The effect of a walking, dancing, and strength training program on the functional fitness of adults with intellectual disability: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: Many adults with intellectual disabilities live a sedentary lifestyle, have low levels of functional fitness and are overweight. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an exercise intervention with activities which are simple, fun, accessible and adapted for socialising in a group would elicit significant improvements in various parameters associated with functional fitness for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Methods: Forty-two adults with intellectual disability (44.

Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography in the management of intestinal injuries following penetrating abdominal trauma: a case-control study comparing postoperative outcomes.

Background: The surgical management of penetrating hollow visceral injuries includes primary repair or exteriorization. Tissue perfusion at the site of gastrointestinal suture repair may be challenging to assess and is vulnerable to local energy transfer-related injury, micro- or macro-circulatory insufficiency, or splanchnic vasoconstriction for various reasons. Breakdown of suture lines can lead to potentially life-threatening complications.

Trauma care and its financing around the world.

Abstract: Worldwide, one billion people sustain trauma, and 5 million people will die every year from their injuries. Countries must build trauma systems to effectively address this high-burden disease, but efforts are often challenged by financial constraints. Understanding mechanisms for trauma funding internationally can help to identify opportunities to address the burden of injuries.

Preventable trauma deaths in the Western Cape of South Africa: A consensus-based panel review.

Injury causes 4.4 million deaths worldwide annually. 90% of all injury-related deaths occur in low-and-middle income countries.

Road Traffic Injuries in South Africa: A Complex Global Health Crisis.

1.3 million people die each year as a result of Road traffic crashes. Road Traffic Injuries are a global health crisis with 90% of global deaths affecting LMICs.

Association of freeze-dried plasma with 24-h mortality among trauma patients at risk for hemorrhage.

Background: Blood products form the cornerstone of contemporary hemorrhage control but are limited resources. Freeze-dried plasma (FDP), which contains coagulation factors, is a promising adjunct in hemostatic resuscitation. We explore the association between FDP alone or in combination with other blood products on 24-h mortality.

Patterns of on-scene and healthcare system trauma deaths in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Background: Injuries account for 8% or 4.4 million deaths annually worldwide, with 90% of injury deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Inter-personal violence and road traffic injuries account for most injury deaths in South Africa, with rates among the highest globally.

Neuromuscular disease genetics in under-represented populations: increasing data diversity.

Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) affect ∼15 million people globally. In high income settings DNA-based diagnosis has transformed care pathways and led to gene-specific therapies. However, most affected families are in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) with limited access to DNA-based diagnosis.

Feasibility of conducting a military-relevant multicenter cohort study to assess outcomes of early trauma resuscitative interventions in a prolonged care civilian setting.

Background: The Epidemiology and Outcomes of Prolonged Trauma Care (EpiC) study is a 4-year, prospective, observational, large-scale epidemiologic study in South Africa. It will provide novel evidence on how early resuscitation impacts postinjury mortality and morbidity in patients experiencing prolonged care. A pilot study was performed to inform the main EpiC study.

The epidemiology and outcomes of prolonged trauma care (EpiC) study: methodology of a prospective multicenter observational study in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Background: Deaths due to injuries exceed 4.4 million annually, with over 90% occurring in low-and middle-income countries. A key contributor to high trauma mortality is prolonged trauma-to-treatment time.

Prolonged casualty care: Extrapolating civilian data to the military context.

Background: Civilian and military populations alike are increasingly faced with undesirable situations in which prehospital and definitive care times will be delayed. The Western Cape of South Africa has some similarities in capabilities, injury profiles, resource limitations, and system configuration to US military prolonged casualty care (PCC) settings. This study provides an initial description of civilians in the Western Cape who experience PCC and compares the PCC and non-PCC populations.

An Innovative Civilian Research Model to Inform Combat-Relevant Prolonged Casualty Care.

Prolonged Casualty Care (PCC) is a major US military research focus area. PCC is defined as the need to provide patient care for extended periods when evacuation or mission requirements surpass capabilities and/or capacity. US military experts have called for more data relevant to PCC.

Informing future policy for trauma prevention: The effect of the COVID-19 'National state of disaster lockdown' on the trauma burden of a tertiary trauma centre in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Introduction: Strategies to reduce the burden of trauma are not only a global priority, but also a South African public health priority due to a disproportionately large trauma burden. Identification of the contributors to preventable injuries would assist in guiding policy and prevention strategies at a local and international level. In response to SARS-nCOV-2 (COVID19), a national restrictive lockdown was implemented in South Africa with, amongst other restrictions, a complete ban on non-essential travel and alcohol sales.

Tuberculosis in Myasthenia Gravis patients on immunosuppressive therapy in a high-risk area: Implications for preventative therapy.

Data regarding the risk of tuberculosis (TB) in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy is limited, and the benefit of TB preventative therapy in these patients is uncertain. We audited observational data collected at an MG clinic in South Africa over a ~ 10-year period, of cases who received immunosuppressive therapy. The total time that the cohort was at risk (patient-years) was used as the denominator to calculate TB incidence after immunosuppressive therapy initiation.

Symptomatic hepatothorax presenting 25 years after penetrating thoracoabdominal injury.

Hepatic herniation through the diaphragm is a rare finding. It generally occurs due to a congenital diaphragmatic abnormality or blunt trauma resulting in a diaphragmatic defect. Making the diagnosis is difficult, as there are few definitive clinical signs and chest radiograph (CXR) findings may be non-specific.

Changes in surgical practice in 85 South African hospitals during COVID-19 hard lockdown.

Background: In preparation for the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa (SA) began a national lockdown on 27 March 2020, and many hospitals implemented measures to prepare for a potential COVID-19 surge.

Objectives: To report changes in SA hospital surgical practices in response to COVID-19 preparedness.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, surgeons working in SA hospitals were recruited through surgical professional associations via an online survey.

Efficacy and patterns of use of antimicrobial prophylaxis for gunshot wounds in a South African hospital setting: an observational study using propensity score-based analyses.

Background: Limited evidence supports the efficacy of antimicrobial prophylaxis (AP) in prevention of gunshot woundrelated (GSW-related) infection in resource restricted areas. At Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa, it is standard care for GSW patients to receive one dose of broad-spectrum AP. For various reasons, this protocol is not consistently followed.

Surgical Training in South Africa: An Overview and Attempt to Assess the Training System from the Perspective of Foreign Trainees.

Background: Currently, there are no objective reports evaluating the quality of the South African surgical training. The aim of this study is to evaluate the current state of surgical training in South Africa from an external impartial point of view and to rate the experience of short-term supernumerary registrars and fellows (STSRF) within the South African training system.

Methods: A 29-item survey was distributed via e-mail and social media to non-South African trainees who worked in South Africa as STSRF for a period of at least 1 month during the past 5 years.

Lived experiences of parents of premature babies in the intensive care unit in a private hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: Many of the 15 million premature babies born worldwide every year survive because of advanced medical interventions. Their parents have intense experiences when their babies are in the intensive care unit (ICU), and these have an impact on their thoughts, feelings and relationships, including their relationships with their premature babies.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of parents of premature babies in an ICU.