Educating religious leaders to promote uptake of male circumcision in Tanzania: a cluster randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Male circumcision is being widely deployed as an HIV prevention strategy in countries with high HIV incidence, but its uptake in sub-Saharan Africa has been below targets. We did a study to establish whether educating religious leaders about male circumcision would increase uptake in their village. METHODS: In this cluster randomised trial in northwest Tanzania, eligible villages were paired by proximity (<60 km) and the time that a free male circumcision outreach campaign from the Tanzanian Ministry of Health became available in their village. All villages received the standard male circumcision outreach activities provided by the Ministry of Health. Within the village pairs, villages were randomly assigned by coin toss to receive either additional education for Christian church leaders on scientific, religious, and cultural aspects of male circumcision (intervention group), or standard outreach only (control group). Church leaders or their congregations were not masked to random assignment. The educational intervention consisted of a 1-day seminar co-taught by a Tanzanian pastor and a Tanzanian clinician who worked with the Ministry of Health, and meetings with the study team every 2 weeks thereafter, for the duration of the circumcision campaign. The primary outcome was the proportion of male individuals in a village who were circumcised during the campaign, using an intention-to-treat analysis that included all men in the village. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT 02167776. FINDINGS: Between June 15, 2014, and Dec 10, 2015, we provided education for church leaders in eight intervention villages and compared the outcomes with those in eight control villages. In the intervention villages, 52·8% (30 889 of 58 536) of men were circumcised compared with 29·5% (25 484 of 86 492) of men in the eight control villages (odds ratio 3·2 [95% CI, 1·4-7·3]; p=0·006). INTERPRETATION: Education of religious leaders had a substantial effect on uptake of male circumcision, and should be considered as part of male circumcision programmes in other sub-Saharan African countries. This study was conducted in one region in Tanzania; however, we believe that our intervention is generalisable. We equipped church leaders with knowledge and tools, and ultimately each leader established the most culturally-appropriate way to promote male circumcision. Therefore, we think that the process of working through religious leaders can serve as an innovative model to promote healthy behaviour, leading to HIV prevention and other clinically relevant outcomes, in a variety of settings. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Mulago Foundation.

Marjolin's ulcers at a university teaching hospital in Northwestern Tanzania: a retrospective review of 56 cases.

BACKGROUND: Marjolin's ulcer is a rare but highly aggressive squamous cell cancer that is most often associated with chronic burn wounds. Although many individual case reports exist, no comprehensive evaluation of Marjolin's ulcer patients has been conducted in our setting. This study was conducted to describe the clinicopathological presentation and treatment outcome of this condition in our local setting and to identify predictors of outcome. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of histologically confirmed cases of Marjolin's ulcer seen at Bugando Medical Centre over a period of 10-years between January 2001 and December 2010. Data were retrieved from patients' files and analyzed using SPSS computer software version 15.0 RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were studied. Male to female ratio was 2.1:1. Burn scars (89.3%) were the most common causative lesions of Marjolin's ulcer. The mean latent period between original injury and diagnosis of Marjolin's ulcer was 11.34 ± 6.14 years. Only 12.0% of the reported cases were grafted at the time of injury (P < 0.00). Most patients (48.2%) presented between one and five years of onset of illness. The lower limb (42.9%) was the most frequent site for Marjolin's ulcers. The median tumor size at presentation was 8 cm and the vast majority of patients (85.7%) presented with large tumors of ≥ 5 cm in diameter. Lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis was recorded in 32.1% of cases and distant metastasis accounted for 26.9% of cases. Squamous cell carcinoma (91.1%) was the most common histopathological type. Wide local excision was the most common surgical procedure performed in 80.8% of cases. Post-operative complication rate was 32.1% of which surgical site infection was the most common complication in 38.9% of patients. Local recurrence was noted in 33.3% of cases who were treated surgically. The mean length of hospital stay for in-patients was 7.9 ± 2.3 days. Mortality rate was 7.1%. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, stage and grade of the tumor and presence of local recurrence were the main predictors of death (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Marjolin's ulcers are not rare in our environment and commonly occur in burn scars that were not skin grafted and were left to heal secondarily. A high index of suspicion is required in the management of chronic non-healing ulcers and all suspected lesions should be biopsed. Early recognition and aggressive treatment of Marjolin's ulcers and close follow-up are urgently needed to improve outcomes in our environment.

Childhood intussusceptions at a tertiary care hospital in northwestern Tanzania: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in resource-limited setting.

BACKGROUND: Intussusception remains a common cause of bowel obstruction in children and results in significant morbidity and mortality if not promptly treated. There is a paucity of prospective studies regarding childhood intussusception in Tanzania and particularly the study area. This study describes the pattern, clinical presentations and management outcomes of childhood intussusception in our setting and highlights the challenging problems in the management of this disease. METHODS: This was a prospective descriptive study of patients aged < 10 years operated for intussusception at Bugando Medical Centre. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from relevant authorities. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were studied. The male to female ratio was 3.3: 1. The median age was 6 months. Three-quarter of patients were < 1 year. Etiology was mainly idiopathic in 91.1% of cases. The classic triad of bloody stool, vomiting and abdominal distention/abdominal pain was found in 24 (42.5%) patients. The diagnosis of intussusception was mainly clinically in 71.4% of cases. All patients were treated surgically. Ileo-colic was the most frequent type of intussusception (67.9%). Twenty-six (46.4%) patients required bowel resection. The rate of bowel resection was significantly associated with late presentation > 24 hour (p = 0.001). Complication rate was 32.1% and surgical site infection (37.5%) was the most frequent complication. The median length of hospital stay was 7 days. Patients who had bowel resection and those who developed complications stayed longer in the hospital and this was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Mortality rate was 14.3%. Age < 1 year, delayed presentation, associated peritonitis, bowel resection and surgical site infection were the main predictors of mortality (p < 0.001). The follow up of patients was generally poor CONCLUSION: Intussusception in our setting is characterized by late presentation, lack of specialized facilities and trained personnel for nonsurgical reduction. Therefore, surgery remains the main stay of treatment in our centre. A high index of suspicion and proper evaluation of patients is essential for an early diagnosis and timely definitive treatment, in order to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.

Dynamic bowel obstruction: aetiology, clinical presentation, management and outcome at Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania.

Dynamic bowel obstruction is a common and potentially dangerous surgical emergency with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. No prospective study has been done on this subject in our setting. This study was conducted to describe in our region, the aetiology, clinical presentation, management and outcome of dynamic bowel obstruction. Data were analyzed using SPSS software system. A total of 342 patients were studied. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 2.1: 1. The median age of patients at presentation was 34 years (range 11 to 78 years). Obstructed hernias (32.7%) were the commonest cause of dynamic bowel obstruction. Abdominal pain (100%) and vomiting (86.5%) were the most frequent presenting symptoms. Thirty-one (9.1%) patients were HIV positive. Small bowel was the commonest site of obstruction accounting for 89.2% of cases. Herniorrhaphy was the most frequent surgical procedure performed in 112 (32.7%) patients. Surgical site infection (38.8%) was the most common post-operative complication and it was significantly associated with HIV positivity and low CD 4+ count (p < 0.001). The overall median of length of hospital stay was 26 days (range 1 to 72 days). Patients who had postoperative complications stayed longer in the hospital and this was statistically significant (p = 0.022). Mortality rate was 14.3%. Delayed presentation, HIV positivity, low CD 4 count (< 200 cells/µl), high ASA class and presence of complications were the main predictors of mortality (p < 0.001). Obstructed hernias remain the commonest cause of dynamic bowel obstruction in our setting and contribute significantly to high morbidity and mortality. The majority of patients present late when the disease becomes complicated. Early diagnosis and timely definitive treatment are essential in order to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.

Hirschsprung's disease in children: a five year experience at a university teaching hospital in northwestern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is the commonest cause of functional intestinal obstruction in children and poses challenges to pediatricians and pediatric surgeons practicing in resource-limited countries. This study describes the clinical characteristics and outcome of management of this disease in our setting and highlights challenges associated with the care of these patients and proffer solutions for improved outcome. METHODS: This was a descriptive prospective study of children aged ≤ 10 years who were histologically diagnosed and treated for HD at our centre between July 2008 and June 2013. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients (M: F ratio= 3.6:1) with a median age of 24 months were studied. Six (5.5%) patients were in the neonatal period. Sixty-four (58.2%) patients had complete intestinal obstruction whereas 42 (38.2%) and 4 (3.6%) patients had chronic intestinal obstruction and intestinal perforation respectively. No patient had enterocolitis. Constipation (94.5%) was the most common complaints. 109 (99.1%) patients had colostomy prior to the definitive pull-through. The median duration of colostomy before definitive pull-through was 4 months. The majority of patients (67.3%) had short segment of aganglionosis localized to the recto-sigmoid region. The definitive pull-through was performed in 94 (85.5%) patients (Swenson's pull-through 76 (80.9%), Duhamel's pull-through (12.8%) and Soave's pull-through 4 (4.3%) patients). Postoperative complication rate was 47.3%. The median length of hospital stay was 26 days. Patients who developed complications stayed longer in the hospital and this was statistically significant (p <0.001). Mortality rate was 21.8%. The age < 4 weeks, delayed presentation and surgical site infection were the main predictors of mortality (p < 0.001). During the follow-up period, the results of Swenson's and Duhamel's pull through procedures were generally good in 87.8% and 42.9% of patients respectively. The result of Soave's procedures was generally poor in this study. CONCLUSION: HD remains the commonest cause of functional intestinal obstruction in children and contributes significantly to high morbidity and mortality in our setting. The majority of patients present late when the disease becomes complicated. Early diagnosis and timely definitive pull through procedure are essential in order to decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with this disease.

Citywide trauma experience in Mwanza, Tanzania: a need for urgent intervention.

BACKGROUND: Trauma remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in resource limited countries. There is paucity of published reports on trauma care in Tanzania, particularly the study area. This study was carried out to describe our experiences in trauma management outlining the etiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of trauma patients at our local setting and compare our results with those from other centers in the world. METHODS: A descriptive prospective study of trauma patients was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre from April 2010 to March 2012. Statistical data analysis was done using SPSS software version 17.0. RESULTS: A total of 5672 trauma patients were enrolled in the study. The male to female ratio was 2.3: 1. The majority of patients were in the 2nd decade of life. Road traffic accident was the most common cause of trauma accounting for 60.7% of cases. The majority of patients (76.6%) sustained blunt injuries. Musculoskeletal (68.5%) and head/neck (52.6%) were the most frequent body region injured. Soft tissue injuries (open wounds) and fractures were the most common injuries accounting for 82.8% and 76.8% respectively. Majority of patients (74.4%) were treated surgically with wound debridement (94.0%) being the most frequently performed procedure. Postoperative complications were recorded in 31.5% of cases.The overall median duration of hospitalization was 26 days (range 1 day to 144 days). Mortality rate was 16.7%. Patients who had polytrauma, burn injuries and those who had tetanus and long bone fractures stayed longer in the hospital and this was statistically significant (P < 0.001), whereas the age > 65 years, severe trauma, admission Systolic Blood Pressure < 90 mmHg, presence of tetanus, severe head injury, the duration of loss of consciousness, the need for intensive care unit admission and finding of space occupying lesion on CT scan of the brain significantly influenced mortality (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Trauma resulting from road traffic accidents remains a major public health problem in this part of Tanzania. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of road traffic accidents is necessary to reduce the incidence of trauma in this region.

Ultrasound Guided Needle Aspiration versus Surgical Drainage in the management of breast abscesses: a Ugandan experience.

BACKGROUND: Despite breast abscess becoming less common in developed countries, it has remained one of the leading causes of morbidity in women in developing countries. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Mulago hospital complex in Kampala Uganda to establish whether ultrasound guided needle aspiration is a feasible alternative treatment option for breast abscesses. RESULTS: A total of 65 females with breast abscess were analyzed, of these 33 patients were randomized into the ultrasound guided needle aspiration and 32 patients in the Incision and drainage arm. The mean age was 23.12, most of them were lactating (66.2%), primipararous (44.6%) with peripheral abscesses (73.8%) located in the upper lateral quadrant (56%).The mean breast size was 3.49 cm. The two groups were comparably in demographic characteristic and breast abscess size. Survival analysis showed no difference in breast abscess healing rate between the two groups (Log rank 0.24 df 1 and P = 0.63). Incision and drainage was found to be more costly than ultrasound guided aspiration (cost effective ratio of 2.85). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound guided needle aspiration is therefore a feasible and cost effective treatment option for both lactating and non lactating breast abscesses with a diameter up to 5 cm by ultrasound in an immune competent patient.

Bowel perforation secondary to illegally induced abortion: a tertiary hospital experience in Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Bowel perforation though rarely reported is a serious complication of induced abortion, which is often performed illegally by persons without any medical training in developing countries. A sudden increase in the number of patients in our centre in recent years prompted the authors to analyze this problem. The study was conducted to describe our own experiences in the surgical management of these patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective study involving patients who were jointly managed by the surgical and gynecological teams at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) for bowel perforation secondary to illegally induced abortion from January 2002 to December 2011. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.0. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients (representing 4.2% of cases) were enrolled in the study. Their ages ranged from 14 to 45 years with a median age of 21 years. Majority of patients were, secondary school students/leavers (70.6%), unmarried (88.2%), nulliparous (80.9%), unemployed (82.4%) and most of them were dependent member of the family. Previous history of contraceptive use was reported in only 14.7% of cases. The majority of patients (79.4%) had procured the abortion in the 2nd trimester. Dilatation and curettage (82.4%) was the most common reported method used in procuring abortion. The interval from termination of pregnancy to presentation in hospital ranged from 1 to 14 days (median 6 days ). The ileum (51.5%) and sigmoid colon (22.1%) was the most common portions of the bowel affected. Resection and anastomosis with uterine repair was the most common (86.8%) surgical procedure performed. Complication and mortality rates were 47.1% and 10.3% respectively. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, gestational age at termination of pregnancy, delayed presentation, delayed surgical treatment and presence of complications were significantly associated with mortality (P<0.001). The overall median length of hospital stay (LOS) was 18 days (1day to 128 days ). Patients who developed complications stayed longer in the hospital, and this was statistically significant (P=0.012). CONCLUSION: Bowel perforation following illegally induced abortion is still rampant in our environment and constitutes significantly to high maternal morbidity and mortality. Early recognition of the diagnosis, aggressive resuscitation and early institution of surgical management is of paramount importance if morbidity and mortality associated with bowel perforation are to be avoided.

Stage at diagnosis, clinicopathological and treatment patterns of breast cancer at Bugando Medical Centre in north-western Tanzania.

Breast cancer, although reported to be the commonest female malignancy worldwide has not been extensively studied in north-western Tanzania. The aim of this retrospective review was to describe in our setting, the stage at diagnosis, clinicopathological and treatment patterns among patients with breast cancer. Data were analyzed using SPSS software system. A total of 384 patients were studied. The median age was 45 years (range 21 to 78 years). The male to female ratio was 1: 46.8. Most of the patients were premenopausal (63.8%) and presented late with advanced breast cancer disease. Majority of patients (63.0%) presented with stage III disease. Lymph node and distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis was reported in 70.8% and 21.4% of patients, respectively. Invasive ductal carcinoma (91.7%) was the most frequent histopathological type and most patients (63.8%) had poorly differentiated tumour. Patients with tumour size greater than 6cm had significantly high rate of lymph node metastasis (P=0.001) and presence of necrosis within the tumour (P=0.012) compared to patients with tumour size less than 6cm in diameter. Patients younger than 45 years had significantly high rate of lymph node metastasis compared to the patients above this age (P=0.0 11). Mastectomy was the main modality of treatment that was used in 99.5% of the patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy was reported in 44.8% and 11.7% of patients, respectively. Hormonal therapy (tamoxifen) was given postoperatively to all patients. The overall five-year survival rate was 21.8%. The age of patient at diagnosis, stage of disease, extent of lymph node involvement and histological grade were found to be independent predictors of overall survival rate (P<0.001). Local recurrence was 17.7% and it was significantly related to the stage of disease (P=0.003) and non-adherent to adjuvant therapy (P=0.021). Breast cancer patients in this region are relatively young premenopausal women and mostly present late with advanced stage and high rate of lymph node metastasis. There is need to improve public enlightenment of breast cancer and set up screening centres to encourage early presentations.

Splenic injuries at Bugando Medical Centre in northwestern Tanzania: a tertiary hospital experience.

BACKGROUND: Splenic injuries constitute a continuing diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to the trauma or general surgeons practicing in developing countries where sophisticated imaging facilities are either not available or exorbitantly expensive. The purpose of this review was to describe our own experience in the management of the splenic injuries outlining the aetiological spectrum, injury characteristics and treatment outcome of splenic injuries in our local environment and to identify predictors of outcome among these patients. METHODS: A prospective descriptive study of splenic injury patients was carried out at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania between March 2009 and February 2011. Statistical data analysis was done using SPSS software version 17.0. RESULTS: A total of 118 patients were studied. The male to female ratio was 6.4:1. Their ages ranged from 8 to 74 years with a median age of 22 years. The modal age group was 21-30 years. The majority of patients (89.8%) had blunt trauma and road traffic accidents (63.6%) were the most frequent cause of injuries. Most patients sustained grade III (39.0%) and IV (38.1%) splenic injuries. Majority of patients (86.4%) were treated operatively with splenectomy (97.1%) being the most frequently performed procedure. Postoperative complications were recorded in 30.5% of cases. The overall length of hospital stay (LOS) ranged from 1 day to 120 days with a median of 18 days. Mortality rate was 19.5%. Patients who had severe trauma (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6) and those with associated injuries stayed longer in the hospital (P < 0.001), whereas age of the patient, associated injuries, trauma scores (KTS II), grade of splenic injuries, admission systolic blood pressure ≤ 90 mmHg, estimated blood loss > 2000 mls, HIV infection with CD4 ≤ 200 cells/µl and presence of postoperative complications were significantly associated with mortality (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Trauma resulting from road traffic accidents (RTAs) remains the most common cause of splenic injuries in our setting. Most of the splenic injuries were Grade III & IV and splenectomy was performed in majority of the cases. Non-operative management can be adopted in patients with blunt isolated and low grade splenic injuries but operative management is still indispensable in this part of Tanzania. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of RTAs is necessary to reduce the incidence of splenic injuries in our centre.

Injury characteristics and outcome of road traffic crash victims at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Road traffic crash is of growing public health importance worldwide contributing significantly to the global disease burden. There is paucity of published data on road traffic crashes in our local environment. This study was carried out to describe the injury characteristics and outcome of road traffic crash victims in our local setting and provide baseline data for establishment of prevention strategies as well as treatment protocols. METHODS: This was a prospective hospital based study of road traffic crash victims carried out at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania between March 2010 and February 2011. After informed consent to participate in the study, all patients were consecutively enrolled into the study. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS computer software version 15.0. RESULTS: A total of 1678 road traffic crash victims were studied. Their male to female ratio was of 2.1:1. The patients ages ranged from 3 to 78 years with the mean and median of 29.45 (± 24.22) and 26.12 years respectively. The modal age group was 21-30 years, accounting for 52.1% patients. Students (58.8%) and businessmen (35.9%) were the majority of road traffic crash victims. Motorcycle (58.8%) was responsible for the majority of road traffic crashes. Musculoskeletal (60.5%) and the head (52.1%) were the most common body region injured. Open wounds (65.9%) and fractures (26.3%) were the most common type of injuries sustained. The majority of patients (80.3%) were treated surgically. Wound debridement was the most common procedure performed in 81.2% of the patients. The complication rate was 23.7%. The overall average length of hospital stay (LOS) was 23.5 ± 12.3 days. Mortality rate was 17.5%. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, patients who had severe trauma (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6) and those with long bone fractures stayed longer in the hospital and this was significant (P < 0.001) whereas the age of the patient, severe trauma (Kampala Trauma Score II ≤ 6), admission Systolic Blood Pressure < 90 mmHg and severe head injury (Glasgow Coma Score = 3-8) significantly influenced mortality (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Road traffic crashes constitute a major public health problem in our setting and contribute significantly to unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Urgent preventive measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of road traffic crashes is necessary to reduce the morbidity and mortality resulting from these injuries. Early recognition and prompt treatment of road traffic injuries is essential for optimal patient outcome.

Major limb amputations: a tertiary hospital experience in northwestern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Major limb amputation is reported to be a major but preventable public health problem that is associated with profound economic, social and psychological effects on the patient and family especially in developing countries where the prosthetic services are poor. The purpose of this study was to outline the patterns, indications and short term complications of major limb amputations and to compare our experience with that of other published data. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre between March 2008 and February 2010. All patients who underwent major limb amputation were, after informed consent for the study, enrolled into the study. Data were collected using a pre-tested, coded questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 11.5 computer software. RESULTS: A total of 162 patients were entered into the study. Their ages ranged between 2-78 years (mean 28.30 ± 13.72 days). Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 2:1. The majority of patients (76.5%) had primary or no formal education. One hundred and twelve (69.1%) patients were unemployed. The most common indication for major limb amputation was diabetic foot complications in 41.9%, followed by trauma in 38.4% and vascular disease in 8.6% respectively. Lower limbs were involved in 86.4% of cases and upper limbs in 13.6% of cases giving a lower limb to upper limb ratio of 6.4:1 Below knee amputation was the most common procedure performed in 46.3%. There was no bilateral limb amputation. The most common additional procedures performed were wound debridement, secondary suture and skin grafting in 42.3%, 34.5% and 23.2% respectively. Two-stage operation was required in 45.4% of patients. Revision amputation rate was 29.6%. Post-operative complication rate was 33.3% and surgical site infection was the most common complication accounting for 21.0%. The mean length of hospital stay was 22.4 days and mortality rate was 16.7%. CONCLUSION: Complications of diabetic foot ulcers and trauma resulting from road traffic crashes were the most common indications for major limb amputation in our environment. The majority of these amputations are preventable by provision of health education, early presentation and appropriate management of the common indications.

Intestinal schistosomiasis associated with intussusception: a case report.

We report a case of intestinal schistosomiasis associated with iliocaecal intussusception resulting from obstructions of the terminal part of the ileum by schistosome egg-induced fibrosis. A 7-year-old boy presented with the history of abdominal pain and difficulties in passing stool for two months. Ultrasound examination revealed doughnut signs characterized with multiple concentric rings at the lateral abdomen, and the bowel loop appeared distended. Exploratory laparatomy confirmed intussusception of the terminal part of the ileum into the caecum, extending to the ascending colon. Hemicolectomy and end-to-end iliocolostomy was performed. Histological examination of the resected bowel revealed Schistosoma mansoni eggs within the mucosa, submucosa of the ileum, caecum and ascending colon, granulomatous inflammation with foreign body giant cells accompanied by fibrosis and eosinophilic infiltrate into the mucosa. Postoperatively, the patient recovered well. There may have been a synergistic effect of schistosomiasis with other underlying conditions, leading to intussusception. In conclusion, it is important to consider S. mansoni infection as a differential diagnosis for intestinal obstruction in endemic areas.

Pattern of childhood burn injuries and their management outcome at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Burn injuries constitute a major public health problem and are the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is paucity of published data on childhood burn injuries in Tanzania, particularly the study area. This study was conducted to describe the pattern of childhood burn injuries in our local setting and to evaluate their management outcome. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted at Bugando Medical Centre (in Northwestern Tanzania) over a 3-year period from January 2008 to December 2010. Data was collected using a pre-tested coded questionnaire and statistical analyses performed using SPSS software version 15.0. RESULTS: A total of 342 burned children were studied. Males were mainly affected. Children aged = 2 were the majority accounting for 45.9% of cases. Intentional burn injuries due to child abuse were reported in 2.9% of cases. Scald was the most common type of burns (56.1%). The trunk was the most commonly involved body region (57.3%). Majority of patients (48.0%) sustained superficial burns. Eight (2.3%) patients were HIV positive. Most patients (89.8%) presented to the hospital later than 24 h. The rate of burn wound infection on admission and on 10th day were 32.4% and 39.8% respectively.Staphylococcus aureus were more common on admission wound swabs, with Pseudomonas aeruginosa becoming more evident after 10th day. MRSA was detected in 19.2% of Staphylococcus aureus. Conservative treatment was performed in 87.1% of cases. Surgical treatment mainly skin grafting (65.9%) was performed in 44 (12.9%) of patients. The overall average of the length of hospital stay (LOS) was 22.12 ± 16.62 days. Mortality rate was 11.7%. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis; age of the patient, type of burn, delayed presentation, clothing ignition, %TBSA and severity of burn were found to be significantly associated with LOS (P < 0.001), whereas mortality rate was found to be independently and significantly related to the age of the patient, type of burn, HIV positive with stigmata of AIDS, CD4 count, inhalation injury, %TBSA and severity of burn (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Childhood burn injuries still remain a menace in our environment with virtually unacceptable high morbidity and mortality. There is need for critical appraisal of the preventive measures and management principles currently being practiced.

Clinical profile and outcome of surgical treatment of perforated peptic ulcers in Northwestern Tanzania: A tertiary hospital experience.

BACKGROUND: Perforated peptic ulcer is a serious complication of peptic ulcers with potential risk of grave complications. There is paucity of published reports on perforated peptic ulcer disease in our local environment. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical presentation, management and outcome of patients with peptic ulcer perforation in our setting and to identify predictors of outcome of these patients. METHODS: This was a combined retrospective and prospective study of patients who were operated for perforated peptic ulcers at Bugando Medical Centre between April 2006 and March 2011. Data were collected using a pre-tested and coded questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS computer software version 15.0. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from relevant authority before the commencement of the study. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients were studied. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 1.3: 1. Their median age was 28 years and the modal age group was 21-30 years. The median duration of illness was 5.8 days. The majority of patients (69.0%) had no previous history of treatment for peptic ulcer disease. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, alcohol and smoking was reported in 10.7%, 85.7% and 64.3% respectively. Eight (9.5%) patients were HIV positive with a median CD4 count of 220 cells/µl. Most perforations were located on the duodenum {90.4%) with the duodenal to gastric ulcers ratio of 12.7: 1. Graham's omental patch (Graham's omentopexy) of the perforations was performed in 83.3% of cases. Complication and mortality rates were 29.8% and 10.7% respectively. The factors significantly related to complications were premorbid illness, HIV status, CD 4 count < 200 cells/µl, treatment delay and acute perforation (P < 0.001). Mortality rate was high in patients who had age ≥ 40 years, delayed presentation (>24 hrs), shock at admission (systolic BP < 90 mmHg), HIV positivity, low CD4 count (<200 cells/µl), gastric ulcers, concomitant diseases and presence of complications (P < 0.001). The median overall length of hospital stay was 14 days. Excellent results using Visick's grading system were obtained in 82.6% of surviving patients. CONCLUSION: Perforation of peptic ulcer remains a frequent clinical problem in our environment predominantly affecting young males not known to suffer from PUD. Simple closure with omental patch followed by Helicobacter pylori eradication was effective with excellent results in majority of survivors despite patients' late presentation in our center.

Dynamic Bowel Obstruction: Aetiology; Clinical Presentation; Management and Outcome at Bugando Medical Centre; Mwanza; Tanzania

Dynamic bowel obstruction is a common and potentially dangerous surgical emergency with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. No prospective study has been done on this subject in our setting. This study was conducted to describe in our region; the aetiology; clinical presentation; management and outcome of dynamic bowel obstruction. Data were analyzed using SPSS software system. A total of 342 patients were studied. Males outnumbered females by a ratio of 2.1: 1. The median age of patients at presentation was 34 years (range 11 to 78 years). Obstructed hernias (32.7) were the commonest cause of dynamic bowel obstruction. Abdominal pain (100) and vomiting (86.5) were the most frequent presenting symptoms. Thirty-one (9.1) patients were HIV positive. Small bowel was the commonest site of obstruction accounting for 89.2 of cases. Herniorrhaphy was the most frequent surgical procedure performed in 112 (32.7) patients. Surgical site infection (38.8) was the most common post-operative complication and it was significantly associated with HIV positivity and low CD 4+ count (p0.001). The overall median of length of hospital stay was 26 days (range 1 to 72 days). Patients who had postoperative complications stayed longer in the hospital and this was statistically significant (p