QSIRS Can Improve Accuracy of QSOFA and SIRS in Prediction of Mortality in Surgical Emergencies

Prevalence and mortality rate of abdominal surgical emergencies in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Abdominal surgical emergencies remain prevalent in various healthcare settings, particularly in regions with limited access to basic surgical care, such as Africa. The aim of this literature review is to systematically assess publications on abdominal surgical emergencies in adults in sub-Saharan Africa to estimate their prevalence and mortality rate.

METHODOLOGY

A systematic review was conducted. The latest search was performed on October 31, 2022. We estimated the pooled prevalence with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for each abdominal surgical emergency, as well as overall postoperative mortality and morbidity rates.

RESULTS

A total of 78 studies were included, and 55.1% were single-center retrospective and monocentric studies. The mean age of the patients was 32.5 years, with a sex ratio of 1.94. The prevalence of each abdominal surgical emergency among all of them was as follows: appendicitis: 30.0% (95% CI: 26.1-33.9); bowel obstruction: 28.6% (95% CI: 25.3-31.8); peritonitis: 26.6% (95% CI: 22.2-30.9); strangulated hernias: 13,4% (95% CI: 10,3-16,5) and abdominal trauma: 9.4% (95% CI: 7.5-11.3). The prevalence of complications was as follows: mortality rate: 7.4% (95% CI: 6.0-8.8); overall postoperative morbidity: 24.2% (95% CI: 19.4-29.0); and surgical site infection 14.4% (95% CI: 10.86-18.06).

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed a high prevalence of postoperative complications associated with abdominal surgical emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa. More research and efforts should be made to improve access and quality of patient care.

Antimicrobial Challenge in Acute Care Surgery

The burden of infections in acute care surgery (ACS) is huge. Surgical emergencies alone account for three million admissions per year in the United States (US) with estimated financial costs of USD 28 billion per year. Acute care facilities and ACS patients represent boost sanctuaries for the emergence, development and transmission of infections and multi-resistant organisms. According to the World Health Organization, healthcare-associated infections affected around 4 million cases in Europe and 1.7 million in the US alone in 2011 with 39,000 and 99,000 directly attributable deaths, respectively. In this scenario, antimicrobial resistance arose as a public-health emergency that worsens patients’ morbidity and mortality and increases healthcare costs. The optimal patient care requires the application of comprehensive evidence-based policies and strategies aiming at minimizing the impact of healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance, while optimizing the treatment of intra-abdominal infections. The present review provides a snapshot of two hot topics, such as antimicrobial resistance and systemic inflammatory response, and three milestones of infection management, such as source control, infection prevention, and control and antimicrobial stewardship.