The pattern of surgical admissions in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria: 1997-1999.

Abstract

Aim: To describe the pattern of surgical admissions in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu from 1997 to 1999. Materials and methods: The study was a retrospective study. Data were collected from the theatre registers, ward admissions and casualty admission records at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria. Results: Three thousand four and fifteen surgical patients were operated upon between January1997 and December 1999 in the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. This constituted 15.8% of total admissions into the hospital within that time period. The commonest age group that had surgery was 0 – 9 years. The mean age of all surgical patients was 32.7years. Adult to paediatric ratio was 2.5: 1. Hernia (20.0%), intestinal obstruction (12.6%), appendicitis (10.8%), benign prostate hypertrophy (11.4%), cancer of the breast (10.0%) and goiter (8.4%) were the commonest surgical conditions. The digestive system and genitourinary systems were the most commonly affected systems. Emergency admission accounted for 18.1% of all surgical admissions while elective admissions accounted for the rest. Conclusion: More detailed research on the pattern of admissions is important in planning and should be carried out regularly as a management tool. Better record keeping and computerization of the records department is recommended. Keywords: Surgical, Admissions, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital