Free Latissimus Dorsi Flaps in Head and Neck Reconstruction at a Modern High-Volume Microsurgery Center.

Background:  Over the past two decades, with the introduction of the perforator flap concept and advances in flap dissections, lower extremities have emerged as the preferred soft tissue flap donor sites. As a modern and high-volume microsurgical center, and the senior author being one of the pioneers and advocates for the use of lower extremity flap donor sites, we aim to investigate the role of latissimus dorsi (LD) free flap in head and neck reconstruction within our current practice.

Methods:  All free LD flaps used for head and neck reconstruction performed by a single surgeon between January 2010 and June 2023 were reviewed for their indications and immediate and short-term outcomes.

Estimating mortality risk in burn patients admitted at Rwanda's largest referral hospital.

Background: Burns is a disease of poverty, disproportionately affecting populations in low- and middle-income countries, where most of the injuries and the deaths caused by burns occurs. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that one fifth of burn victims die from their injuries. Mortality prediction indexes are used to estimate outcomes after provided burn care, which has been used in burn services of high-income countries over the last 60 years.

Building Sustainable Reconstructive Microsurgery in Countries with Limited Resources: The Rwandan Experience.

Background: Reconstructive microsurgery practice has been well adopted in developed countries, but this has not been the same in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Injuries related to road traffic accidents are highest in these countries, with 93% of the world's fatalities on the roads occurring in LMICs. The objective of this study was to highlight the need for sustainable microsurgery in LMICs and share strategies undertaken in Rwanda.

Referral of Burn Patients in the Absence of Guidelines: A Rwandan Study.

Introduction: The management of severe burns and pediatric burns requires an organized system of care delivery, which includes referral guidelines. In Rwanda, the burn unit at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) is the only dedicated burn unit in the country and admits patients of all ages referred from the other provinces. However, since there are no official referral guidelines, it is unknown whether patients with burns are appropriately referred.

What is Known About Burns in East Africa? A Scoping Review.

Background: Burns are a global public health concern, with the majority of the disease burden affecting low- and middle-income countries. Yet, as suggested by previous publications, there is a widespread belief that literature about burns in low- and middle-income countries is lacking. Therefore, we aimed to assess with a scoping review, the extent of the literature output on burns in East Africa, and to investigate patient demographics, injury characteristics, treatment and outcomes, as reported from the existing publications.

Recording Patient Data in Burn Unit Logbooks in Rwanda: Who and What Are We Missing?

Systematic data collection in high-income countries has demonstrated a decreasing burn morbidity and mortality, whereas lack of data from low- and middle-income countries hinders a global overview of burn epidemiology. In low- and middle-income countries, dedicated burn registries are few. Instead, burn data are often recorded in logbooks or as one variable in trauma registries, where incomplete or inconsistently recorded information is a known challenge.