Approximately five billion people do not have access to necessary surgical treatment globally and up to 85% of children in LMICs are affected with conditions requiring surgical care by the age of 15 years. It is crucial to identify common surgical conditions in children in Pakistan to inform healthcare professionals and policymakers for effective resource allocation. This representative cross-sectional household survey conducted on children aged 5-10 years assessed existing surgical diseases and healthcare-seeking behaviors in the two largest provinces (Sindh and Punjab) of Pakistan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurgical conditions are responsible for up to 15% of total Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) lost globally. Approximately 4.8 billion people have no access to surgical care and this studies aim is to assess the surgical disease burden in children under the age of five years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBull World Health Organ
April 2021
Objective: To retrospectively review outcomes of a health provider-led infant circumcision programme in Pakistan.
Methods: Based on World Health Organization guidelines, we trained surgical technicians and midwives to perform circumcisions using the Plastibell device at two Indus Health Network facilities. Programme tools include a training manual for health providers, information brochures for families, an enrolment form and standardized forms for documenting details of the procedure and outcomes.
In recent years, simulation-based training in surgery has emerged as a viable accompaniment to traditional teaching methods. Multiple studies have highlighted the benefits of simulation-based training in both learning and teaching aspects of surgical training, with a particular emphasis on the honing of technical skills. However, multiple issues still exist in widespread implementation of simulation-based training, especially in the developing countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCovid-19 pandemic has significantly challenged the healthcare delivery across the world. Surgery departments across the country responded to this challenge by halting all non-emergency procedures. This delay in diagnosis and management of surgical disease could result in significant mortality and morbidity among the most vulnerable population-the children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFamilial Adenomatous Polyposis accounts for <1% of all the colorectal cancer cases, with progression to colorectal cancer usually at >20 years of age. Endoscopy is essential for the diagnosis with definitive treatment involving prophylactic total colectomy. With current surgical advances, this is routinely being performed with the aid of laparoscopy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur case report evaluates a 2½ year old boy who presented to emergency care, following multiple gunshot injuries and was managed emergently using a multidisciplinary surgical approach at our center. The patient was unresponsive, had poor perfusion, bilaterally decreased air entry, a distended abdomen, and multiple entry and exit wounds. A multidisciplinary team including Paediatric Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Paediatric anaesthesiology team and Orthopaedic surgery were taken on board.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Laparoscopy is increasingly being adopted for the treatment of ovarian pathologies in adults. However, its implementation for the management of pediatric ovarian masses varies and the evidence, to date, has not been comprehensively analyzed. This review aims to compare laparoscopic and open surgical management of pediatric ovarian masses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is huge burden of paediatric surgical diseases in low and middle income countries. Issues behind such a scenario include lack of trained paediatric surgeons, higher mortality due to infections, and poor postoperative care. The possible solution is improvement in the existing structure, which is government hospitals, because they are the most prevalent form of healthcare delivery in such countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGlobal Surgery (GS) is a movement that advocates access of every individual to safe and affordable surgery despite geographic location or socioeconomic status. It has recently received increased attention within the global health arena, but many patients are still without access to care because of geographical, social and economic disparities. Due to the multi-disciplinary nature of surgical services, GS requires that a worldwide network of healthy surgical systems be developed and sustained.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn a developing country like Pakistan, laparoscopic surgeries are not considered favourable by many, possibly because of high costs or a lack of expertise. It is an established fact that laparoscopic surgery offers better surgical treatments with a shorter hospital stay and fewer complications. The current retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi and comprised of laparoscopy cases performed by a single surgeon from March 2012 to September of 2014.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the frequency of infection of portacath in children having malignant tumours and undergoing chemotherapy, and to assess the association of the infection with already known risk factors.
Methods: The retrospective review was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and involved patient data related to the period between January 2005 to December 2010. A questionnaire was designed to collect the required data.