1,067 research outputs found
Inhaled foreign bodies in children: a global perspective on their epidemiological, clinical, and preventive aspects.
No full text
An audit of emergency admissions to the adult general surgery department at Pietersburg Hospital, Polokwane, Limpopo Province, South Africa, during an 8-month period in 2021
No full textBackground. Emergency general surgery represents illnesses of very diverse pathology, related only by their urgent nature. The burden of general surgery emergency admissions at Pietersburg Hospital in Polokwane, Limpopo Province, South Africa, is currently unknown.
Objectives. To describe the demographic characteristics and clinical presentation of general surgical patients admitted to Pietersburg
Hospital, as well as their surgical management, in order to plan future resource allocation.
Methods. This was a retrospective descriptive audit of patients admitted to the adult general surgery department over the 8-month period April - November 2021.
Results. A total of 893 surgical emergency patients treated during the study period were included in the analysis. Of these, 357 were trauma and 536 non-trauma emergency cases. The majority of the patients (61%) were managed non-operatively. Of the 39% who required surgical management, only 24% had their operation performed within the first 24 hours, with the remainder only operated on after a delay owing to unavailability of space in theatre and/or unavailability of an intensive care unit (ICU) bed.
Conclusion. The lack of a dedicated surgical emergency theatre and the shortage of ICU beds are burning issues at Pietersburg Hospital and should be addressed as a matter of the greatest urgency
An audit on the preliminary results of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography performed in the Limpopo Academic Complex, Polokwane, South Africa
No full textBackground. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an endoscopic procedure that is an important treatment
modality for the management of hepatic, pancreatic and biliary diseases. The ERCP unit in the Limpopo Academic Complex in Polokwane, South Africa, was established at the end of 2021.
Objectives. To identify areas for improvement in the new ERCP unit.
Methods. All ERCP procedures were audited in five components: (i) room set-up; (ii) endoscope, guidewires and consumable accessories; (iii) fluoroscopy; (iv) sedation and analgesia; and (v) ERCP endoscopist and staff. These were considered the essential pillars of an ERCP unit. The quality of each component was graded in every ERCP procedure as grade 1 (very poor), grade 2 (below average), grade 3 (average), grade 4 (above average), and grade 5 (highly satisfactory).
Results. Nine therapeutic ERCP procedures were performed during the period 10 January - 31 May 2022. Eighteen theatre slots were
allocated for ERCP procedures during the study period, but only seven of them were utilised. The quality of ERCP unit components was
highest for the sedation and analgesia component (mean grade of 4) and lowest for fluoroscopy (mean 1.8).
Conclusion. Establishing a new ERCP service is a task with many challenges. We present the preliminary results of the Limpopo Academic Complex ERCP unit with a view to adding our experience to the current knowledge
Evaluation of the performance of lecturers in general surgery by 4th- and 6th-year MB ChB students at the University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa
No full textBackground. Students’ evaluation of teaching performance is one of the important means of measuring the quality of higher education worldwide. Students are valuable contributors to improvement of the teaching performance of lecturers. For any academic institution, it is very important to receive feedback on teaching quality from students.
Objectives. To determine lecturers’ performance as evaluated by undergraduate students in general surgery, with the aim of identifying the lecturers’ strengths and planning tactics for any necessary improvement measures.
Methods. This study followed a descriptive research design to evaluate seven lecturers in general surgery by 4th- and 6th-year MB ChB
students at the University of Limpopo, Polokwane, South Africa.
Results. Seven lecturers were evaluated by the students. From the study results, there is strong evidence that the majority of the participants were satisfied with 5/7 lecturers’ interpersonal skills and communication and presentation style, including an overall rating (p<0.0001). Two lecturers were considered by the students to require some level of improvement in performance (p<0.0001).
Conclusion. General surgery students expressed satisfaction with the teaching performance of most members of the academic staff.
However, some lecturers need to improve with regard to audibility and preparation for slide presentations
Unilateral congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis and unilateral choanal atresia – a novel finding: A case report
No full textCongenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis (CNPAS) is a rare cause of upper airway obstruction in infants, with an incidence of 1 in25 000 live births. Choanal atresia (CA) is a more common cause of upper airway obstruction, with an incidence of 1 in 5 000 - 8 000 livebirths. These two conditions often occur independently of each other. Radiologists frequently misinterpret CNPAS as CA. We present acase in which unilateral CNPAS and unilateral CA occurred in the same patient on opposite sides of the nose. The patient had none ofthe associated craniofacial abnormalities or syndromes. The CNPAS was successfully treated with a sub-labial approach and drilling of the stenotic pyriform aperture, while the CA was dilated with Lister dilators
An introduction to surgical challenges and priorities in rural areas
No full textAn introduction to surgical challenges and priorities in rural area
Reducing the effects of co-ion transportation in the Acid-Base Flow Battery
No full textWith the advent of the sustainable energy transition, the deployment of renewable energy sources is rapidly growing. One of the main problems for sustainable systems like wind and polar power is the fluctuating and intermittent behaviour of these sources. In order to make these systems more reliable energy storage is needed to compliment these systems. A multitude of different systems are now in development at different institutions and companies in order to fulfill this need, one of which being the Greenbattery under development at AquaBattery. The Greenbattery is an Acid Base Flow Battery (AB-FB), which is a further iteration of their original Concentration Gradient Flow Battery (CGFB or Bluebattery). The AB-FB shows promising market potential due to its low impact on the environment, relatively low cost and being easily scalable. Currently the AB-FB is on par in energy densities with systems such as Pumped Hydro Storage and Compressed Air Storage, while not being dependent on geological features or scale of size. However, the AB-FB still needs improvement as co-ion transportation degrades its potential energy density over time. In order to make this technology more viable parameters must be found in order to limit the co-ion transportation. During this thesis research is performed to identify any other potential losses, as well as testing the operational limits and behaviour of the membranes. After this the battery is subjugated to conditions simulating real life operation. During these tests the charge/discharge density, as well as depth of charge, is incrementally changed. By doing this insight is gained in the amount of co-ion transportation that is occurring and whether or not this improves the battery lifetime. The results show the battery can last up to twice as long before falling below 80 % of its original energy density. This is done by reducing the upper and lower limits of the state of charge. However, as a trade off, there is reduction in the energy density of the battery. Following this, research has been performed into the viability of resetting the system, which led to promising results. With this knowledge the operator gains insight whether he wants to put priority in higher energy density or longer lifetime, as well as when he should reset the system to keep it at maximum potential energy density. This gives flexibility to the AB-FB and hopefully help AquaBattery sell its product in the coming years.Electrical Engineering | Sustainable Energy Technolog
The challenges of starting a tertiary orthopaedics centre in a rural area
No full textRural areas are known to be less well resourced than urban areas. Starting new subspecialty centres in an urban area may be challenging; starting them in rural areas is often even harder. In this article we explore various factors that make starting a tertiary orthopaedics unit difficult. We first discuss the background, followed by general challenges of initiating specialised units in rural areas and then the more specific challenges with regard to orthopaedic surgery, and we finish by discussing some socioeconomic and family issues
- …
