Machines matter too: including biomedical engineering partnerships in global health initiatives.

As the global burden of disease shifts from communicable to non-communicable diseases and trauma-related debility, the global health-care community has increasingly advocated for equitable access to surgical services. Much of this attention has focused on bolstering clinical and research expertise through the expansion of clinical training programmes and research resources. However, despite the crucial role of equipment, including medical devices, in safe clinical care, comparatively little attention has been paid to sustainably bridging the biomedical and technical gaps that exist in global health.

Delays to essential surgery at four faith based hospitals in rural Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Data regarding delays for emergency surgery in Sub-Saharan Africa is limited. We have therefore decided to undertake an evaluation of delays in patients seeking care, reaching care and receiving care for emergency surgery at four rural faith-based hospitals in this region over a 3 month period.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, multi-center, international study at four rural faith-based hospitals in Madagascar, Gabon, Cameroon and Burundi.

Airway Management Through a Facial Defect Resulting From Noma (Orofacial Gangrene): A Case Report.

At a rural district hospital in Burundi, a 3-year-old severely malnourished girl with Noma presented to the operating room for placement of a gastrostomy tube. The child had a large left-sided facial defect as well as trismus. After induction of general anesthesia, the anesthesia provider was unable to open her mouth.

Postoperative Airway Obstruction in a Low Resource Setting: A Case Report.

A 2-month-old girl with abnormal facial features and malnutrition presented for placement of a gastrostomy tube. The surgery was performed under general anesthesia using a laryngeal mask airway (LMA); however, after removal of the LMA, the patient had recurrent airway collapse, requiring repeated insertion of the LMA. The authors describe the management of this problem with the use of a tongue suture and anterior traction in the postoperative period in a resource-limited setting.