Surgery "safe" in poor countries
Tuesday August 17th, 2010
Surgery can safely be performed in countries with limited resources, doctors from Medecins Sans Frontieres have reported.
An analysis of the work of the organisation, which works in the world's most troubled situations, shows a surprisingly low death rates.
The organisation says this has been achieved by insisting on minimum standards, such as water, blood and sterilisation equipment.
And its findings suggest that rates of surgery in poor countries could be increased, MSF said.
The report, in the Archives of Surgery, says the death rate over eight years was just 0.2 per cent.
This was achieved in nearly 20,000 procedures, of which more than 8,000 were emergencies and nearly as many involved pregnant women.
Led by Dr Kathryn Chu, the MSF team say: "As a large provider of surgical care in developing countries, assuring quality is paramount for MSF.
"Our low operative mortality, even in a variety of emergencies, was partly the result of strict protocols for all essential aspects of surgical care.
"In most humanitarian contexts outcome data are difficult to collect, which means that structural and process indicators are even more important, as are minimum standards for essential items such as water, a blood bank, electricity, sterilisation equipment and a post-anaesthesia care unit."
Arch Surg. 2010;145[8]:721-725
Tags: World Health
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