulation factors before rFVIIa were as follows: INR, 2.88 (1.82-4.5); aPTT, 65 seconds (33.4-95.1); after rFVIIa, the mean INR was 1.2 (0.82-1.56), mean APTT was 38.7 seconds (25.6-54.9). No thromboembolic events or allergic reactions or deaths were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: rFVIIa use is not only effective in stopping excessive perioperative bleeding but also safe and indirectly reduces transfusion of blood and its products.

What size of vegetation is an indication for surgery in endocarditis?

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether the of vegetations in endocarditis is an indication for surgery. Altogether, 102 papers were found using the reported search; 16 papers were identified that provided the best evidence to answer the question. The authors, journal, date, country of publication, patient group, study type, relevant outcomes and results were tabulated. The vegetation size was classified into small (<5 mm), medium (5-9 mm), or large (≥10 mm) using echocardiography and a vegetation size of ≥10 mm was a predictor of embolic events and increased mortality in most of the studies with left-sided infective endocarditis. For large vegetations--that commonly resulted from the failure of antibiotics to decrease the vegetation size during 4-8 weeks' therapy--and complications such as perivalvular abscess formation, valvular destruction and persistent pyrexia necessitated surgical intervention. In a multicentre prospective cohort study of 384 consecutive patients with infective endocarditis, it was observed that a vegetation size of >10 mm and severe vegetation mobility were predictors of new embolic events. Equally, a meta-analysis showed that the echocardiographic detection of a vegetation size of ≥10 mm in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis posed significantly increased risk of embolic events. In another prospective cohort study of 211 patients, it was observed that there was an increased risk of embolization with vegetations of ≥10 mm. In similarly another study of 178 consecutive patients with infective endodarditis assessed by echocardiographic study, it was found out that there was a significantly higher incidence of embolism with a vegetation size >10 mm (60%, P<0.001). When using the area of the vegetation, a vegetation size of >1.8 cm(2) predicted the development of a complication. Assuming that the vegetation was a sphere, the calculated diameter will be 8 mm when using 4Ωr(2) for the area. However, for right-sided infection endocarditis, a vegetation size of >20 mm was associated with a higher mortality when compared with a vegetation size of ≤20 mm. There is strong evidence to suggest that a vegetation size of ≥10 mm especially for left-sided infective endocarditis is an indication for surgery.

Is double or single patch for sinus venosus atrial septal defect repair the better option in prevention of postoperative venous obstruction?

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was constructed according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was, 'Is double or single patch for sinus venous atrial septal defect repair the better option in prevention of postoperative venous obstruction?' Altogether seventy nine papers were found using the reported search; ten papers were identified that provided the best evidence to answer the question. The authors, journal, date, country of publication, patient group, study type, relevant outcomes and results of were tabulated. Three hundred and thirty four patients had single-patch with 7 (2.1%) having venous obstruction (venous obstruction; defined as obstruction at the atriocaval anastomosis and/or the right superior pulmonary vein) while 130 had double-patch with 3 (2.3%) having venous obstruction. However, when the three randomised studies were reviewed, 101 had single-patch and 67 had double-patch with 7 (7%) and 4 (6%) having venous obstruction respectively. Similarly, another randomised study that considered solely the two surgical options with eighteen patients who had single-patch repair as group A and 19 patients who had double-patch repair as group B with six patients in group A and 2 patients in group B having significant superior vena cava-right atrium pressure gradient of more than 6 mmHg. Nine patients in group A had a significant gradient causing turbulence across the right superior pulmonary vein at the level of the patch, whereas no patients in group B had turbulence across the pulmonary vein. The double-patch technique technically offered better results in terms of superior vena cava narrowing and gradient across the pulmonary vein without any increase in complications. However, in order to reduce postoperative venous obstruction while using the single-patch repair method, the adoption of the transcaval approach yielded excellent results, with unobstructed pulmonary and systemic venous flow as in 141 patients who had this method of repair only one patient had venous obstruction. In conclusion, the evidence was in support of the adoption of double-patch or the use of the transcaval repair technique when the single patch technique was used as a better option to avoid venous obstruction.

Is recombinant activated factor VII effective in the treatment of excessive bleeding after paediatric cardiac surgery?

A best evidence topic in paediatric cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was whether recombinant activated factor VII was effective for the treatment of excessive bleeding after paediatric cardiac surgery. Altogether 150 papers were found using the reported search; 13 papers were identified that provided the best evidence to answer the question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these studies were tabulated. A total of 311 children experienced excessive bleeding following cardiac surgery that was refractory to the conventional methods of achieving haemostasis. One hundred and ninety-two patients received the rFVIIa while 116 were in control arm from five studies. The primary end-point was on chest tube drainage, the plasma prothrombin time, the activated partial thromboplastin time after the administration of rFVIIa and the secondary end-point was reduction of blood products transfusion. Thrombosis was a complication in 8 patients (4.2%); three deaths (1.6%) but not attributable to thromboembolic events following the use of rFVIIa. Most of the studies failed to clearly state the doses but the extracted doses ranged between 30 and 180 µg/kg/dose, the interval between doses ranged between 15 and 120 min with a maximum of four doses. However, most of the patients had 180 µg/kg/dose with interval between dose of 2 h and maximum of two doses with dosage moderated with respect to weight, prior coagulopathy and responsiveness. There were two randomized studies with good sample size. One showed no significant differences in the secondary end points between the two arms and noted no adverse complications. However, the rFVIIa was used prophylactically. The other observed that there were no increase in thromboembolic events rather rFVIIa was effective in decreasing excessive bleeding that may complicate cardiac surgery in children. In conclusion, the studies were in support of the notion that the use of rFVIIa was effective in decreasing excessive bleeding which may complicate paediatric cardiac surgery, and care should be exercised when using it in the children on ECMO circuit.

In patients with corrosive oesophageal stricture for surgery, is oesophagectomy rather than bypass necessary to reduce the risk of oesophageal malignancy?

A best evidence topic in cardiothoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was, 'is there an increased risk of cancer in a non-resected corrosive oesophageal stricture?' Altogether, 133 papers were found using the reported search; six papers were identified that provided the best evidence to answer the question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these studies were tabulated. From the studies, 198 consecutive patients had corrosive oesophageal stricture resulting from corrosive oesophageal injury, 50 of whom (25.3%) developed oesophageal cancer. The interval between the burn and the diagnosis of scar carcinoma was 46.1 years and ranged between 25 and 58 years. The incidence of carcinoma of the oesophagus among patients from the study was significantly higher than that of the general population. In one review, seven (13%) of 54 consecutive patients treated by conservative means for caustic oesophageal stricture (COS) developed oesophageal cancer, leading to the conclusion that simultaneous resection of the oesophagus with reconstruction for such patients would provide a better probability of being completely cured of the disease. Furthermore, in patients with COS in need of operation who had a bypass procedure, it was pointed out that malignancy may develop even years after the bypass operation in the remaining part of the oesophagus and so total oesophagectomy was suggested instead of bypass. In another study, as many as 10 (31.3%) of 32 patients with corrosive oesophageal stricture developed cancer. That gave further credence to the arguments against conservative treatment or bypassing of corrosive oesophageal strictures. The risk of morbidity for intrathoracic oesophageal replacement in uncomplicated cases was 2.4%. There were basically two things that were agreed from the studies: that corrosive-induced carcinoma can occur with a reasonably high incidence if part or all of the oesophagus was left during reconstructive surgery; and that simultaneous resection of the oesophagus at the time of reconstruction in a patient with corrosive stricture offered a better outcome. The limitations of the present review were the lack of randomized controlled trials and no close follow-up.