Rib Osteosynthesis for Sub-Acute Management of a Flail Chest in a Tertiary Centre in a Low-Middle Income Country of Sub-Saharan Africa: Case Report at Douala Laquintinie Hospital

Background: Costal fracture surgical is still a debate, therefore we shall select between early and delay surgical management. Case Report: We are reporting two cases of post road traffic clash delay ribs fractures osteosynthesis involving a 63-year-old man with multistage fractures on the left and pulmonary pinning of one of the costal arches, complicated by a homolateral haemothorax and a 41-year-old man with a bilateral flail chest. Conclusion: The simple postoperative course and the immediate postoperative improvement in the patient’s clinical respiratory condition enabled us to discuss the time frame for management, in this case the indication for early or later surgery.

Inter-Observer Variability in the Detection and Interpretation of Chest X-Ray Anomalies in Adults in an Endemic Tuberculosis Area

Purpose: To assess the inter-observer agreement in reading adults chest radiographs (CXR) and determine the effectiveness of observers in radiographic diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a tuberculosis endemic area. Methods: A quasi-observational study was conducted in the Pneumology Department of Yaounde Jamot Hospital (Cameroon) from January to March 2014. This included six observers (two chest physicians, two radiologists, two end-training residents in medical imaging) and 47 frontal CXRs (4 of diffuse interstitial lung disease, 6 normal, 7 of lung cancers, 7 of bacterial pneumonia, 23 of PTB). The sample size was calculated on the basis of an expected 0.47 Kappa with a spread of 0.13 (α = 5%, CI = 95%) for six observers and five diagnostic items. The analysis of concordance was focused on the detection of nodules, cavitary lesions, pleural effusion, adenomegaly and diagnosis of PTB and lung cancer. These intervals of kappa coefficient were considered: discordance (0.81). Results: The average score for the detection of caverns was the highest (58.3%) followed by that of the correct diagnosis of tuberculosis (49.3%). Pneumologists had the highest proportions of correct diagnosis of tuberculosis (69.6% and 73.9%) and better inter-observer agreement (k = 0.71) for PTB diagnosis. Observers were more in agreement for the detection of nodules (0.32 - 0.74), adenomegalies (0.43 - 0.69), and for the diagnosis of cancer (0.22 - 1) than for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (0.19 - 0.71). Disagreements were more frequent for the detection of pleural effusions (-0.08 - 0.73). Conclusion: The inter-observer agreement varies with the type of lesions and diagnosis. Pneumologists were most effective for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Observers were more in agreement for the detection of nodules and the diagnosis of cancer than for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Predictive Factors of Complications of Vaginal Delivery on Scarred Uterus at the YaoundéGynaeco-Obstetric and Paediatric Hospital

Objective: This study was aimed at identifying predictive factors of complications during vaginal delivery on scarred uterus. Methodology: During 9 months, from October 1st, 2015 to June 30th, 2016, a case control study was carried out at the Yaoundé Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. Eighty nine women each with a single scarred uterus who presented with complications during delivery (cases) were compared to eighty nine others who had a successfully trial of scar (control) during the study period. Data were analyzed using the CSPro version 6.0 and SPSS version 20.0 softwares with statistical significance set at P Results: We recruited 2 groups of 89 women, aged 17 to 40 years, with an average age of 29.05 years. The majority of women with complications were married (50.6%) and unemployed (42.8%). Following univariate analysis, predictive factors of complications were: prematurity (OR = 7.4), post-term (OR = 13.7), no history of vaginal delivery on scarred uterus (OR = 4.3), inter-pregnancy spacing period greater than 60 months (five years) (OR = 2.9), History of caesarian delivery indicated for cephalo-pelvic disproportion (OR = 6.6), less than four ante-natal consultations (OR = 3.6), antenatal consultations done in a Health Centre (OR = 2.7), ante-natal follow up conducted by a nurse (OR = 2.4;IC = [1.2 - 4.7]), referral from a different health unit (OR = 4.4, IC = 2.0 - 9.4), a Bishop score less than 7 on admission (OR = 12.4, IC = 5.6 - 27.4), a meconium stained amniotic fluid (OR = 9.9;CI = [3.6 - 26.8]). After logistic regression, the retained factors associated with complications were post-term (aOR = 34.5), absence of vaginal birth after caesarian delivery, (aOR = 11.7), previous caesarean section indicated for cephalo-pelvic disproportion (aOR = 6.1), a bishop score less than 7 (aOR = 12.0), meconium stained amniotic fluid (aOR = 13.6). Conclusion: Predictive factors of complications can help anticipate negative obstetric outcomes.

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer: A Case-Control Study of 315 Women Followed in the Gynecology and Oncology Departments of Two University Teaching Hospitals in Yaounde, Cameroon

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the first cause of cancer-related deaths among women in Cameroon. The aim of the study was to investigate its risk factors for breast cancer at two University Teaching Hospitals in Yaoundé. Methodology: A case-control study was conducted for 5 months, from February 25th to July 25th 2015, at the Gynecology unit of the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (YGOPH) and the Medical Oncology unit of the Yaoundé General Hospital (YGH). One hundred and five patients with breast cancer (cases) were compared to 210 women who did not have breast cancer (controls). SPSS Version 18.0.0 software was used to analyze the data with a statistical significance considered at P-value 50 years (P three times per week (P = 0.002;OR = 2.14;CI = [1.33 - 3.45]), palm oil consumption > two times per week (P = 0.001;OR = 2.38;CI = [1.4 - 4.1]). After multivariate analysis, age > 50 years (aOR = 41.48;CI = [2.46 - 69.9]) and consumption of red meat > three times per week [aOR = 7.33;(1.49 - 36)] were the risk factors considered significant for breast cancer. Conclusion: Age > 50 years and red meat consumption are independent risk factors for breast cancer at the Yaoundé General Hospital and at the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital.

Risk factors of clinical birth asphyxia and subsequent newborn death following nuchal cord in a low-resource setting

Introduction: Our aim was to identify the risk factors of clinical birth asphyxia and subsequent newborn death in the presence of nuchal cord in a sub-Saharan Africa setting. Methodology: It was a six-months’ case-control study involving 117 parturients whose babies presented with a nuchal cord at delivery. The study was carried out at the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital, Cameroon, from January 1st to June 30th 2013. Results: The risk factors of clinical birth asphyxia identified were: first delivery, absence of obstetrical ultrasound during pregnancy, nuchal cord with more than one loop, duration of second stage of labor more than 30 minutes during vaginal delivery. The risk factors for newborn death from clinical birth asphyxia in the presence of nuchal cord were: maternal age Conclusion: We recommend a systematic obstetrical ultrasound before labor, so as to detect the presence of a nuchal cord, its tightness and the number of loops. Also, cesarean section should be considered when a nuchal cord is associated with first delivery, tightness or multiple looping.

Female infertility and laparoscopic surgery: A series of 415 operations at the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital, Cameroon

Objective: To describe the practice of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of infertility at the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetrics and Pediatric Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was an observational study with retrolective data collection. All patients who underwent laparoscopy for infertility with a complete file were recruited. Data were collected on a pre-established form and analyzed with Microsoft Excel 2007 software. Results: Six hundred and thirty-three women, representing 6.9% of gynecologic operations, underwent laparoscopic surgery during the study period. Infertility accounted for 69.8% (442 cases) of the indications. Four hundred and fifteen files were analyzed. The commonest intraoperative findings were: tubo-peritoneal adhesions (71.6%), hydrosalpinx with distal tubal occlusion (41.5%), peri-hepatic adhesions (22.4%), uterine fibroids (20.2%) and tubal phimosis (14.0%). Adhesiolysis, neosalpingostomy and fimbrioplasty were the commonest surgical gestures. At the end of the procedure, the best tube was staged as favorable in 57.6% of our patients. A complication rate of 4.3% was observed. Conclusion: Infertility is the main indication for laparoscopic surgery in our setting. The main operative findings are tubo-peritoneal adhesions and hydrosalpinx. The most practiced tubal surgical gesture is neosalpingostomy. Half of the recruited women have a favorable stage for the best tube. The complication rate is low.

Risk factors of intrapartal fetal death in a low-resource setting

Objective: To identify the risk factors of intrapartal fetal death in a tertiary hospital in Yaoundé. Methods: It was a case-control study comparing 53 women who delivered with intrapartal fetal death to 106 women who delivered without intrapartal fetal death, carried out at the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital, Cameroon. Results: The risk factors of intrapartal fetal death identified at bivariate analysis were: maternal age <20 years (OR = 3.1;CI = 1.1 - 8.3), absence of regular income (OR = 2.4;CI = 1.2 - 4.7), single motherhood (OR = 2.9;CI = 1.5 - 5.7), illiteracy and primary level of education (OR = 4.7;CI = 1.9 - 11.5), referral (OR = 5.0;CI = 2.5 - 9.9), parity 0 and 1 (OR = 2.3;CI = 1.1 - 4.5), no antenatal care (OR = 9.2;CI = 2.4 - 35.6), number of antenatal visits <4 (OR = 4.2;CI = 2.1 - 8.6), antenatal care in a health center (OR = 3.8;CI = 1.9 - 7.5), antenatal care by a midwife (OR = 2.5;CI = 1.3 - 4.9) or a nurse (OR = 5.2;CI = 1.4 - 18.7), absence of malaria prophylaxis (OR = 10.6;CI = 2.9 - 39.5), absence of obstetrical ultrasound (OR = 4.7;CI = 1.9 - 10.9), prematurity (OR = 3.4;CI = 1.5 - 7.3), abnormal presentation (OR = 2.6;CI = 1.1 - 5.9), ruptured membranes at admission (OR = 2.7;CI = 1.3 - 5.4), ruptured membranes >12 hours at admission (OR = 5.1;CI = 2.5 - 10.3), stained amniotic fluid (OR = 4.8;CI = 2.4 - 9.7), labor lasting more than 12 hours (OR = 18.1;CI = 8.0 - 41.0), presence of maternal complications (OR = 4.7;CI = 2.2 - 10.3), and presence of fetal complications (OR = 48.6;CI = 18.3 - 129), particularly acute fetal distress (OR = 52.3;CI = (14.6 - 186), cord prolapse (OR = 12.1;CI = 3.3 - 43.4), and birth weight <2500 g (OR = 2.8;CI = 1.2 - 6.6). Conclusion: Close attention should be offered to pregnant women, so as to identify these risk factors and promptly provide an appropriate management.

Outcome of cesarean delivery in women with excessive weight gain during pregnancy

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of excessive weight gain during pregnancy on the outcome of cesarean delivery. It was a cohort study comparing the outcome of cesarean delivery between 56 pregnant women with excessive weight gain during pregnancy and 75 pregnant women with no excessive weight gain during pregnancy, consecutively recruited at the Yaoundé Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital, Cameroon. In women delivered by cesarean section, excessive weight gain during pregnancy was found to predispose to: time interval from parietal incision to fetal extraction of more than five minutes, duration of cesarean section more than 60 minutes, blood loss more than 1000 ml during surgery, post-operative maternal complications, especially sepsis, fetal weight >3.5 kg and macrosomia. A systematic screening of excessive weight gain should be offered to all pregnant women, so as to prevent the adverse effects of excessive gestational weight gain on cesarean outcome.

Potential Association between Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear and “Bi-Collateral” Ligamentous Rupture: A Retrospective Study

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears are common complications of knee trauma. This entity can be reliably diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging. There is a lack of data on the epidemiology of ACL tears in Sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study is to describe the radiological aspects of post traumatic ACL tears in a black African setting (Yaounde Teaching Hospital). Methods: ninety six (96) MR studies of the knee were retrospectively reviewed. They were realized on a low field device (0.2T) from July 2012 to December 2013. All the examinations were indicated for knee trauma. Ligamentous, meniscal, bony and joint lesions were sought on coronal and sagittal sections. Results: the sample consists of 70% (68/96) of men. The mean age is 35.36 ± 11.86 years. The prevalence of ACL tears is 45.8% (44/96) of which 36 (81.81%, 36/44) are total tears. 23 (24%) have associated meniscal lesion and 8 (8.3%) have a simultaneous damage of the collateral ligaments. The most frequently injured part of the meniscus is its posterior horn (12/23 cases). Meniscal and “bi-collateral” ligament injuries are independently associated to ACL tears. Conclusion: The prevalence of ACL tears at the Yaounde Teaching Hospital is 45.8%. It is independently associated to meniscal tears and concomitant injury of the tibial and fibular collateral ligaments.

Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction and Silent Myocardial Ischemia amongst Asymptomatic Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Two Referral Hospitals in Cameroon

Background: Cardiovascular events, the leading cause of death among diabetic patients, are usually under-diagnosed due to subclinical presentation. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study from March-2019 to September-2020, in two reference hospitals in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to assess the prevalence of asymptomatic Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction (LVDD) and Silent Myocardial Infarction (SMI) and potentially associated factors. Results: Out of 95 participants (mean age ± SD: 43 ± 7 years;M/F sex-ratio 1.6), 22 (23.1%;95% CI: 15.8% - 32.6%) had LVDD and fewer (n = 13, 13.6%;95% CI: 8.2% - 22.0%) had SMI, p = 0.86. Though not statistically significant, patients with ≥5 years diabetes duration, as well as patients with HbA1C ≥ 7.5% had two-fold increased risk of LVDD (p = 0.22 and p = 0.15 respectively). LVDD was significantly higher in patients with SMI (29% vs 6.3%, p Conclusion: The significant presence of asymptomatic cardiovascular manifestations in this population entails mandatory preventive screening, especially, in patients with long standing diabetes and poor glycemic control, to allow timely detection and management.

Epidemiologic Profile of Maternal Deaths in Two Referral Hospitals in Cameroon

Introduction: Our objective was to compare the epidemiologic profile of maternal mortality in two structures serving as referral levels of care in Cameroon. Methodology: This cross-sectional, comparative study took place at the maternities of the Yaoundé Central Hospital (YCH) and the Bamenda Regional Hospital (BRH) from December 1st 2014 to May 31st 2015, a 6 months’ period. The medical records of deceased women over 5 years, from January 2010 to December 2014, were collected. We calculated the MMR (Maternal mortality rate) and studied the causes and risk factors associated with maternal death. The Epi info software 3.5.4 was used to analyze data with a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) was 964 and 247 per 100,000 live births for YCH and BRH, respectively. More deaths occurred within the aged group range 20 to 34 years, 76.8% at YCH and 64.7% at BRH. At YCH, 70.7% of these patients were referrals versus 32.4% at BRH. Complication from abortion was often implicated at BRH (P = 0.007;OR = 0.31;CI = 0.13 - 0.74). Others causes were hemorrhage (YCH = 43.4%;BRH = 35.5%), hypertensive diseases (YCH = 17.2%;BRH = 14.7%) and infections (YCH = 8.1%;BRH = 17.6%). At YCH time elapsed from admission to death was <3 h (P = 0.005;OR = 6.63;CI = 1.49 - 29.5). Conclusion: Both hospitals have similar causes of maternal deaths, differing only in the context within which the deaths occurred. Improving access to good quality health care, satisfying unmet needs for family planning, availability of blood products and the establishment of health insurance could decrease the maternal mortality rate.

Improving Post Abortion Care (PAC) Delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Literature Review

Saharan Africa (SSA) contributes 29% of the global unsafe abortions with 62% of abortion-related deaths. This is due to restrictive abortion laws, low quality post abortion care (PAC) and inadequate access to effective modern contraception. The overall objective was to review current literature on PAC in SSA and make recommendations for improvement especially in Cameroon. A literature review was conducted on PAC in SSA published during 2000-2018. The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, POPLINE, COCHRANE Library, African Index Medicus and GOOGLE Scholar. Thirty articles were reviewed from 16 countries ranging from observational studies to systematic reviews with meta-analysis. Major outcomes: 1) Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) and misoprostol are equally safe and effective. 2) There is comparable effectiveness between physicians and trained mid-level cadres in PAC management. 3) PAC contraception uptake was increased when offered immediately before patient leaves the facility. 4) Gaps to PAC service use include inadequate access, low quality care and less adolescent-friendly environment. Task shifting of PAC to trained mid-level staff, decentralization of medical PAC using misoprostol, offering post abortion counselling and contraception to clients before leaving the health facility, encouraging linkage and provider-community partnership in PAC and reinforcement of advocacy for less restrictive abortion laws in Cameroon are recommended.