South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
-
Case Reports
Haemotoxic snakebite in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: A case presenting with haematemesis.
A 36-year-old man who had been bitten on his left index finger by a snake identified as a boomslang (Dispholidus typus) presented with haematemesis and hypovolaemic shock. Coagolopathy was presumed, and the platelet count was 2 × 10⁹/L. Findings on upper endoscopy included oesophageal petechial haemorrhages, severe haemorrhagic gastritis and an antral ulcer. The patient was successfully managed using freeze-dried plasma, packed red blood cells, isotonic crystalloids and polyvalent antivenom.
-
Antiretroviral treatment coverage for children and adolescents is significantly lower than that for adults. A first step in improving this situation is ensuring increased access to HIV counselling and testing services. ⋯ We discuss the challenges and opportunities these norms present for children, their families, health providers and researchers working in this area. Better alignment between evolving public health approaches and the HIV counselling and testing legal/policy frameworks (and the internal coherence of domestic frameworks) would better serve children, their parents and those who work with them.
-
A range of different evidence-based methods for clinical practice guideline activities have been established, and there is common agreement in these that poorly conceived CPG team composition and management can jeopardise CPG integrity. Recognised CPG initiatives therefore provide guidance on CPG team construction and management. In this editorial, we outline steps for effective, efficient and outcome-focused CPG team membership, roles and management: (i) determine responsibilities and tasks; (ii) identify 'experts' and their 'voices'; (iii) identify a CPG team leader; (iv) determine and declare conflicts of interest; (v) determine CPG team terms of reference; (vi) establish CPG timeframes and tailored capacity development; and (vii) establish consensus. ⋯ Justifying CPG team membership, declaring conflicts of interest, identifying efficient ways of hearing constituent 'voices', defining and time-lining team tasks and roles, providing necessary training, and respecting individuals' efforts and time should ensure that CPG team members enjoy their experiences. This will contribute to growing CPG expertise in South Africa and beyond.
-
The fast-track registration policy of the South African National Department of Health allows for rapid registration of new medicines of public health importance and of all medicines on the Essential Medicines List, most of which are generics. No limit is placed on the number of generic brands of a medicine that can be submitted for fast-track registration. This, together with resource constraints at the regulator, may delay access to important new medicines, new fixed-dose combinations of critical medicines or affordable versions of biological medicines (biosimilars). ⋯ We found this not to be valid, since market share correlated poorly with price. Generic brands with high market share were, mostly, those that were registered first. We propose that the number of generic brands accepted for fast-tracking be limited to not more than seven per medicine.
-
A 57-year-old man with a history of chemotherapy because of cutaneous lymphoma presented with an orbital apex syndrome. The cranial computed tomography scan revealed a tumour in the orbital apex, extending intradurally. With a suspected diagnosis of a neoplastic lesion, the patient underwent orbital surgery with optic nerve decompression. ⋯ In immunocompromised patients with intracranial tumours, infection is always a major consideration in the differential diagnosis, even if the reason for immunosuppression (in this case chemotherapy) dates back several months. Misdiagnosing an orbital apex lesion as a cancer and treating patients primarily with corticosteroids can be life threatening. Removal or biopsy of such lesions is essential in further treatment since antifungals have to be administered as fast as possible.