West African journal of medicine
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This study was done to highlight the pattern and distribution of trauma deaths in a Nigerian teaching hospital in order to enhance trauma research, improve treatment strategies and prevent trauma deaths. ⋯ The pattern and distribution of trauma revealed a typical trauma death is a male aged below 40 years, who is a trader/businessman involved in RTA or violent trauma. Despite a probability of survival above 60% and majority of the patients getting to hospital within 6 hours, the inadequate A and E care has thrown up possibilities for prevention of trauma death, improving treatment strategies and enhancing trauma research.
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Three experiences of management of mass casualties in Jos University Teaching Hospital were analysed. Classification into minor, moderate and major mass casualties was done using multiple criteria of number of casualties, number of doctors required to contain the situation, number of nurses and paramedical staff, degree of distruption of hospital services and time required to handle the immediate stabilisation of the casualties. The classification recognises a category called "regional disaster" and attempts to enunciate a principle of initiation, mobilisation and co-ordination of management of such disasters among hospitals and human and material resources within the region. It is envisaged that coalescence of "regional disaster preparedness" would from the bedrock of national ambulance services system.
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This study is a retrospective analysis of forty-one consecutive patients who underwent elective single or multilevel anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF) in Ghana. All the patients had been followed up for at least six months. ⋯ The majority of patients undergoing non-instrumented ACDF in Ghana have cervical myelopathy involving two cervical levels. However, a large majority of them have excellent or good clinical results after surgery. The most common complication is graft/donor site infection.