Management of caustic pharyngoesophageal injuries in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana: a 12-year retrospective review of 29 cases.

Introduction: caustic pharyngoesophageal strictures are life-threatening injuries with important management difficulties, lacking clear therapeutic guidelines. The aim of this study is to evaluate the surgical procedures and outcomes of severe caustic pharyngoesophageal strictures in our institution. Methods: a total of 29 patients who underwent surgery for severe caustic pharyngoesophageal injury at the National Cardiothoracic Center from June 2006 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The age distribution, sex, management procedures, complications after surgery, and the outcome were analyzed. Results: there were 17 males. The mean age was 11.7 years (range 2- 56 years). All patients accidentally swallowed caustic soda, except the oldest patient who ingested an unidentified substance. The treatment procedures included colopharyngoplasty in 15 (51.7%) patients, colon-flap augmentation pharyngoesophagoplasty (CFAP) in 10 (34.5%), and colopharyngoplasty with tracheostomy in 4 (13.8%). There was one case of graft obstruction from a retrosternal adhesive band and one case of postoperative reflux with nocturnal regurgitation. No cervical anastomotic leak occurred. Rehabilitative training for oral feeding was required for less than a month in most patients. Follow-up period ranged from one to twelve years. Four patients died within this period; two were immediate post-operative deaths and two occurred late. One patient was lost to follow-up. Conclusion: outcome of surgery for caustic pharyngoesophageal stricture is satisfactory. Colon-flap augmentation pharyngoesophagoplasty reduces the need for tracheostomy before surgery, and our patients start eating early without aspiration.

Pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis in a resource constraint setting.

INTRODUCTION: Constrictive pericarditis is the endpoint of the natural history of acute pericarditis of different aetiologies where a chronic inflammatory process results in a thickened, fibrotic and inelastic pericardium with consequent impairment of diastolic function and systemic congestion. AIM: To evaluate the clinical features, diagnosis, surgical management and outcome of patients with constrictive pericarditis as managed in a local setting of a tertiary hospital in Ghana. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective review of the medical records of patients who had undergone pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis at a teaching hospital. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent pericardiectomy for the period of study. There were 8 (80%) males and 2 (20%) females. The mean age was 20.4 ±17.2 years. Six of the patients 6 (60%) were in NYHA class III. Preoperative diagnostics included chest X-ray, echocardiography, and computed tomography scan. The surgical approach for the pericardiectomy was median sternotomy. The mean operative time was 159.9 ±43.0 min. The mean postoperative days spent before being discharged was 6.9 ±2.3 days. Nine (90%) of the patients were in NYHA class I after a mean follow-up of 19.3 ±16.7 months. One patient died 6 weeks after surgery with heart failure and one patient was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical pericardiectomy via median sternotomy is still the standard modality of treatment for constrictive pericarditis with excellent results even in resource constraint settings.

Challenges of Caring for Functionally Single Ventricle Patients in Africa.

Surgical palliation has remarkably improved survival of functionally single ventricle (FSV) patients born in developed nations but such outcomes have not occurred in Africa. The poor care coverage for FSV patients in Africa exists within the larger sphere of deficient health care for children born with congenital heart defects (CHDs) in Africa generally. This review takes the position that to improve health-care coverage for CHD patients on the continent, political priority is paramount. This can be attained with cohesive leadership for the CHD agenda, a guiding institution, and the mobilization of civil society to drive advocacy at national and international levels.

Status and Challenges of Care in Africa for Adults With Congenital Heart Defects.

The 54 countries in Africa have an estimated total annual congenital heart defect (CHD) birth prevalence of 300,486 cases. More than half (51.4%) of the continental birth prevalence occurs in only seven countries. Congenital heart disease remains primarily a pediatric health issue in Africa because of the deficient health-care systems: the adults with CHD made up just 10% of patients with CHD in Ghana, and 13.7% of patients with CHD presenting for surgery in Mozambique. With Africa's population projected to double in the next 35 years, the already deficient health systems for CHD care will suffer unbearable strain unless determined and courageous action is undertaken by the African leaders.

Cardiothoracic surgical experience in Ghana.

Ghana is one of the few low-to-middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa able to consistently sustain a cardiothoracic program with locally trained staff for more than two decades. Cardiothoracic surgery practice in Ghana started in 1964 but faltered from a combination of political and the economic problems. In 1989, Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a Ghanaian cardiothoracic surgeon trained in Hannover, rekindled interest in cardiothoracic surgery and in establishing a National Cardiothoracic Centre. His vision and leadership has brought cardiothoracic surgery practice in Ghana to its current high level. As a result, the medical landscape of what is achievable locally in both pediatric and adult patients has changed substantially: outbound medical travel that used to be common among Ghanaian cardiovascular patients has been reduced drastically. Ghana's National Cardiothoracic Center (NCTC), the only tertiary center in the country for cardiothoracic surgical pathology manages all such patients that were previously referred abroad. The NCTC has become a medical/surgical hub in the West African sub-region providing service, training, and research opportunities to neighboring countries. The Centre is accredited by the West African College of Surgeons as a center of excellence for training specialists in cardiothoracic surgery. Expectedly, practicing cardiothoracic surgery in such a resource-poor setting has peculiar challenges. This review focuses on the history, practice, successes, and challenges of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery in Ghana.

Conotruncal Heart Defect Repair in Sub-Saharan Africa: Remarkable Outcomes Despite Poor Access to Treatment.

BACKGROUND: The outcome of children born with conotruncal heart defects may serve as an indication of the status of pediatric cardiac care in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study was undertaken to determine the outcome of children born with conotruncal anomalies in SSA, regarding access to treatment and outcomes of surgical intervention. METHODS: From our institution in Ghana, we retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of surgery, in the two-year period from June 2013 to May 2015. The birth prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) in SSA countries was derived by extrapolation using an incidence of 8 per 1,000 live births for CHDs. RESULTS: The birth prevalence of CHDs for the 48 countries in SSA using 2013 country data was 258,875; 10% of these are presumed to be conotruncal anomalies. Six countries (Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya) accounted for 53.5% of the birth prevalence. In Ghana, 20 patients (tetralogy of Fallot [TOF], 17; pulmonary atresia, 3) underwent palliation and 50 (TOF, 36; double-outlet right ventricle, 14) underwent repair. Hospital mortality was 0% for palliation and 4% for repair. Only 6 (0.5%) of the expected 1,234 cases of conotruncal defects underwent palliation or repair within two years of birth. CONCLUSION: Six countries in SSA account for more than 50% of the CHD burden. Access to treatment within two years of birth is probably <1%. The experience from Ghana demonstrates that remarkable surgical outcomes are achievable in low- to middle-income countries of SSA.

Colon bypass with a colon-flap augmentation pharyngoesophagoplasty.

Extensive caustic stricture of the upper aero-digestive system (oro- and hypo-pharynx) is a severe injury with limited surgical options. We adopted augmentation of the cicatrized upper aero-digestive tract with colon as our preferred management option. The aim of this report is to describe our initial experience with the technique of colon-flap augmentation pharyngo-esophagoplasty (CFAP) for selected patients with severe pharyngo-esophageal stricture. Between October 2011 and June 2013, three male patients (aged 16, 4 and 18 years respectively) underwent CFAP following extensive pharyngo-esophageal stricture. Postoperative recovery was uneventful in all three cases and all started swallowing within 7-10 days after surgery without significant dysphagia. Colon-flap augmentation pharyngo-esophagoplasty is an effective procedure for reconstruction of the pharynx and the hypopharynx after extensive caustic pharyngoesophageal structure in selected cases.

Hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass without exchange transfusion in sickle-cell patients: a matched-pair analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Sickle-cell patients undergo cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery in our institution without perioperative exchange transfusion. We sought to determine whether this protocol increased mortality or important sickle-cell-related complications. METHODS: We adopted a 1:1 matched-pair case-control methodology to evaluate the safety of our protocol. Sickle-cell patients who underwent CPB between January 1995 and January 2014 were matched with haemoglobin AA (HbAA) controls according to sex, age, weight and type of cardiac procedure. RESULTS: Thirty-three sickle-cell patients (21 HbAS, 7 HbSS and 5 HbSC) underwent CPB surgery using our institutional protocol. Sickle-cell patients and controls were similar according to the matching criteria. Preoperatively, haemoglobin SS (HbSS) and haemoglobin SC (HbSC) patients were anaemic (8.5 ± 1.4 vs 13.5 ± 1.9 g/dl; P <0.01 and 11.0 ± 0.6 vs 12.7 ± 0.9 g/dl; P = 0.01, respectively). Operative procedures included valve repair and replacement (12) as well as repair of congenital cardiac malformations (21). The duration of CPB and lowest CPB temperatures was similar for sickle-cell patients and controls. Systemic hypothermia (23.8-33.5°C), aortic cross-clamping, cold crystalloid antegrade cardioplegia and topical hypothermia were used in sickle-cell patients without complications. There was no acidosis, hypoxia or low cardiac output state. No mortality or important sickle-cell-related complications occurred. Although blood loss was similar between sickle-cell patients and controls, HbSS (unlike HbAS and HbSC) patients required more blood transfusion than controls (30.0 ± 13.3 vs 10.8 ± 14.2 ml/kg; P = 0.02) to counter haemodilution and replace blood loss. In-patient stay was similar for sickle-cell patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative exchange transfusion is not essential for a good outcome in sickle-cell patients undergoing CPB. A simple transfusion regimen to replace blood loss is safe in HbSS patients; blood transfusion requirements for HbSC and HbAS patients undergoing CPB are similar to those of matched HbAA controls. The use of systemic hypothermia during CPB does not increase sickle-cell-related complications. Cold crystalloid cardioplegia and topical hypothermia provide safe myocardial protection without the need for more sophisticated measures.

Strictly-posterior thoracotomy: a minimal-access approach for construction of the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt in West African children.

INTRODUCTION: In resource-poor settings, the modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (MBTS) is often performed for symptomatic relief of Fallot's tetralogy. From September 2011, we adopted the strictly posterior thoracotomy (SPOT), a minimal-access technique for the MBTS and report the cosmetic advantages in this communication. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of consecutive patients in whom the SPOT approach was used to construct the MBTS. Study end-points were early mortality, improvement in peripheral oxygenation, morbidity, and the cosmetic appeal. RESULTS: Between September 2011 and January 2013, 15 males and 8 females, median age 4 years (1.3 - 17 years) and weight 13 kg (11 - 54 kg) underwent the MBTS through the SPOT approach. The polytetrafluoroethylene grafts used ranged from sizes 4 - 6mm (median 5mm). The median preoperative SpO2 was 74% (55% - 78%), increasing to a postoperative median value of 84% (80% - 92%). Shunts were right-sided in 22 patients and left-sided in one. There were no shunt failures. Hospital stay ranged from 7 - 10 days. There was one early death (4.3%), and two postoperative complications (re-exploration for bleeding and readmission for drainage of pleural effusion). The surgical scars had excellent cosmetic appeal: they ranged from 5-10 cm in length; all were entirely posterior and imperceptible to the patient. CONCLUSION: The SPOT approach represents a safe and cosmetically superior alternative to the standard posterolateral thoracotomy, the scar being imperceptible to the patient. The excellent cosmetic appeal and preservation of body image makes this approach particularly attractive in children and young adults.

Massive intrathoracic lipoma: a report of two cases, one being congenital.

Massive intrathoracic lipomas are uncommon. Few cases have been reported worldwide. We report two cases, one of which was congenital. They were managed by thoracotomy and complete excision, with excellent outcomes.

Junctional ectopic tachycardia following repair of congenital heart defects-experience in multimodal management from a West African Centre.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) is a rare and transient phenomenon occurring after repair of congenital heart defects. Report on this arrhythmia in the subregion is rare. We set out to determine the incidence of this arrhythmia and review the treatment and outcomes of treatment in our centre. METHODS: Retrospective search of the records of all patients aged 18 years and below admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU) following repair or palliation of a congenital heart defect over 5 years, from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2010. A review of clinical notes, operative records, anaesthetic charts, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) records, nursing observation charts, electrocardiograms (ECGs) and out-patient follow-up records was undertaken. RESULTS: 510 children under 18 years were enlisted. 7 cases of postoperative JET were recorded, (1.37%). 184 (36.1%) of these were performed under CPB. All JET cases were from cases done under CPB, 3.8%. Median age was 3 years and median weight 11.3 kg. No patient was febrile at diagnosis. 4 patients had amiodarone administration, 5 had magnesium sulphate infusion, 2 patients had direct current shock (DCS) whilst 3 patients had all three therapeutic modalities. All patients had control of the arrhythmia with conversion to sinus rhythm and no recurrence. CONCLUSION: We report a JET incidence of 1.37% among children undergoing CPB for repair of congenital heart defects. We demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of amiodarone, magnesium sulphate infusions and DCS alone or in combination in the management of JET on various substrates with good outcome.

The changing epidemiology of esophageal cancer in sub-Saharan Africa - the case of Ghana.

INTRODUCTION: Esophageal cancer portends a grim prognosis. Most patients present with incurable disease. Scanty epidemiologic data on the disease has contributed to its low priority on the national. We sought to evaluate the current national trend in the presentation and outcome of esophageal cancer using our institutional experience from 1992 - 2010. METHODS: This is a retrospective study based on 152 patients who were seen in our institution during the study period. The perioperative data of these patients were retrieved and the relevant details recorded. Histopathological reports were available for 75 patients managed over the period. The study setting was The National Cardiothoracic Centre, which serves as the only tertiary referral centre in the country for cardiothoracic problems. RESULTS: There were 122 males and 30 females with a mean age of 57.8 ± 11.7 years. The yearly trend from 1992 to 2010 showed a steady increase in the incidence of esophageal cancer. High alcohol consumption and smoking dominated the history of 82.2% of the patients. Squamous cell carcinoma accounted for 78.7% and adenocarcinoma 21.3%. Distribution of esophageal carcinoma by anatomical location was 84.9% for distal third, 11.8% for middle third and 3.3% for upper third. All patients presented with incurable disease. CONCLUSION: The study shows an increasing incidence of esophageal carcinoma in this country. Alcohol abuse and smoking are major risk factors; squamous cell carcinoma is the dominant histological type in this study.

Outcome of left heart mechanical valve replacement in West African children--a 15-year retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The West African sub-region has poor health infrastructure. Mechanical valve replacement in children from such regions raises important postoperative concerns; among these, valve-related morbidity and complications of lifelong anticoagulation are foremost. Little is known about the long-term outcome of mechanical valve replacement in West Africa. We sought to determine the outcome of mechanical valve replacement of the left heart in children from this sub-region. METHOD: We conducted a retrospective review of all consecutive left heart valve replacements in children (< 18 years old) from January 1993 - December 2008. The study end-points were mortality, valve-related morbidity, and reoperation. RESULTS: One hundred and fourteen patients underwent mitral valve replacement (MVR), aortic valve replacement (AVR) or mitral and aortic valve replacements (MAVR). Their ages ranged from 6-18 years (13.3 ± 3.1 years). All patients were in NYHA class III or IV. Median follow up was 9.1 years. MVR was performed in 91 (79.8%) patients, AVR in 13 (11.4%) and MAVR in 10 (8.8%) patients. Tricuspid valve repair was performed concomitantly in 45 (39.5%) patients. There were 6 (5.3%) early deaths and 6 (5.3%) late deaths. Preoperative left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction < 45%) was the most important factor contributing to both early and late mortality. Actuarial survival at 1 and 15 years were 98.1% and 94.0% respectively. Prosthetic valve thrombosis occurred in 5 patients at 0.56% per patient-year. There was 1(0.9%) each of major bleeding event and prosthetic valve endocarditis. Two reoperations were performed at 0.22% per patient-year. Actuarial freedom from reoperation was 99.1% at 1 and 10 years, and 85.1% at 15 years. CONCLUSION: Mechanical valve replacement in West African children has excellent outcomes in terms of mortality, valve-related events, and reoperation rate. Preoperative left ventricular dysfunction is the primary determinant of mortality within the first 2 years of valve replacement. The risk of valve-related complications is acceptably low. Anticoagulation is well tolerated with a very low risk of bleeding even in this socioeconomic setting.

Colopharyngoplasty for intractable caustic pharyngoesophageal strictures in an indigenous African community--adverse impact of concomitant tracheostomy on outcome.

OBJECTIVES: Surgical management of caustic strictures of the upper digestive tract poses difficult challenges. This is because reconstruction above the cricopharyngeal junction interferes with the mechanisms of swallowing and respiration. This report reviews the outcome of colopharyngeal reconstruction of severe diffuse pharyngoesophageal caustic strictures in an indigenous African community. METHOD: The medical records of patients who underwent colopharyngoplasty from January 2006 to December 2008 were retrospectively reviewed to obtain information on patients' demographics, surgical technique and outcome. RESULTS: In the study period, 20 patients underwent reconstruction for caustic esophageal strictures; in five (three males, two females) colopharyngoplasty was required. Their ages ranged from four to 56 years (mean 25 years). Follow-up ranged from 23 to 94 months (mean 33 months). Colopharyngoplasty using left colon tunneled retrosternally was performed in all patients. Rehabilitative training for deglutition was required for 0.5-5.0 months postoperatively to restore near-normal swallowing in all patients. However, tracheostomy complications caused two deaths (one early, one late) and varicella encephalitis caused another late death. CONCLUSION: In this African community, colopharyngoplasty provided an effective mean of restoration of upper digestive tract continuity in patients with severe caustic pharyngoesophageal strictures. Tracheostomy in this setting portends a significant long-term mortality risk.

The development of cardiac surgery in West Africa--the case of Ghana.

West Africa is one of the poorest regions of the world. The sixteen nations listed by the United Nations in this sub-region have some of the lowest gross domestic products in the world. Health care infrastructure is deficient in most of these countries. Cardiac surgery, with its heavy financial outlay is unavailable in many West African countries. These facts notwithstanding, some West African countries have a proud history of open heart surgery not very well known even in African health care circles. Many African health care givers are under the erroneous impression that the cardiovascular surgical landscape of West Africa is blank. However, documented reports of open-heart surgery in Ghana dates as far back as 1964 when surface cooling was used by Ghanaian surgeons to close atrial septal defects. Ghana's National Cardiothoracic Center is still very active and is accredited by the West African College of Surgeons for the training of cardiothoracic surgeons. Reports from Nigeria indicate open-heart surgery taking place from 1974. Cote D'Ivoire had reported on its first 300 open-heart cases by 1983. Senegal reported open-heart surgery from 1995 and still runs an active center. Cameroon started out in 2009 with work done by an Italian group that ultimately aims to train indigenous surgeons to run the program. This review traces the development and current state of cardiothoracic surgery in West Africa with Ghana's National Cardiothoracic Center as the reference. It aims to dispel the notion that there are no major active cardiothoracic centers in the West African sub-region.

Experience from a single centre concerning the surgical spectrum and outcome of adolescents and adults with congenitally malformed hearts in West Africa.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken to review the spectrum and surgical outcome of adolescents and adults with congenitally malformed hearts from January, 1993 to December, 2008. The lack of data on this emerging problem from the West African sub-region prompted this report. PATIENTS AND METHOD: This retrospective study is based on 135 adolescents and adults with congenitally malformed hearts. A review of their case notes and operative records was carried out and results analysed. RESULTS: Selected patients made up 23% of all congenital cardiac surgeries performed at our institution in the same period. A total of 23 patients (17%) were non-Ghanaian West Africans. There was a female preponderance of 53.3%. The ages ranged from 16 to 70 years (mean 28.6 plus or minus 10.3 years). The mean follow-up was 7.5 plus or minus 4.4 years. Patients were functionally classified (New York Heart Association) as class I (23%), II (58%), and III (19%). In 14 (10.4%) patients, the defects were discovered incidentally. Ventricular septal defects, oval fossa type atrial septal defects, Fallot's tetralogy, and patent arterial duct together accounted for 77.8% of the cases. Surgical correction was undertaken in 117 (86.7%) patients; the remainder had palliative procedures. There were six (4.3%) reoperations. The functional class improved to class I or II in 95% of patients within the first postoperative year. The overall hospital mortality was 3% with two late deaths (1.5%). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates the feasibility of surgery for adolescents and adults with congenitally malformed hearts in the sub-region with a good outcome. Majority (77.8%) of patients present with less complex lesions.

Freedom from thromboembolism despite prolonged inadequate anticoagulation.

Life-long and meticulous control of anticoagulation is mandatory following mechanical valve replacement to prevent thromboembolism. Two patients who underwent mechanical mitral valve replacement with third generation bi-leaflet valves and in whom therapeutic anticoagulation could not be achieved for many months postoperatively form the basis for this report. In the first patient, the target international normalised ratio (INR) of 2.5-3.5 could not be achieved until 53.5 months postoperatively despite good compliance with oral anticoagulation and INR monitoring. In the second patient, the target INR was achieved after 16.9 months of oral anticoagulation treatment and regular INR monitoring. No thromboembolism occurred in either patient; nor did any valve-related event occur. The two patients are in excellent physical health 8 and 5 years, respectively, after the procedure. This unusual phenomenon is reviewed in light of the few reported cases of patients with mechanical heart valves surviving for prolonged periods without anticoagulation.