PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Emmanuel A Ameh

Publications and source records attributed to Emmanuel A Ameh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

History and development of trauma registry: lessons from developed to developing countries.

BACKGROUND: A trauma registry is an integral component of modern comprehensive trauma care systems. Trauma registries have not been established in most developing countries, and where they exist are often rudimentary and incomplete. This review describes the role of trauma registries in the care of the injured, and discusses how lessons from developed countries can be applied toward their design and implementation in developing countries. METHODS: A detailed review of English-language articles on trauma registry was performed using MEDLINE and CINAHL. In addition, relevant articles from non-indexed journals were identified with Google Scholar. RESULTS: The history and development of trauma registries and their role in modern trauma care are discussed. Drawing from past and current experience, guidelines for the design and implementation of trauma registries are given, with emphasis on technical and logistic factors peculiar to developing countries. CONCLUSION: Improvement in trauma care depends on the establishment of functioning trauma care systems, of which a trauma registry is a crucial component. Hospitals and governments in developing countries should be encouraged to establish trauma registries using proven cost-effective strategies.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Pediatric surgery in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric surgery is a well-established specialty in many developed countries, but little is known about the status of the specialty in most developing countries. METHOD: The status of pediatric surgery in Nigeria was reviewed. RESULT: Nigeria currently has an estimated population of 126 million people with a growth rate of 2.8%, one half of whom are children. Pediatric surgery is a well-recognized specialty in the country. At the moment, there are 35 trained pediatric surgeons but only 26 are fully functional (1 pediatric surgeon:2.2 million children). Most of the available pediatric surgeons are in tertiary hospitals in major cities and towns. There is a well-established formal training program and certification run by the West African College of Surgeons; it takes an average of 4.5 to 6 years to train in pediatric surgery, 2 years of which must be spent in general surgery. Only 1 to 2 trainees graduate every year, and there are less than 10 trainees in the 5 accredited training centers at the moment. Funding for training is poor, and pediatric surgical research receives little or no funding. CONCLUSION: There is a need for more pediatric surgeons in Nigeria. More trainees need to be mentored and encouraged to take up the specialty. Collaboration with centers in developed countries and other parts of Africa and improved funding are necessary to improve the profile of the specialty.

Certification↗
PubMed2003

Complicated umbilical hernias in children.

Umbilical hernia is a common problem in children, particularly in Africans, but complications in these hernias are thought to be rare. In a retrospective study of 47 children presenting for umbilical hernia repair in 14 years, 30 had complications. The complications included acute incarceration 15, recurrent incarceration 10 and spontaneous evisceration 5. Of the 15 with acute incarceration, 2 required bowel resection for gangrene, and an abscess formed in the hernia sac in one. The age of patients with acute incarceration was 2 months-8 years (median 5 years). The 10 with recurrent incarceration were aged 1-3 years (median 3 years). Of the 5 with spontaneous evisceration, one had umbilical sepsis and another intestinal obstruction from intussusception. These patients were aged 3-12 weeks (median 7 weeks). All the complications occurred in hernias that were 1.5 cm or more in diameter. The hernias were repaired using standard methods. Postoperatively, 2 patients developed wound infection. There was no mortality. Though complications of umbilical hernias appear to be rare, there is a need for more active observation of these hernias to identify complications early and treat promptly to avoid morbidity.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Infected hydrocoele of the canal of Nuck in a neonate.

Hydrocoele of the canal of Nuck is an uncommon presentation in the neonate and complications are rare. A 6-day-old girl presented with a right groin swelling from birth. The swelling remained static until age 3 days when it increased rapidly in size. There was no fever or gastrointestinal symptoms. Physical examination showed a large nontender mass extending from the right groin into the ipsilateral labium majus with distortion of the external genitalia. Needle aspiration yielded cloudy fluid, which gave a growth of Klebsiella on culture. A hydrocoele of the canal of Nuck was confirmed at surgery and was excised. Postoperative course was uneventful and there has been no recurrence at 2 years of follow-up.

Female↗
PubMed2003

Providing safe surgery for neonates in sub-Saharan Africa.

Advances in neonatal intensive care, total parenteral nutrition and improvements in technology have led to a greatly improved outcome of neonatal surgery in developed countries. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, however, neonatal surgery continues to pose wide-ranging challenges. Delivery outside hospital, delayed referral, poor transportation, and lack of appropriate personnel and facilities continue to contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in neonates, particularly under emergency situations. Antenatal supervision and hospital delivery needs to be encouraged in our communities. Adequate attention needs to be paid to providing appropriate facilities for neonatal transport and support and training of appropriate staff for neonatal surgery. Neonates with surgical problems should be adequately resuscitated before referral where necessary but surgery should not be unduly delayed. Major neonatal surgery should as much as possible be performed by those trained to operate on neonates. Appropriate research and international collaboration is necessary to improve neonatal surgical care in the environment.

Africa South of the Sahara↗
PubMed2003

Perianal abscess and fistula in children in Zaria.

Perianal abscess (PAA) and fistula-in-ano (FIA) are not uncommon in children, but reports from tropical Africa are uncommon. In a period of 17 years, 17 children aged 12 years and below were treated for these conditions in Zaria, Nigeria. There were 14 boys and 3 girls, aged 4 months-12 years (median 3 years), Eight had PAA (median age 3 years), 5 ischiorectal abscess (median age 5 years) and 4 FIA (median age 10 months). FIA followed pull through for anorectal malformation in 2 patients and in one it was preceded by PAA. PAA was associated with chronic fissure-in-ano in one patient and uncontrolled diabetes mellitus in one. One 16-month girl with an ischiorectal abscess developed severe perineal necrotising fascitis and separation and retraction of the anorectum. Escherichia coli was cultured in 2 patients with abscesses and staphylococcus aureus in another 2. Culture was sterile in 7 patients with abscesses. Treatment was by adequate incision and drainage for abscesses. Fistulectomy was the treatment for FIA, but in one patient a diversion colostomy was performed in addition as the fistula was a high one. The child who developed necrotising fascitis had debridement and diversion colostomy. FIA recurred in one patient necessitating repeat fistulectomy. Although the number of patients is small, perianal sepsis appears to be less common in our environment compared to developed countries. Some differences are highlighted.

Abscess↗
PubMed2002

Spontaneous scrotal faecal fistula in infants.

Two infants aged 29 and 43 days, respectively, presented with a spontaneous scrotal faecal fistula from a strangulated inguinal hernia. There was associated necrotising fasciitis of the scrotum in both patients, but the testes were spared. Resection and anastomosis along with debridement of the scrotal fasciitis was successful in both cases. This complication is rare: only three other cases have been reported in the world literature. The complication appears to occur mainly in developing countries, and is the result of late presentation. The principle of early referral and repair of childhood inguinal hernias should reduce this complication and the attendant morbidity and mortality.

Debridement↗
PubMed2002

Major complications of omphalitis in neonates and infants.

Omphalitis is a common problem in developing countries, and a wide range of complications requiring surgery may occur. We conducted a retrospective review of 19 neonates and infants treated for major complications of omphalitis: 13 boys and 6 girls aged 5-75 days (median 33 days). Five (26%) patients presented with spontaneous evisceration of small bowel through the umbilical cicatrix, resulting in intestinal gangrene in 1. Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) occurred in 5 (26%) patients involving mainly the scrotum, and in 2 involving the penis as well. Three (16%) patients had peritonitis, resulting in intra-abdominal abscesses in 2. Three (16%) had superficial abscesses, 2 (11%) had hepatic abscesses resulting in extensive destruction of the left lobe in 1, and 1 (5%) developed an adhesive intestinal obstruction. Although Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly cultured organism, many cultures were sterile due to the use of antibiotics before presentation. Treatments consisted of repair of the umbilical cicatrix for evisceration (and intestinal resection for gangrene), radical debridement for NF, drainage and lavage for peritonitis, drainage of superficial abscesses, and lysis of adhesions. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were also given. No patient developed tetanus. One patient died from peritonitis. There was no death from NF. As serious complications may result from omphalitis in neonates and infants, with high morbidity and possible mortality, early recognition and prompt treatment are necessary for a good outcome.

Abscess↗
PubMed2002

Morbidity and mortality of inguinal hernia in the newborn.

In an 11 year period, 17 newborns aged < or = 42 days had repair of 21 inguinal hernias. Eleven 52%) of the hernias were incarcerated or strangulated, necessitating bowel resection in 4 (36%) and orchidectomy for testicular infarction in 2 (18%). Only 4 babies with 7 hernias had elective herniotomy for uncomplicated hernia. In one baby with Hirschsprung's disease (bilateral hernia) and another with anorectal malformation, herniotomy was performed at the time of initial colostomy. Postoperatively, wound infection occurred in 4 (36%) of the 11 incarcerated or strangulated hernias (3 had bowel resection). One baby who had intestinal resection died from overwhelming infection. The median hospital stay in babies with uncomplicated hernia was one day and 4 days in those with complicated hernia. The morbidity of incarcerated and strangulated inguinal hernia in newborns is high, with attendant risk of bowel gangrene and testicular infarction. The principle of early referral and repair of inguinal hernias should be encouraged to avoid such morbidity and possible mortality.

Colectomy↗
PubMed2002

Colostomy in the newborn: technical pitfalls.

Colostomy is a commonly performed procedure in the neonatal period but the procedure is frequently underestimated. This report is aimed at raising awareness to technical errors made in performing the procedure. In a period of 4 years, 5 patients who had colostomy in the neonatal period developed problems, which were attributed to errors made in performing the procedure and have been retrospectively reviewed. In 3 patients, the sigmoid colon was erroneously used for transverse colostomy resulting in poor function. There was increased blood loss and increase in operation time from colostomy take down at subsequent definitive surgery in all 3. In one other patient, the ileum was mistaken for the transverse colon and opened, requiring closure; the closure leaked necessitating laparotomy, resection and anastomosis but death occurred from peritonitis. The fifth patient developed stoma necrosis due to ligation of the marginal artery and narrow fascial opening. Colostomy refashioning was necessary but death occurred from overwhelming infection. The colostomies were performed at a peripheral hospital and by unsupervised residents. Colostomy in the newborn can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality and great care is necessary to avoid these. Some technical points to avoid these errors are highlighted.

Anal Canal↗