Neonatal septicemia at intensive care unit, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Tigray, North Ethiopia: Bacteriological profile, drug susceptibility pattern, and associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal septicemia is a life threatening medical emergency that requires timely detection of pathogens with urgent rational antibiotics therapy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 2017 to September 2018 among 317 septicemia suspected neonates at neonatal intensive care unit, Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Tigray, North Ethiopia. A 3 mL of blood was collected from each participant. Identification of bacterial species was done using the standard microbiological techniques. Antibiotic sensitivity test was done using disk diffusion method. Data were entered and analyzed using computer software SPSS version 22. Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis was applied to determine the association between variables. RESULTS: Of the 317 (190 male and 127 female) neonates, 116 (36.6%) were found to be with culture proven septicemia. Klebsiella species were the predominant etiologic agents. Length of hospital stay (AOR (adjusted odds ratio) = 3.65 (2.17-6.13), p < 0.001) and low birth weight (AOR = 1.64 (1.13-2.78), p = 0.04) were the factors associated with neonatalsepticemia. Most isolates showeda frightening drug resistance rate to the commonly used antimicrobial drugs. K. pneumoniae, E. coli, Enterobacter and Citrobacter species were 57% to100% resistant to ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, gentamycin, amoxacillin-clavulunic acid and ampicillin. All, 9 (100%) isolates of S. aureus were resistant to oxacilline, ampicillin,erythromycin and gentamycin. Furthermore, 55.6% S. aureus isolates were Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSION: Neonaltal septicemia is found to be significantly high in the present study. As most of the isolates are potentially related to hospital acquired infections, prevention and control policy should have to be more strengthening in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Gastrojejunocolic fistula after gastrojejunostomy in Ayder referral hospital Northern Ethiopia: A report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Gastrojejunocolic fistula (GJCF) is a late and severe complication of a stomal ulcer after gastrojejunostomy, which develops as a result of inadequate resection of stomach or incomplete vagotomy. The occurrence of perforation in a GJCF is even more a rare complication because long evolution time or latent period is required for its appearance. Patients with this condition usually present with diarrhea, weight loss, feculent vomiting, under-nutrition and features of peritonitis that require immediate surgical intervention. CASE PRESENTATION: We described two cases of gastrojejunocolic fistula in men aged 60 and 40, first cases of gastrojejunocolic fistula seen in our referral hospital and in the whole region following more than a decade after gastrojejunostomy. Both patients initially presented with watery diarrhea, vomiting of fecal materials, poor appetite and weight loss. Upper GI series or barium enema studies allowed a conclusive diagnosis to be made. Both patients underwent one-stage en bloc resection, and their postoperative course and outcome was one cure and one death. CONCLUSION: As it is rare phenomenon, high clinical suspicion is very important in the diagnosis of GJCF on patients who manifest with chronic diarrhea, vomiting of fecal matter, abdominal pain and features of malnutrition. Careful preoperative preparation is mandatory before any type of surgical procedure is carried out. Pre-operative nutritional status should be evaluated in patients undergoing corrective surgery. Adequate resection of the stomach after Gastrojejunostomy and complete vagotomy is important to prevention development of GJCF.