Development of a Unifying Target and Consensus Indicators for Global Surgical Systems Strengthening: Proposed by the Global Alliance for Surgery, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anaesthesia Care (The G4 Alliance)

After decades on the margins of primary health care, surgical and anaesthesia care is gaining increasing priority within the global development arena. The 2015 publications of the Disease Control Priorities third edition on Essential Surgery and the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery created a compelling evidenced-based argument for the fundamental role of surgery and anaesthesia within cost-effective health systems strengthening global strategy. The launch of the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma, and Anaesthesia Care in 2015 has further coordinated efforts to build priority for surgical care and anaesthesia. These combined efforts culminated in the approval of a World Health Assembly resolution recognizing the role of surgical care and anaesthesia as part of universal health coverage. Momentum gained from these milestones highlights the need to identify consensus goals, targets and indicators to guide policy implementation and track progress at the national level. Through an open consultative process that incorporated input from stakeholders from around the globe, a global target calling for safe surgical and anaesthesia care for 80% of the world by 2030 was proposed. In order to achieve this target, we also propose 15 consensus indicators that build on existing surgical systems metrics and expand the ability to prioritize surgical systems strengthening around the world.

[Open-heart valvular surgery in children. Apropos of 127 cases]

In view of the frequency and the severity of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and of endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) in the african child, the indication of a valvular surgical procedure is frequent in Abidjan. Between 1978 and 1983, 127 open-heart procedures have been performed in 113 patients. The ages ranged from 2 to 15 years, with a mean of 11 years. There were 67 RHD, 37 EMF, 9 bacterial endocarditis. The status of the patients was severe, there was a cardiomegaly (mean CTR of 0.70). 3 patients were in atrial fibrillation. The patients underwent 97 valve replacements (70 mitral, 18 tricuspid, 9 aortic) essentially by a bioprosthesis (n : 87). A mitral valvuloplasty was done in 27 cases. Associate procedures have been employed including : 35 endocardectomies, 11 aortic valvuloplasties, 6 tricuspid annuloplasties. 12 patients have been reoperated for bacterial endocarditis of a mitral prosthesis (n : 4), calcification of a mitral bioprosthesis (n : 5), failure of mitral valvuloplasty (n : 3). There were 13 deaths (10.2 p. 100 mostly in EMF surgery : 7 deaths (5.5 p. 100). No patient with a bioprosthesis received anticoagulants post-operatively. All surviving patients have been improved, with a mean post-operative follow-up of 32 months. There were 11 late deaths (8.6 p. 100). The authors discuss several points including : severity of children valvular diseases in tropical areas; necessity to use the bioprosthesis in this area of the world; increasing tendency to conservative surgery in the mitral and also the aortic position.