Publications by authors named "Alphonce Simbila"

Introduction: diuretic therapy is among the cornerstones of the management of heart failure in children with acquired or congenital heart diseases (CHD). Electrolyte derangements have been reported by various studies to be among the most common side effects following diuretic therapy. Despite that, there is limited documentation on the magnitude of this problem in our setting.

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Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) in children with pre-existing heart conditions is a life-threatening disease entity associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In our cardiac setting, the management outcomes of children with IE are not well documented. We therefore aimed to document the clinical profile and treatment outcomes of children with IE attended at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI).

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Background: Aortic valve reconstruction using glutaraldehyde-treated autologous pericardium, also called Ozaki procedure, is a surgical procedure for patients with aortic valve disease. Gratifying results have been reported in adult patients, however, limited published data is available in paediatric population. This study looked at clinical characteristics and early outcomes of children who underwent Ozaki procedure at our Institute.

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Background: Historically, educational initiatives in global health have involved expert lectures by visitors. However, incomplete understanding of the target population and resources can limit the efficacy of lectures by international faculty. Little data exists on the magnitude of this problem.

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Background: Hypertensive crisis is among the causes of morbidity and mortality in adult patients with hypertension in Sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to determine the burden, risk factors and describe the management strategies of hypertensive crisis among adult patients seen at emergency departments of district and regional hospitals in Tanzania.

Methods: This was a prospective multicenter longitudinal study which included all 162 district and regional hospitals in Tanzania.

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Introduction: preterm infants are vulnerable to several medical complications including anaemia, a significant public health problem with consequences on neurodevelopment. This study looked at the magnitude of anaemia and its associated factors among preterm infants at 6 weeks chronological age in a paediatric clinic of Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH).

Methods: this was a hospital based cross-sectional study conducted among preterm infants at 6 weeks chronological age attending follow-up clinic at MNH from October 2019 to March 2020.

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Background: Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is the commonest type of congenital heart lesion accounting for up to 40% of congenital heart defects. Well timed VSD closures are reported to yield excellent long-term outcomes. Late surgical VSD closures, particularly from the developing countries, are infrequently reported.

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Background: Polytrauma patients require special facilities to care for their injuries. In HICs, these patients are rapidly transferred from the scene or the first-health facility directly to a trauma center. However, in many LMICs, prehospital systems do not exist and there are long delays between arrivals at the first-health facility and the trauma center.

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Background: Mortality among under-five children in Tanzania remains high. While early presentation for treatment increases likelihood of survival, delays to care are common and factors causing delay to presentation among critically ill children are unknown. In this study delay was defined as presentation to the emergency department of tertially hospital i.

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Background: The survival of children who suffer cardiac arrest is poor. This study aimed to determine the predictors and outcome of cardiac arrest in paediatric patients presenting to an emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Tanzania.

Methodology: This was a prospective cohort study of paediatric patients > 1 month to ≤ 14 years presenting to Emergency Medicine Department of Muhimbili National Hospital (EMD) in Tanzania from September 2019 to January 2020 and triaged as Emergency and Priority.

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Introduction: High-income country (HIC) authors are disproportionately represented in authorship bylines compared with those affiliated with low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in global health research. An assessment of authorship representation in the global emergency medicine (GEM) literature is lacking but may inform equitable academic collaborations in this relatively new field.

Methods: We conducted a bibliometric analysis of original research articles reporting studies conducted in LMICs from the annual GEM Literature Review from 2016 to 2020.

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Gross maxillofacial injuries are challenging to manage because they can be complicated by airway obstruction, injuries to the cervical spine, and cranial structures. Deformities from such injuries have lasting psychological effects which if not addressed can be devastating. We present a 21-year-old male motorcyclist who was involved in a motor traffic collision and sustained avulsion and degloving of the forehead skin, left eyebrow, left upper and lower eyelids, the nose, the left cheek and part of the right cheek, upper and lower lips, and the skin overlying the chin.

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Introduction: Altered mental status (AMS) in the Emergency Department (ED) can be associated with morbidity and mortality. In high income countries, mortality rate is under 10% for patients presenting with AMS. There is a paucity of data on the profile and mortality amongst this group of patients in limited income countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The occurrence of retained rectal foreign bodies causing bowel perforation from auto-eroticism is uncommon in African males, but embarrassment can hinder timely treatment.
  • - A 30-year-old man experienced abdominal pain and constipation, and X-rays revealed free air and a large foreign body in his colon, indicating bowel perforation.
  • - Surgery was performed to remove a plastic bottle from his colon and repair a 10cm laceration, emphasizing the importance of prompt diagnosis and imaging in such cases for better patient outcomes.
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