ABSTRACT
There is a growing demand for surgical care in South America, particularly for patients with congenital orofacial clefts (OFCs). Short-term surgical missions (STSMs) have emerged as a means to deliver surgical expertise and alleviate this demand. The aim of this study was to review the quantity and quality of peer-reviewed reports on OFC repairs performed by STSMs in South America. A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and SciELO databases. The search was limited to articles published in English and Spanish. Descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. The search yielded 65 studies related to OFCs. Eight (12.3%) were selected for full-text review. Only five (7.7%) articles met the inclusion criteria. The diverse study designs and heterogeneous types of data assessment among the selected studies hindered a comparison between them. This review found a sparse number of publications pertaining to OFC missions to South America. The articles that were included demonstrated inconsistencies in reporting patient care data. There is a need for a more efficient, streamlined method of reporting humanitarian missions for OFC repairs in order for healthcare professionals to fulfill research and ethical obligations and offer the best practices in patient-centered care.
Subject(s)
Cleft Lip/surgery , Cleft Palate/surgery , Medical Missions , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , South AmericaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiology of facial trauma injuries in a group of Chilean children aged 15 years or less. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of case series. Between 2006 and 2009, clinical records of 293,090 patients were reviewed. Data of patients with trauma injuries to the face were collected and evaluated for: age, sex, day and month of hospital admission, cause of injury, anatomical location, type of injury and presence of associated injuries. RESULTS: A total of 7,617 patients with 8,944 injuries were found. Boy to girl ratio was 1,7:1. Preschool age children were most frequently affected. Main cause of injury were falls, soft tissue injuries the most common type of injury. Associated injuries occurred in 11% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Facial trauma presents a significant frequency in the group of Chilean children studied. Preeschool age boys were prone to present facial trauma of mild severity associated to falls.
Subject(s)
Facial Injuries/epidemiology , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Chile/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Retrospective Studies , Time FactorsABSTRACT
La Unidad de Fisurados del Servicio de Cirugía Infantil del Hospital Dr. Félix Bulnes Cerda de Santiago de Chile ha adoptado en los casos de reconstrucción primaria de fisuras labio máxilo palatinas (FL/M/P), el sistema de ingreso el mismo día operatorio con 24 horas de observación post-quirúrgica. Se revisó las historias clínicas de 146 pacientes operados de fisura labio/máxilo/palatina entre los años 1997 y 2002. Después de excluir los pacientes sindrómicos y de reconstrucción secundaria quedaron 50 casos de reconstrucción primaria que fueron analizados para este estudio. Se estudió la edad del paciente en el momento de la operación, tipo de cirugía realizada, duración de la intervención, tiempo de estancia postoperatoria y morbilidad a corto plazo. La estancia hospitalaria promedio fue de 26,4 horas (1,10 días), con un rango de 24-72 horas. El 90,47 por ciento (76 intervenciones) tuvieron un período postoperatorio hospitalario de 24 horas, el 8,33 por ciento (7 intervenciones) de 48 horas y el 1,19 por ciento (1 intervención) de 72 horas. La tasa de complicaciones fue de 10,18 por ciento, la cual incluyó 4 dehiscencias totales y 3 dehiscencias parciales velopalatinas y 4 dehiscencias parciales en paladar duro. No se requirieron transfusiones sanguíneas ni se produjeron infecciones en el postoperatorio. Los pacientes no debieron ser reingresados por sangrado, compromiso respiratorio o inadecuada alimentación por vía bucal. Los autores sostienen que un postoperatorio de 24 horas permite optimizar los recursos existentes en las instituciones de salud sin olvidar el bienestar y seguridad del paciente. La decisión del alta hospitalaria debe permanecer a criterio del cirujano tratante (AU)
