where there is no paediatric surgeon!

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Qureshi et al, Paediatric Surgery and General Surgeons

APSP J Case Rep 2011; 2: 10 1

L E T T E R T O T H E E D I T O R OPEN ACCESS

Where There Is No Paediatric Surgeon!

Mumtaz Qureshi, Gulfam, Naima Zamir, Jamshed Akhtar*

Dear Sir,

Two cases are presented as a preamble to address theissue of management of emergent / urgent paediatricsurgical conditions in a setting without paediatric surgicalfacilities.

Case 1: A female baby weighing 3 kg referred from asmall town near Afghanistan border, after providing initial

surgical care for gastroschisis. In privately owned vehicleit takes more than 36 hours to reach our facility from thehospital, where patient was managed initially. The babywas delivered with no antenatal workup. Following birththe patient was immediately transferred to the militaryhospital in the town where a general surgeon recognizedthe condition correctly. The referral notes provided detailsof the condition with clarity. According to the notesimpending gangrene of gut protruding out of defect wasmanaged by increasing the defect both in midline andlaterally (though incision was too large) with manualstretching of abdominal cavity. The surgeon then appliedlatex surgical glove after trimming it according to the size

of the defect. Neonatal care was provided and the familyadvised to seek paediatric surgical opinion. On arrival atour hospital the baby was in poor general condition withsigns of sepsis. Following resuscitation the baby was re-explored. On removal of silo the color of almost whole ofthe small bowel was found dusky with doubtful viabilitypatches over the oedematous wall. It was non rotatedwith jejunal atresia. A large necrotic patch was presentnear the atretic end (Fig. 1). The terminal part of theatretic gut was resected including necrotic area and endstoma in the left flank made. A silo bag was applied tomain defect. The general condition of the baby did notimprove and she died on day 5 of admission.

Case 2: A male newborn following delivery in a smalltown in rural set up at a government facility, dischargedhome when after 24 hours parents noted absent analopening with abdominal distension. The baby was takento another hospital in the same town where a generalsurgeon performed surgical procedure for imperforateanus through a large perineal incision under localanaesthesia though an x-ray of baby was also performed.

Figure 1: Patient with gastroschisis: Note non rotated atretic smallbowel with gangrene and non viable patches over oedematous bowelwall.

Figure 2: A large irregular scar in the perineum with urine tricklingfrom neo anus.

Following surgery, an attempted anoplasty, the babypassed meconium but also started urinating throughnewly created anal opening; though at birth he passedurine normally per urethra (Fig. 2). The family remainedapprehensive and finally brought the patient to our facility.A diverting colostomy was performed and followingrecovery baby was sent home to be investigated andtreated later. At two months of age after investigations,patient was operated through posterior sagittal approach.

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