Causes of deaths in the intensives care unit of Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital, Lomé, Togo.

To analyze the causes of deaths in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the CHU Sylvanus Olympio (CHU SO) teaching hospital of Lomé. This retrospective study examined the files of patients who died in the ICU of CHU SO, during the 12-month period from November 2012 to October 2013. Of 732 patients admitted to the ICU, 237 died, for a mortality rate of 32.38%. Men accounted for 163 (68.8%) of the deaths, and women 74 (31.2%), for a M/F ratio of 2.2. The average age of patients who died was 41.7 years; the age group 21-30 years comprised 16% of the deaths, that 31-40 years 19.8%, and 41-50 years 17.7%. Trauma (50.64%) dominated the causes of death, including especially severe traumatic brain injury (34.18%), followed by postoperative intensive care (25.32%), including peritonitis (8%). Medical diseases accounted for 18.14% of ICU admissions. More than half the deaths (55.7%) took place in the 72 hours after ICU entry. Mortality in the ICU at CHU SO of Lomé remains very high. It affects young patients, mainly with traumatic and surgery-related pathologies.

Emergency admissions in sub Saharan Africa: example of the surgical emergency admissions unit at the Sylvanus Olympio Teaching Hospital of Lomé, Togo.

The management of patients in emergency departments is an important indicator of the quality of a healthcare system. In sub-Saharan Africa, emergency care is characterized by human and material difficulties. The purpose of this work was to assess the difficulties in managing emergencies at the surgical emergency admissions unit of Sylvanus Olympio teaching hospital of Lomé. This descriptive prospective study took place during the last 6 months of 2013. Epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic data were collected. All admissions for acute conditions requiring urgent care were included. The study excluded patients who died at admission and patients receiving care in the medical emergency department. The study included 2880 patients, 60.3% men; the mean age was 46 years (range: 4 days to 92 years). Traffic accidents accounted for 519 cases (18%). Among patients with trauma, 23.7% had limb injuries and 17.2% head injury. Appendicitis accounted for 32.9% of the non-trauma emergencies, followed by peritonitis (27.3%), burns represented 1%. Laboratory tests were performed for 49.4% of patients, ultrasound for 14.2%, and computed tomography scans for 0.8%. Overall, 44.1% received venous catheterization, 40% volume replacement, 20% oxygen therapy, 16% blood products, 2% pressor amines, and 0.1% intubation. Analgesia was administered to 82%, antibiotic treatment (37%), and sedation to 1%. In all, 34.8% of patients underwent laparotomy, 26.6% trimming with sutures, 21.4% dressing of wounds, and 14.5% immobilization. Time to discharge was less than 24 hours for 82%, and 6.2% were transferred to intensive care. Eighteen patients died (0.6%). Management of surgical emergencies remains a major health problem in developing countries. Prevention measures and accessibility of the population to emergency care will reduce morbidity and mortality for these conditions.

Clinical profile of subdural hematomas: dangerousness of subdural subacute hematoma.

Subacute subdural hematomas are a poorly individualized nosological entity, often equated clinically to chronic subdural hematomas. Yet, their neurological deterioration which is usually rapid seems to distinguish them from chronic subdural hematomas. We wanted to show this dangerousness by establishing the clinically evolving profile of the three types of subdural hematomas. This was a prospective and retrospective study of 63 subdural hematoma (18 acute, 13 subacute, and 32 chronic) patients admitted between 2012 and 2014 in the neurosurgery unit of Lomé University Hospital. Hematomas were classified according to the elapsed time after head injury and blood density on CT. The main parameter studied was the evolution of the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) in the 3 months following the trauma, enabling to establish an evolving profile of each type of hematoma. The average age of patients was 58.1 years for chronic subdural hematomas and 47.6 years for subacute subdural hematomas. Disease duration before admission was 13.1 days for chronic against 36.6 h for subacute hematoma. The clinical profile shows acute worsening within hours during the second week for patients with subacute hematoma, while it is progressive for patients with chronic hematoma. We noted two deaths, all victims of a subacute hematoma (one operated, one patient waiting for surgery). Iso-density hematoma on CT, especially in a young person, must be considered as a predictive factor of rapid neurological aggravation suggesting an urgent care or increased monitoring by paramedics.

[Use of ilio-inguinal iliohypogastric nerve block for herniorraphy: a prospective study in a 35-case series at the Lome University Hospital Center in Togo]. / Pratique du bloc ilio-inguinal ilio-hypogastrique pour cure herniaire: étude prospective à propos de 35 cas colligés au CHU de Lomé, Togo.

The purpose of this prospective-descriptive study was to evaluate the quality of anaesthesia and analgesic effect achieved by ilio-inguinal iliohypogastric nerve block (IINB) in patients undergoing herniorraphy. Study was carried out over a 6-month period in the Anaesthesia Intensive Care Department of the Lomé University Hospital Centre in Togo. All patients indicated for unilateral herniorraphy were enrolled. A total of 35 patients underwent herniorraphy with IINB. Mean patient age was 32 years. Farmers accounted for 57% of the population. Men accounted for 86.7%. The anaesthesia classification was ASA I or II in 88.6% of cases. Complete sensory block was obtained within 15 minutes after induction in 71.43% of cases. Additional sedation using ketamine and/or fentanyl was used in 51.43% of cases. Conversion from IINB to general anaesthesia was necessary in three cases including 2 due to extension of the surgical incision and one for the surgeon's convenience. The mean duration of the procedure was 70 minutes. Intraoperative complications included nausea in one case, dizziness in 2 cases, and bitterness in mouth in 3 cases. Postoperatively, extension to the femoral nerve was observed in 2 cases. Five patients presented a visual analogue pain scale (VAS) > or = 4 within 18 hours after the procedure. This study shows that IINB is a useful alternative to general anaesthesia for herniorraphy. Specific training is necessary to allow more widespread use.

Pratique du bloc ilio-inguinal ilio-hypogastrique pour cure herniaire : etude prospective a propos de 35 cas colliges au CHU de Lome; Togo

Evaluer la qualite anesthesique et le benefice analgesique du bloc ilio-inguinal ilio-hypogastrique (BII) dans les cures herniaires. Le service d'anesthesie reanimation du CHU de Lome a servi pour cadre d'etude. Il s'agit d'une etude prospective et descriptive sur une periode de 6 mois. Tous les patients dans le cadre d'un programme pour cure herniaire unilaterale ont ete inclus dans l'etude.Au total; 35 patients ont subi la cure herniaire sous BII. L'age moyen des patients etait de 32 ans. Les cultivateurs representaient 57. Le sexe masculin representait 85;70. Dans 88;6des cas; les patients etaient de classe ASA I et II. Dans 71;43des cas; le bloc sensitif etait complet 15 minutes apres l'induction. Dans 51;43des cas; les patients avaient beneficie d'une sedation complementaire avec de la ketamine et / ou du fentanyl. Trois cas de BII ont ete convertis en anesthesie generale : 2 en raison de l'extension de l'incision chirurgicale; et 1 en raison de l'inconfort pour le chirurgien. La duree moyenne de l'intervention etait de 70 minutes. Les nausees (1 cas); les vertiges (2 cas); la sensation de bouche amere (3 cas) ont ete les complications peroperatoires observees. En postoperatoire; 2 cas d'extension au nerf femoral ont ete observes. 5 patients ont eu une EVA = 4 dans les 18 heures postoperatoires. Dans 68;57des cas; les patients sortaient au 3e jour postoperatoire. Le BII est une alternative interessante a l'anesthesie generale dans les cures herniaires. Sa vulgarisation necessite neanmoins un apprentissage a sa bonne pratique

[Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Lomé (Togo). Evolutional and etiological profiles of 40 cases]. / Syndrome de Stevens-Johnson et nécrolyse épidermique toxique à Lomé (Togo): profil évolutif et étiologique de 40 cas.

INTRODUCTION: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are severe cutaneous drug reactions, the prognosis of which largely depends on the quality of their treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the evolutional and etiological profiles of SJS/TEN in a teaching hospital in Lome (Togo). METHODS: The medical records of patients hospitalized in the departments of dermatology and intensive care of the university hospital center of Lome for SJS/TEN from 1992 to 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. The records of patients retained corresponded to the international classification criteria of SJS/TEN. RESULTS: We collected 40 cases of SJS/TEN (27 cases of SJS, 12 cases of TEN and one overlap SJS/TEN). Patients' mean age was of 30 +/- 7 years. The sex ratio (male/female) was of 1.5 and the mean follow-up after hospitalization was of 2 months (range: 4 weeks to 8 months). The HIV serology was known in 20 cases (13 cases of SJS and 7 cases of TEN). It was positive in 10 cases (5 during TEN and 5 during SJS). Five of the 12 patients (41.7 p.cent) exhibiting NET died (all were HIV-infected) versus 2 of the 27 patients (7.4 p.cent) exhibiting SJS (2 patients were also HIV-infected). The principle drugs incriminated were: antibacterial sulphonamides (16 cases; 40 p.cent), rifampicin-isoniazid combination (7 cases; 17.9 p.cent), anti-epileptics (5 cases; 12.5 p.cent); amino-penicillin (4 cases; 10 p.cent) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (2 cases; 5 p.cent). Chinese drugs of undetermined nature were incriminated in 3 cases of SJS. No drug was formally identified in 3 cases of SJS. DISCUSSION: This study confirms the rareness of SJS/NET. These affections are of poor prognosis, particularly in developing countries. The results of this study suggest that the concomitance of an opportunist infection due to HIV-immunodepression is of poor prognosis in the evolution of SJS/NET. Antibacterial sulphonamides and the rifampicin-isoniazid combination are frequently incriminated in Togo.

[Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis after intake of rifampicin-isoniazid: report of 8 cases in HIV-infected patients in Togo]. / Syndromes de Stevens-Johnson et de lyell après la prise de rifampicine-isoniazide chez 8 malades infectés par le VIH au Togo.

Dermatological reactions are frequent drug-related complications in patients with HIV infection. The most serious disorders are Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a.k.a. Lyell's syndrome, that are potentially fatal. The purpose of this report is to describe 8 cases of SJS/TEN observed in Lomé teaching hospital (Togo) after intake of a combination of rifampicin-isoniazid by HIV-infected patients. There were 5 men and 3 women with a mean age of 28 years. All patients presented AIDS. The disorder was SJS in 3 cases and TEN in 5. In 6 cases, manifestations occurred during initiation of treatment (mean delay for onset, 16 days). In the remaining two cases, manifestations occurred 6 days and 8 days respectively after beginning treatment for recurrent tuberculosis. Mean skin detachment was 8% in patients with SJS and 55.7% in patients with TEN. Five patients including 4 with TEN and 1 with SJS died. This study documents incrimination of combined rifampin-isoniazid treatment in the occurrence of SJS/TEN in patients with HIV infection and confirms the severity and poor prognosis of these disorders. The presence of opportunistic infections such as pulmonary tuberculosis may be an unfavourable prognostic factor in immunocompromised patients with these severe dermatological disorders.