Pediatric surgical care in Lilongwe, Malawi: outcomes and opportunities for improvement.

BACKGROUND: One of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals is to improve child health. We describe the burden of pediatric surgical disease at a tertiary hospital in Malawi. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a pediatric surgery database at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Malawi for the calendar year 2012. Variables included patient demographics, admission diagnosis, primary surgery and outcome. RESULTS: A total of 1170 pediatric patients aged 0-17 years were admitted to the surgical service during the study period. The mean age was 6.9 years, and 62% were male. Trauma was the most common indication for admission (51%, n = 596), and 67% (n = 779) of all patients were managed non-operatively. Neonates and patients managed non-operatively had a significantly increased risk of mortality. CONCLUSION: Only a third of patients admitted to the pediatric surgery service underwent surgery. More than half of patients with congenital anomalies did not undergo surgical intervention. Importantly, patients who underwent surgery had a survival advantage.

Chemosensory performance of molecularly imprinted fluorescent conjugated polymer materials.

Fluorescent conjugated polymers are an attractive basis for the design of low detection limit sensing devices owing to their intrinsic signal amplification capability. A simple and universal method to rationally control or fine-tune the chemodetection selectivity of conjugated polymer materials toward a desired analytical target would further benefit their applications. In a quest of such a method we investigated a general approach to cross-linked molecularly imprinted fluorescent conjugated polymer (MICP) materials that possess an intrinsic capability for signal transduction and have potential to enhance selectivity and sensitivity of sensor devices based on conjugated polymers. To study these capabilities, we prepared an MICP material for the detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene and related nitroaromatic compounds. We found the imprinting effect in this material to be based on analyte shape/size recognition being substantial and generally overcoming other competing thermodynamically determined trends. The described molecularly imprinted fluorescent conjugated polymers show remarkable air stability and photostability, high fluorescence quantum yield, and reversible analyte binding and therefore are advantageous for sensing applications due to the ability to "preprogram" their detection selectivity through a choice of an imprinted template.

The effect of incentive spirometry on postoperative pulmonary function following laparotomy: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Changes in pulmonary dynamics following laparotomy are well documented. Deep breathing exercises, with or without incentive spirometry, may help counteract postoperative decreased vital capacity; however, the evidence for the role of incentive spirometry in the prevention of postoperative atelectasis is inconclusive. Furthermore, data are scarce regarding the prevention of postoperative atelectasis in sub-Saharan Africa. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of the use of incentive spirometry on pulmonary function following exploratory laparotomy as measured by forced vital capacity (FVC). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a single-center, randomized clinical trial performed at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi. Study participants were adult patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy and were randomized into the intervention or control groups (standard of care) from February 1 to November 30, 2013. All patients received routine postoperative care, including instructions for deep breathing and early ambulation. We used bivariate analysis to compare outcomes between the intervention and control groups. INTERVENTION: Adult patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy participated in postoperative deep breathing exercises. Patients in the intervention group received incentive spirometers. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: We assessed pulmonary function using a peak flow meter to measure FVC in both groups of patients. Secondary outcomes, such as hospital length of stay and mortality, were obtained from the medical records. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients were randomized (75 in each arm). The median age in the intervention and control groups was 35 years (interquartile range, 28-53 years) and 33 years (interquartile range, 23-46 years), respectively. Men predominated in both groups, and most patients underwent emergency procedures (78.7% in the intervention group and 84.0% in the control group). Mean initial FVC did not differ significantly between the intervention and control groups (0.92 and 0.90 L, respectively; P=.82 [95% CI, 0.52-2.29]). Although patients in the intervention group tended to have higher final FVC measurements, the change between the first and last measured FVC was not statistically significant (0.29 and 0.25 L, respectively; P=.68 [95% CI, 0.65-1.95]). Likewise, hospital length of stay did not differ significantly between groups. Overall postoperative mortality was 6.0%, with a higher mortality rate in the control group compared with the intervention group (10.7% and 1.3%, respectively; P=.02 [95% CI, 0.01-0.92]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Education and provision of incentive spirometry for unmonitored patient use does not result in statistically significant improvement in pulmonary dynamics following laparotomy. We would not recommend the addition of incentive spirometry to the current standard of care in this resource-constrained environment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01789177.

The role of seizure disorders in burn injury and outcome in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Patients with epilepsy have higher incidence and severity of burn injury. Few studies describe the association between epilepsy and burns in low-income settings, where epilepsy burden is highest. The authors compared patients with and without seizure disorder in a burn unit in Lilongwe, Malawi. The authors conducted a retrospective study of patients admitted to the Kamuzu Central Hospital burn ward from July 2011 to December 2012. Descriptive analysis of patient characteristics and unadjusted and adjusted analyses of risk factors for mortality were conducted for patients with and without seizure disorder. Prevalence of seizure disorder was 10.7% in the study population. Adults with burns were more likely to have seizure disorder than children. Flame injury was most common in patients with seizure disorder, whereas scalds predominated among patients without seizure disorder. Whereas mortality did not differ between the groups, mean length of stay was longer for patients with seizure disorder, 42.1 days vs 21.6 days. Seizure disorder continues to be a significant risk factor for burn injury in adults in Malawi. Efforts to mitigate epilepsy will likely lead to significant decreases in burns among adults in Sub-Saharan Africa and must be included in an overall burn prevention strategy in our environment.

Cancer Treatment in Malawi: A Disease of Palliation.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, new cancer cases will nearly double in the next 20 years while disproportionately affecting low and middle income countries (LMICs). Cancer outcomes in LMICs also remain bleaker than other regions of the world. Despite this, little is known about cancer epidemiology and surgical treatment in LMICs. To address this we sought to describe the characteristics of cancer patients presenting to the Surgery Department at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of adult (18 years or older) surgical oncology services at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi from 2007 - 2010. Data obtained from the operating theatre logs included patient demographics, indication for operative procedure, procedure performed, and operative procedures (curative, palliative, or staging). RESULTS: Of all the general surgery procedures performed during this time period (7,076 in total), 16% (406 cases) involved cancer therapy. The mean age of male and female patients in this study population was 52 years and 47 years, respectively. Breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and melanoma were the most common cancers among women, whereas prostate, colorectal, pancreatic, and, gastric were the most common cancers in men. Although more than 50% of breast cancer operations were performed with curative intent, most procedures were palliative including prostate cancer (98%), colorectal cancer (69%), gastric cancer (71%), and pancreatic cancer (94%). Patients with colorectal, gastric, esophageal, pancreatic, and breast cancer presented at surprisingly young ages. CONCLUSION: The paucity of procedures with curative intent and young age at presentation reveals that many Malawians miss opportunities for cure and many potential years of life are lost. Though KCH now has pathology services, a cancer registry and a surgical training program, the focus of surgical care remains palliative. Further research should address other methods of increasing early cancer detection and treatment in such populations.

Prevalence of HIV and Disease Outcomes on the Medical and Surgical Wards at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) in a range of clinical settings. We describe the characteristics of patients diagnosed with HIV on the medical and surgical wards at a tertiary care hospital in Malawi. METHODS: Under the universal opt-out HCT protocol we characterized the number of new HIV/AIDS infections and associated clinical features among hospitalized surgical and medical patients diagnosed during the course of admission. RESULTS: All 2985 and 3959 medical and surgical patients, respectively, admitted between April 2012 and January 2013 were screened for HCT. 62% and 89% of medical and surgical patients, respectively, had an unknown status on admission and qualified for testing. Of the patients with an unknown status, a new HIV diagnosis was made in 20% and 7% of medical and surgical patients, respectively. Of the newly diagnosed patients with a CD4 count recorded, 91% and 67% of medical and surgical patients, respectively, had a count less than 350, qualifying for ART by Malawi ART guidelines. Newly HIV-diagnosed medical and surgical patients had an inpatient mortality of 20% and 2%, respectively. DISCUSSION: While newly diagnosed HIV-positive medical patients had high inpatient mortality and higher rates of WHO stage 3 or 4 conditions, surgical patients presented with less advanced HIV, though still meeting ART initiation guidelines. The medical inpatient wards are an obvious choice for implementing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), but surgical patients present with less advanced disease and starting treatment in this group could result in more years of life gained.