The Microbiological Profile and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Fracture Related Infections in a Low Resource Setting Differ from High Resource Settings: A Cohort Study from Cameroon.

Fracture-related infection (FRI) is a common and devastating complication of orthopedic trauma in all settings. Data on the microbiological profile and susceptibility of FRI to antibiotics in low-income countries are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the microbial patterns and antimicrobial susceptibility of FRI in a sub-Saharan African setting in order to provide guidance for the formulation of evidence-based empirical antimicrobial regimens. We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients treated for FRI with deep tissue sampling for microbiological culture from January 2016 to August 2023 in four tertiary-level hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon. There were 246 infection episodes in 217 patients. Cultures were positive in 209 (84.9%) cases and polymicrobial in 109 (44.3%) cases. A total of 363 microorganisms from 71 different species were identified, of which 239 (65.8%) were Gram-negative. The most commonly isolated pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (n = 69; 19%), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 43; 11.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 35; 9.6%), Escherichia coli (n = 35; 9.6%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 27; 7.4%). Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) were isolated in only 21 (5.9%) cases. Gram-negative bacteria accounted for the majority of the infections in early (70.9%) and delayed (73.2%) FRI, but Gram-positive bacteria were prevalent in late FRI (51.7%) (p < 0.001). Polymicrobial infections were more frequent in the early (55.9%) and delayed (41.9%) groups than in the late group (27.6%) (p < 0.001). Apart from Staphylococcus aureus, there was no significant difference in the proportions of causative pathogens between early, delayed, and late FRI. This study found striking resistance rates of bacteria to commonly used antibiotics. MRSA accounted for 63% of cases. The most effective antibiotics for all Gram-positive bacteria were linezolid (96.4%), vancomycin (92.5%), clindamycin (85.3%), and fucidic acid (89.4%). For Gram-negative bacteria, only three antibiotics displayed a sensitivity >50%: amikacin (80.4%), imipenem (74.4%), and piperacillin + tazobactam (57%). The most effective empirical antibiotic therapy (with local availability) was the combination of vancomycin and amikacin or vancomycin and imipenem. In contrast to the literature from high-resource settings, this study revealed that in a sub-Saharan African context, Gram-negative bacteria are the most common causative microorganisms of FRI. This study revealed striking resistance rates to commonly used antibiotics, which will require urgent action to prevent antimicrobial resistance in low and middle-income countries.

Total Hip Arthroplasty Indicated for a Tuberculous Coxitis Complicating a Controlled Acquired Imunodefficiency Syndrom Condition: A Preliminary Report Concerning a Case.

INTRODUCTION: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains controversial in active tuberculosis (TB) infection because of the risks of septic loosening and reactivation of the infection. We present a rare case of THA in a patient positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) with active tuberculous coxitis. The aim of this work is to share our experience and our preliminary results. CASE REPORT: The patient was a 53-year-old Black African woman, positive for the HIV, who was operated for implantation of a THA via the Hardinge approach indicated for a severe painful hip with restriction of joint movement and limp. A creamy-white liquid was noticed in the hip joint which was negative for urgent Gram-staining. The surgery was completed with the implantation of a hybrid THA. The post-operative period was uneventful, and she was put on antituberculous drugs following a positive histology result for TB, and to continue her antiretroviral drugs. She still has a satisfactory result for 3 years since her surgery. CONCLUSION: On condition that the patient is put simultaneously on triple antibiotics and antituberculous drugs, we propose that THA could be an option in patient presenting with the association of HIV infection and active tuberculous coxitis.

[Assessment of concomitant floating knees injuries severity]. / Lésions concomitantes aux genoux flottants et gravite.

Floating knee is caused by high-energy trauma, whose genesis is suggestive of extensive locoregional and general damages. Referring to multiple trauma. The aim of our study was to collect data on all concomitant floating knee injuries in our practice environment and to evaluate their severity. We conducted a descriptive and retrospective study over a period of 14 years and 9 months. Our sample consisted of 75 floating knees, the average age was 35 years. Sixty six patients had an ISS≥16 (classified as polytrauma). Head traumas, chest and abdominal injuries associated with floating knee injuries require adequate resuscitation.

Metabolic syndrome for sub-Saharan Africans diabetes with peripheral arterial disease: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is no value for the definition of abdominal obesity by measuring waist circumference in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Several definitions of metabolic syndrome (MS) have disparities concerning use of waist circumference, including International Diabetes Federation (IDF), American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) and National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) definitions. The aim of the study was to determine what value of waist circumference should be used and whether to use it as obligatory criterion in the metabolic syndrome in case of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in Cameroon. We included patients with diabetic foot and type 2 diabetes and excluded those with an Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) > 1.3. Cases were defined as patients with ABI ≤ 0.9 and controls with ABI > 0.9. The significant p value was < 0.05 and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval was used to measured risk for have PAD with MS. RESULTS: We included 19 cases and 48 controls. The risk for having PAD with MS are for the IDF: OR = 4.7 (1.4-15.1), p = 0.008, for the AHA/NHLBI: OR = 5.8 (1.5-22.5), p = 0.007, for the NCEP-ATPIII: OR = 1.8 (0.6-5.6), p = 0.286. CONCLUSION: Abdominal obesity should be defined according to the recommendations of the IDF and AHA/NHLBI and should not be an obligatory criterion in the definition of MS for research risk to have PAD on sub-Saharan Africa.

Feasibility of a simple drainage system in Cameroonian children after thoracotomy and decortication for empyema thoracis.

BACKGROUND: To analyse the outcome of children with empyema thoracis treated by decortication followed by a simple drainage system. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review from July 2001 to June 2010 of all cases of children who had a thoracotomy for empyema. We used an endotracheal tube as chest drain and a urinary bag as a collector. Statistical analyses were done using EXCEL and SPSS 9.0. RESULTS: Forty one children underwent thoracotomy and decortication for empyema, there were 23 boys and 18 girls with a sex ratio of 1, 21. The mean age was 2½ years with a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 15 years of age; 27 children were below two years of age. All the patients have received antibiotic for a long period before surgery. The culture was negative, except in two cases where we found Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus. In five cases, the empyema was due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Three children presented a complication: One child had a persistent purulent drainage for 2 weeks; another one was re-operated upon because of necrotic lung abscess and one child died of sepsis. In most cases, the chest tube was removed between day 4 and day 6 post-operatively. The average length of hospital stay after the surgery was 10 days. CONCLUSION: Thoracotomy and decortication in children with empyema can be safely done in Cameroon using a simple drainage system with good results compared to those in the literature.

Limb-threatening and life-threatening diabetic extremities: clinical patterns and outcomes in 56 patients.

Limb- and life-threatening hand and foot infections in diabetic patients account for a large proportion of amputations and a substantial number of deaths. Between August 2006 and the end of July 2008, we conducted a prospective cohort study of consecutive diabetic patients with serious hand or foot infections, in an effort to identify clinical patterns and outcomes related to the treatment of these infections. Infections were categorized as dry, gas, and wet gangrene; necrotizing fasciitis or cellulitis; acute extensive osteomyelitis; and any of these infections involving the hand. All of the patients underwent a standard examination and treatment protocol, although none of the patients received vascular surgical care. End points included healing following debridement or minor amputation, major (transtibial or more proximal) amputation, or death. A total of 56 patients were included in the final analyses, and their mean age was 70 (range 51 to 86) years. Of the patients, 17 (30.36%) had necrotizing cellulitis, 12 (21.43%) had wet gangrene, 9 (16.07%) had acute extensive osteomyelitis, 5 (8.93%) had dry gangrene, 5 (8.93%) had gas gangrene, 4 (7.14%) had necrotizing fasciitis, and 4 (7.14) had diffuse hand infections. Five (8.93%) patients died (2 after prior amputation), 26 (46.43%) underwent debridement and/or minor amputation, and 27 (48.21%) required major amputations. Based on our findings, we concluded that 7 patterns of serious limb- or life-threatening infection were identified and, in the absence of vascular surgical intervention, mortality can be reduced at the expense of more amputations.

Analysis of epidemiology, lesions, treatment and outcome of 354 consecutive cases of blunt and penetrating trauma to the chest in an African setting.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of death and disability related to trauma is increasing in Third-World countries. Thoracic trauma is significantly involved, but few data are available on this issue in African countries with specific local conditions. METHODS: The aim of the study is to analyse the diagnosis and management procedures in thoracic trauma in a typical African country. The records of 354 patients admitted to an emergency unit for chest trauma over a 13-year period were retrospectively analysed. RESULTS: The sample included patients with 231 cases of blunt and 123 of penetrating trauma to the chest; their mean age was 41.86 years, and the male:female ratio was 4.2:1. The majority (N=226) of the injuries were sustained in road traffic accidents, and the most common lesions were rib fractures (50.3%) and haemothorax (38.7%). The diagnosis was based on physical examination and standard chest radiographs in most cases. At least one associated lesion was found in 260 (73.45%) patients. The mean injury severity score (ISS) for our patients was 16.39. Most patients were managed conservatively (N=303); thoracotomy was performed mostly on penetrating trauma patients. Morbidity occurred in 49 patients, mainly affecting those treated with thoracic drainage, and 27 patients (7.6%) died. Factors related to mortality were ISS score and association with neurotrauma. CONCLUSIONS: Chest trauma can be managed in our Cameroonian environment, with morbidity and mortality comparable with that of Western countries. Diagnosis must still rely on physical examination, chest radiographs and thoracic echography, which are affordable tools.

Incidence, case-fatality rate and clinical pattern of firearm injuries in two cities where arm owning is forbidden.

OBJECTIVE: To review firearm injuries in five hospitals of Douala and Yaounde, both towns of Cameroon, a Sub-Saharan African country where ownership of firearm is forbidden. METHODS: This was a retrospective investigation carried out within the period January 1998 to December 2002. Records of the mortuaries, the emergency departments, the intensive care units, the operating rooms and the surgical units were all analysed to identify any injury caused by firearm. Our gold standard was any individual with a clear diagnosis of firearm injury, as determined by a medical doctor. RESULTS: 286 firearm injuries were found; 1.14 cases per 100,000 per year. 66% of cases were due to civilian assaults, 20% to armed forces, 8% to hunting accidents and 6% to accidental handling. There was no case of suicide or of shooting from a relative. The type of weapon was unknown in 31% of cases, it was a hand gun in 36%, a hunting type in 21% and an assault rifle in 12%. The mean age of victims was 33 years and the male:female ratio 5.5:1. The site of injury was unknown in 2%; the head in 6%, the chest in 12%, the abdomen in 31%, the extremities in 46%, the spine in 1% and multiple in 2%. The case fatality rate was 12.58%, and the victims were mainly criminals killed by armed forces assaults; the same ratio of survivors developed late complications. CONCLUSION: The incidence of firearm injuries in the two largest cities of Cameroon is five to fifty times lower than in many other towns, especially in Western countries. This may be due at least partially, to the current legislation on the ownership of firearm which is very restrictive in this country. Some efforts are however needed to reduce illegal access to weapons and to educate hunters on the safe handling of their gun.

The management of musculoskeletal infection in HIV carriers.

Over a three-year period, the authors prospectively implemented a protocol for management of musculoskeletal sepsis (MSS) in HIV carriers in Yaounde, Cameroon. The diagnosis of MSS was based on conventional criteria. HIV carriage was screened by an ELISA test and confirmed with the Western Blot technique. The immune status was based on CD4 lymphocyte count by flow cytometry; patients were classified as non-immunodepressed (NID), mildly immunodepressed (MID), or severely immunodepressed (SID) based on their CD4 lymphocyte count, as the latter was respectively over 500, between 200 and 500 or less than 200 per ml. Infection was treated by surgical debridement followed by a long-course targeted antibiotic therapy. All SID patients and some MID patients with AIDS-related symptoms also had standard antiretroviral (ARV) therapy. Thirty-one of 294 patients seen with musculoskeletal sepsis during the study period and tested for HIV were found to be HIV carriers. Their mean age was 33 years; the male/female ratio was 1.58. The following clinical pictures were observed: chronic osteomyelitis (COM) in 32.3% of the cases, septic arthritis (SA) in 38.7%, soft tissue infection (STI) in 25.8%; the last case was a severe leg complication of Buruli Ulcer (BU). Among these 31 patients, 38.7% were classified as SID (5 COM, 4 SA, 2 STI and the BU patient), 25.8% as MID (2 COM, 4 SA, 2 STI) and 35.5% as NID (3 COM, 6 SA, 2 STI). The organisms involved were not specific. Fifteen patients were managed conventionally, while the other 16 had the usual treatment associated with ARV therapy. The immediate outcome of MSS was good in 29 patients, after a mean hospital stay of five weeks; in two cases of septic arthritis of the knee, a second debridement was needed, due to persistent drainage, and the sinuses all closed. Three months after discharge, one patient with COM of the humerus developed a low-flow fistula which was closed after a revision sequestrectomy. After one year, none of the patients complained of any symptom suggesting reactivation of their MSS. There is no evidence that HIV carriage is in itself a high risk factor for musculoskeletal sepsis; the incidence of HIV carriage was indeed virtually similar in the 294 patients with MSS and in the general population, i.e. around 10%. However, in order to improve the outcome following musculoskeletal infections in patients with HIV, their management should take into account their immune status, based on a CD4 lymphocyte count. NID patients should be treated as any other patients with MSS, while SID should have additional standard ARV treatment. For those who are MID, the indication for antiretroviral therapy should depend on the presence of one or more AIDS-related signs.

Relative rates and features of musculoskeletal complications in adult sicklers.

The purpose of this study was to prospectively look for the relative rates and features of musculoskeletal complications in a sample of adult homozygous SS sicklers in Yaoundé. During a 3-year period, known homozygous SS sicklers aged sixteen years or more, with suspicion or evidence of locomotor system disease, including leg ulcer, were consecutively investigated through complete medical history, clinical examination, full blood count, C-reactive protein, standard radiographs of the area of complaint, and, when necessary, CT scan and pus analysis. Those patients with no definite diagnosis were excluded. The study group comprised 84 patients aged 16 to 51 years (mean age: 22 years), with a male/female ratio of 0.75. Four of them (4.5%) were older than 40 years. Thirty five (41.6%) presented a total of 50 lesions of aseptic osteonecrosis, which were located in the hips in 25 cases (50%), in the lumbar spine in 20 cases (40%), in the humeral head in four cases (10%) and in the talar body in one case. The hip necrosis was grade I in 6 cases, grade II in four, grade III in 11 and terminal in four. Multiple sites of necrosis were observed in six patients. Nineteen (22.6%) of the sicklers came on with 36 malleolar ulcers, more frequently in males (sex ratio: 5/1) and 28 (78%) located on the medial side. Fifteen sites of osteomyelitis were noted in 14 patients (17.8%) and septic arthritis in six (7%). Less frequent complications were impingement syndrome, gout osteoarthropathy, stress fracture, subtalar fusion, knee osteoarthritis, tendonitis of the anterior tibialis, and recurrent dislocation of the patella. All patients were managed conventionally, except for advanced aseptic necrosis in which the indication for arthroplasty was delayed till the terminal stage. As suggested by another recent report from Senegal, efforts should be made to improve the life expectancy of sicklers in Sub-Saharan African countries, by acting on education, social and medical care. Orthopaedic surgery should focus on reducing the failure rate of joint replacement in terminal stages of osteonecrosis and designing core decompression trials in early stages.

[Neurologic disturbances in human immunodeficiency virus carriers in Yaoundé]. / Troubles neurologiques chez les porteurs du virus d'immunodéficience humaine à Yaoundé

Neurological manifestations are frequent with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). They can be seen at the onset of the illness but more often they are found during its terminal phase. The aim of this study is to describe the neurological complications observed in AIDS as well as the evolution in the intensive care unit of the Yaounde General Hospital, Republic of Cameroon. This prospective study was carried out during a two-year period at the intensive care unit. All patients who were HIV-positive and who presented a neurological disorder diagnosed during the interrogation and clinical examination were included in this study. In these patients, the following paraclinical examinations were performed: ocular fundi, CD4 lymphocytes titre, toxoplasmosis serology, lumbar tap, and cerebral scan. A diagnosis was made and the patients were treated accordingly. The appreciation of the evolution was done in relation with the clinical state and the mortality observed in the service. We recruited 51 patients in all, aged 38 years on average (+/- 7 years). There were 31 women and 20 men. The neurological disorders observed were 26 states of coma, 14 agitations with mental confusion, 6 meningitis syndromes, 5 hallucinations. The titre of CD4 showed an average of 146/mm3 (+/- 12). Toxoplasmosis serology was positive for 6 patients. The cerebrospinal fluid revealed 2 cases of purulent meningitis. The ocular fundi showed 5 cases of papillary oedema. The cerebral scan showed 8 cases of cerebral abscess, 4 cases of cerebral tumour and 6 cases of cerebral toxoplasmosis. These paraclinical findings have enabled us to establish the following classification of the patients: cerebral tumors (n=4); bacterial meningitis (n=2); aseptic meningitis (n=10); cerebral toxoplasmosis (n=6); sub-acute encephalopathy (n=21); cerebral abscess (n=8). These patients were treated according to the diagnosis. The clinical evolution was marked by recovery in 14 patients with improved clinical state and by mortality in 34 patients. Many neurological disorders exist in HIV infections. These complications vary according to the stage of the illness. They are caused either by opportunistic infections, by tumours or by the virus itself. The most frequent complication in our service is sub-acute encephalitis, which induces coma. This is due to the fact that the intensive care unit receives terminal patients coming from other services. This late recruitment of patients also explains the high mortality rate.