Table 4.
Paediatric surgical procedures by hospital level in Uganda (2013–2014)
| Procedure | General hospital, 1276 patients, n (%) |
Regional referral hospital, 4475 patients, n (%) |
National Referral Hospital, 2135 patients, n (%) |
Total n=7886 patients, n (%) |
| Abdominal and colorectal surgery (n=4559 procedures) | ||||
| Laparotomy | 179 (14.0) | 990 (22.1) | 453 (21.2) | 1622 (20.6) |
| Herniotomy/herniorrhaphy/hydrocelectomy | 591 (46.3) | 652 (14.6) | 121 (5.7) | 1364 (17.3) |
| Colostomy (creating/closure) | 17 (1.3) | 206 (4.6) | 175 (8.2) | 398 (5.0) |
| Mayo’s repair of umbilical hernia | 113 (8.9) | 179 (4.0) | 68 (3.2) | 360 (4.6) |
| Resection and anastomosis | 12 (0.9) | 149 (3.3) | 83 (3.9) | 244 (3.1) |
| Appendicectomy | 30 (2.4) | 58 (0.8) | 45 (2.1) | 133 (1.7) |
| Splenectomy | 7 (0.5) | 73 (1.6) | 13 (0.6) | 93 (1.2) |
| Other abdominal procedures (Swenson pull through, posterior sagittal anorectoplasty, Ramtsaedt’s procedure) | 0 (0.0) | 195 (4.4) | 150 (7.0) | 345 (4.4) |
| Orthopaedic procedures (n=1212 procedures) | ||||
| Fracture surgery (internal and external fixations), amputations | 72 (5.6) | 452 (10.1) | 154 (7.2) | 678 (8.6) |
| Sequestrectomy | 115 (9.0) | 141 (3.2) | 54 (2.5) | 310 (3.9) |
| Corrective procedures for clubfoot | 61 (4.8) | 63 (1.4) | 25 (1.2) | 149 (1.9) |
| Arthrotomy | 9 (0.7) | 43 (1.0) | 23 (1.1) | 75 (1.0) |
| Ear, nose and throat (n=594 procedures) | ||||
| Adenotonsillectomy | 0 (0) | 292 (6.5) | 115 (5.4) | 407 (5.2) |
| FB removal, bronchoscopy, others | 2 (0.2) | 134 (3.0) | 51 (2.4) | 187 (2.4) |
| Urology (n=429) | ||||
| Orchidopexy and orchidectomy | 41 (3.2) | 115 (2.6) | 34 (1.6) | 190 (2.4) |
| Reconstructive surgery (hypospadia, epispadia, urethral valve) | 4 (0.3) | 130 (3.0) | 105 (5.0) | 239 (3.0) |
| Cardiothoracic and vascular surgery (n=128 procedures) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 128 (6.0) | 128 (1.6) |
| Plastic surgery (n=293 procedures) | ||||
| Cleft lip and palate | 31 (2.4) | 132 (2.9) | 50 (2.3) | 213 (2.7) |
| Skin grafting | 22 (1.7) | 43 (1.0) | 15 (0.7) | 80 (1.0) |
| Neurosurgery (n=285 procedures) | ||||
| Neurosurgery procedures (VP shunt, drainage of brain abscess, craniotomy, repair of meninges) | 0 (0) | 122 (2.7) | 163 (7.6) | 285 (3.6) |
| Other procedures (n=782 procedures) | 92 (7.2) | 575 (12.8) | 115 (5.4) | 782 (9.9) |
| Not indicated (n=16 procedures) | 0 (0) | 16 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 16 (0.2) |
*Procedures with ≤1% were grouped under ‘others’. Some patients had more than one surgical procedure performed; hence, total number of procedures exceeds number of patients.
FB, foreign body; VP, ventriculoperitoneal.