BACKGROUND Minimally invasive surgery has become increasingly utilized in the trauma setting. When properly applied, it offers several advantages, including reduced morbidity, lower rates of negative laparotomy, and shortened length of hospital stay. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of laparoscopy in the management of trauma patients with penetrating abdominal injuries. METH...

Emergency medical services (EMS) systems, and prehospital care are difficult to evaluate. Accordingly, the true efficacy and value of such systems are difficult to determine. The multitude of variations and combinations of involved factors makes standardisation and comparison difficult, and universal indicators are hard to develop. Various attempts have been made to determine valid indicators o...

Background Surgical site infections (SSI) are the common nosocomial infection in surgical patients, and are a significant source of postoperative morbidity resulting in increased hospital stay, morbidity and cost. Objective The objective of this study was to obtain the incidence of SSI and determine various risks factors influencing the SSI rate with special reference to the National Nosocomial...

A 46-year-old woman was brought to the emergency department after having been found stabbed at home. A 25 cm long knife was stuck on the anterior left chest, over the cardiac area approximately between the sternum and the midclavicular line on the fifth intercostal space. Two further deep wounds were on the left chest 3–4 cm above the knife along the midclavicular line and on the left hypocondr...

A series of 36 Black and Coloured patients, presenting during a 1-year period with life-endangering intrathoracic trauma secondary to assault, is presented. Penetrating wounds of the heart were documented in 32 of these patients, 6 of whom died almost immediately after having been brought into the Resuscitation Unit of Tygerberg Hospital, Parowvallei, CP. The remaining 26 patients had clinical ...

INTRODUCTION The aims of this study were as follows: first to quantify and review the types of surgical procedures performed by military surgeons assigned to a Forward Surgical Team (FST) providing medical support to the population (MSP) in the Ivory Coast (IC), and second to analyze how this MSP was achieved. METHODS Between 2002 and 2012, all of the local nationals operated on by the differ...

BACKGROUND The incidence of penetrating abdominal injuries (PAI) has increased in the West African sub-region. OBJECTIVE To determine the pattern and management outcome of penetrating abdominal injuries (PAI) in the two main teaching hospitals in Ghana. STUDY DESIGN A prospective and retrospective descriptive study. SETTING Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi and Korle-Bu Teachi...

BACKGROUND Penetrating cardiac injuries in Europe have been poorly studied. We present a 10-year outcome for patients with penetrating heart injuries at Oslo University Hospital. METHODS Data from 01.01.2001 until 31.12.2010 was collected from the Oslo University Hospital Trauma Registry and from the patients' records. RESULTS Thirty-one patients were admitted with a penetrating cardiac inj...