Patterns of Neurosurgical Conditions at a Major Government Hospital in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have a growing and largely unaddressed neurosurgical burden. Cambodia has been an understudied country regarding the neurosurgical pathologies and case volume. Rapid infrastructure development with noncompliance of safety regulations has led to increased numbers of traumatic injuries. This study examines the neurosurgical caseload and pathologies of a single government institution implementing the first residency program in an effort to understand the neurosurgical needs of this population. METHODS: This is a longitudinal descriptive study of all neurosurgical admissions at the Department of Neurosurgery at Preah Kossamak Hospital (PKH), a major government hospital, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, between September 2013 and June 2018. RESULTS: 5490 patients were admitted to PKH requiring neurosurgical evaluation and care. Most of these admissions were cranial injuries related to road traffic accidents primarily involving young men compared to women by approximately 4:1 ratio. Spinal pathologies were more evenly distributed in age and gender, with younger demographics more commonly presenting with traumatic injuries, while the older with degenerative conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite increased attention and efforts over the past decade, Cambodia's neurosurgical burden mirrors that of other LMICs, with trauma affecting most patients either on the road or at the workplace. Currently, Cambodia has 34 neurosurgeons to address the growing burden of a country of 15 million with an increasing life expectancy of 69 years of age, stressing the importance of better public health policies and urgency for building capacity for safe and affordable neurosurgical care.

The National Motorcycle Helmet Law at 2 Years: Review of Its Impact on the Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injury in a Major Government Hospital in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is major contributor to the global burden of disease, especially in low- and middle- income countries, where most TBIs are traffic-related. Evidence shows that helmets protect against severe TBI. Cambodia continues to have the greatest motorcycle fatality rate in Southeast Asia. We investigated whether the National Motorcycle Helmet Law introduced in January 2016 had an impact on the epidemiology of motorcycle-related TBI in a neurosurgical referral center in Phnom Penh. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of all patients admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery at Preah Kossamak Hospital with TBI following motorcycle accidents between January 2014 and December 2017. RESULTS: TBI admissions increased (from 234 in 2014 to 768 in 2017). The median age was 26 years, and most patients were male. The percentage of helmeted patients was 9% in 2014 and 13% in 2015; this increased to 18% in 2016, but dropped to 9% in 2017. Most TBIs occurred during the evening rush hour. Since 2016, more patients wore helmets in the daytime (up to 23%) than at night (5% between 1:00 and 5:00 am). Skull fracture, the most common pathology pre-law, decreased by 25% post-law (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: With growing urbanization and motorization, TBI is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Cambodia. Two years after helmets became compulsory, most patients with TBI are still unhelmeted. Likely contributing factors are low penalty for noncompliance and inconsistent law enforcement. TBI is a major public health problem warranting further efforts to understand how to improve prevention strategies and advocate for change.

Predictive Factors of Spine Surgery Complications at a Major Government Hospital in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Spine pathology is a common reason for admission to neurosurgical units in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and can have high morbidity rates from lack of specialized institutes. However, good surgical outcomes and quality-of-life scores have been reported in LMICs. This study details the complication rates and predictive factors from spine surgery at a large hospital in Cambodia, aiming to identify high-risk patients to improve surgeon understanding of these complications for improved pre-operative planning and patient counseling. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of patients admitted for spine conditions to Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2013-2017). Univariate analysis was conducted on potential predictive factors; variables with P < 0.1 were entered into multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Seven hundred seventy-three patients were included. Forty-six patients had complications including wrong level surgery, hardware failure, and infection. On multivariate analysis, patients from the provinces of Kratie (P = 0.009) or Sihanoukville (P = 0.036), and those that delayed seeking care for more than 1 year after injury (P = 0.027), were significant predictive factors of postoperative complications, and American Spinal Injury Association grade A injury (P = 0.020) was a predictive factor of poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Many factors play a role in spine surgery complications in LMICs, including limited access to intra-operative technology, low follow-up rates, and minimal physiotherapy and rehabilitation capabilities. Patients with long delays in presentation, American Spinal Injury Association grade A injuries, and lumbar-level surgery may be especially susceptible to complications and postoperative morbidity. Despite this, institutions have reported encouraging spine trauma outcomes, and spine surgeries are becoming more accepted and safe operations in many LMICs.

Spine Trauma as a Component of Essential Neurosurgery: An Outcomes Analysis from Cambodia.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, delivery of cost-effective "essential neurosurgery" in resource-limited communities has been recognized as an indispensable part of health care and a global health priority. The aim of this study was to review outcomes from operative management of spine trauma at a resource-limited government hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and to provide an epidemiologic report to guide prevention programs. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospective neurosurgical database was performed to identify risk factors for spine trauma and severe spinal cord injury (American Spinal Injury Association A or American Spinal Injury Association B) and to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of surgery for patients treated at Preah Kossamak Hospital for subaxial and thoracolumbar spine trauma from 2013 to 2016. RESULTS: Surgical treatment was provided to 277 patients with cervical or thoracolumbar spine trauma, including 36 facet dislocations and 135 thoracolumbar burst fractures at a cost of $100-$280 per surgery. Six patients (2.2%) required treatment for postoperative wound infection. Reoperation was performed in 8 patients (2.9%) for wrong-level surgery. Failure of short-segment pedicle screw fixation was discovered in 4 patients (7.0%). Neurologic improvement was reported by 64 patients (65.3%) with incomplete spinal cord injury and available long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Affordable neurosurgical care can be provided in a safe and sustainable manner to patients with traumatic spine and spinal cord injuries in resource-limited communities. This supports the call for essential neurosurgery to be made available around the world to individuals from all socioeconomic strata.

Cost-Effectiveness of Craniotomy for Epidural Hematomas at a Major Government Hospital in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Epidural hematoma (EDH) is a common and potentially deadly occurrence following a severe traumatic brain injury. Our aim was to determine whether craniotomy is cost-effective when indicated for the treatment of EDH when a trained neurosurgeon is available. METHODS: A decision tree was used to model the cost-effectiveness of craniotomy available versus craniotomy unavailable for the management of traumatic EDH from a Cambodian societal and provider perspective. Costs and effectiveness parameters were obtained from patient data at a large government hospital in Cambodia. Outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Incremental cost per QALY and budget impact were calculated for each intervention at a willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of $9787.80/QALY (3× GDP per capita PPP). The time horizon reflected full life span, and costs and QALYs were discounted at 3%. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted. RESULTS: Compared to craniotomy unavailable for EDH ($945.80; 11.78 QALYs), craniotomy available came at a higher cost and greater effectiveness ($1520.73; 12.78 QALYs), resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $574.93. One-way analysis demonstrated that craniotomy unavailable became more cost-effective than craniotomy available when the percent chance of having a GOS of 4 or 5 was 60% for patients with an EDH where craniotomy was indicated but not performed. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis revealed that craniotomy available was more cost-effective than conservative management in 84.4% of simulations at the WTP threshold. CONCLUSIONS: Craniotomy is a cost-effective treatment for patients with a traumatic EDH who meet criteria for operation when trained neurosurgeons are available onsite.

Epidemiology of Traumatic Brain Injuries at a Major Government Hospital in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a critical public health problem worldwide with a significant socioeconomic burden. Although improved safety regulations in high-income countries have resulted in a decline in traffic-related TBI, the incidence of TBI in low-income countries is on the rise. We illustrate the trends and factors involved in TBI in a large Cambodian governmental hospital in Phnom Penh. In addition, suggestions for improvement of the country's road traffic safety are discussed. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of all patients who presented with traumatic brain injury to Department of Neurosurgery at Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia between November 2013 and March 2016. RESULTS: TBIs in Cambodia are on the rise; 34% occur during rush hour, 5-9 pm, and 40% during the weekend. The vast majority (74%) occur as the result of road traffic accidents, of which 81% are motorcycle related. Helmet wear remains low at 13%, and recent alcohol use was reported as 38%. The most common diagnosis is skull fracture. The subdural to epidural hematoma ratio was 1:1.05. Lastly, in both subdural and epidural hematomas the frontal lobe was most commonly involved, with 60% of epidural hematomas associated with a lucid interval. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests prevention and management of TBIs can have a measurable public health impact in Cambodia. Initiative examples include helmet safety awareness campaigns, stricter penalties, improvement of prehospital care, and more efficient triage. A high proportion of unhelmeted motorcycle accidents correlates with an increase in epidural hematomas.