Surgical morbidity and mortality pattern in the accident and emergency room--a preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
A prospective review of surgical patients attending the Accident and Emergency room was carried out to determine the pattern of morbidity and mortality in order to guide planning and provision of surgical services and improve on the quality of care available.


METHODS
Patients were entered into a data sheet from September 1999; a preliminary report of the first six months is presented.


RESULTS
There were 1,209 patients (850 males and 359 females, M:F = 2.2:1) with 46 different presentations. Age range was 2 weeks to 95 years. The mode and median age was in the third decade. Morbidity from trauma was 70.5%, 44.5% from Road Traffic Accident while mortality from trauma was 2.6% (32 patients). Nearly half of the mortality (47.2%) was head injury related.


CONCLUSIONS
The commonest presentation was lacerations (19.4%) from which there was no mortality while head injury, multiple injury and multiple fractures that accounted for 14.7% morbidity had 61.1% mortality. These figures are helpful in planning services delivery and in focusing and improving on the mortality-prone presentations.
Solagberu
B A
BA
Department of Surgery, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Tunde@Ilorin.Skannet.Com
Duze
A T
AT
Ofoegbu
C P
CP
Adekanye
A O
AO
Odelowo
E O
EO
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006302:Health Services Research; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006752:Hospital Planning; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000401:mortality* / Q000592:standards; D014600:Utilization Review; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*