Shortages of medical equipment in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) have been found by several previous studies that assessed surgical capacity. To increase surgical capacity, there is a need to identify the availability of specific types of surgical equipment on a local, regional and national level. A survey was conducted among surgeons attending the annual meeting of the College Of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) in December 2016. General information of the facilities, availability of surgical equipment, reasons for limited availability, daily usage of equipment and equipment that could benefit from redesign were assessed. Forty-two respondents participated in this study, representing 33 individual healthcare facilities (14 public referrals, 9 public district and 10 private (for-profit and non-profit)). The respondents worked in 9 countries in East, Central, Western and Southern Africa. A deficiency in availability of basic surgical equipment was found, especially in public district hospitals. Electrosurgical units, endoscopes, defibrillators, infusions pumps and electrocardiogram monitors were of limited availability. Reasons indicated for this limited availability were: no need, too costly, no training, no disposables and no repair. Lack of maintenance and old/overused equipment were identified as major reasons for failure of equipment. Equipment that could benefit from redesign were for example: electrosurgical units, laparoscopic equipment and theatre lights. Availability of surgical equipment should be increased, especially in public district hospitals. Novel context appropriate redesign that is adapted to fit the context in LMICs could decrease the barriers to availability and to failure of surgical equipment.

Background Thermal coagulation is gaining popularity for treating cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) in screening programs in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) due to unavailability of cryotherapy. Objectives Assess the effectiveness of thermal coagulation for treatment of CIN lesions compared with cryotherapy, with a focus on LMICs. Search strategy Papers were identified from previous reviews and electronic literature search in February 2018 with publication date after 2010. Selection criteria Publications with original data evaluating cryotherapy or thermal coagulation with proportion of cure as outcome, assessed by colposcopy, biopsy, cytology, and/or visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA), and minimum 6 months follow‐up. Data collection and analysis Pooled proportions of cure are presented stratified per treatment modality, type of lesion, and region. Main results Pooled cure proportions for cryotherapy and thermal coagulation, respectively, were 93.8% (95% CI, 88.5–97.7) and 91.4% (95% CI, 84.9–96.4) for CIN 1; 82.6% (95% CI, 77.4–87.3) and 91.6% (95% CI, 88.2–94.5) for CIN 2–3; and 92.8% (95% CI, 85.6–97.7) and 90.1% (95% CI, 87.0–92.8) for VIA‐positive lesions. For thermal coagulation of CIN 2–3 lesions in LMICs 82.4% (95% CI, 75.4–88.6). Conclusions Both cryotherapy and thermal coagulation are effective treatment modalities for CIN lesions in LMICs.

Safe and affordable surgery is not accessible for five billion people when they need it. Multiple surgical capacity studies have shown that hospitals in low-and-middle income countries do not have complete coverage of basic surgical equipment such as, theatre lights, anesthesia machines and electro surgical units.Currently, almost all equipment is designed and manufactured with a main focus on the context in high income countries. The context in low-and-middle income countries in which surgical equipment is used, differs from high income countries, especially in terms of financial resources and access to maintenance, spare parts and consumables.The aim of this study is to present a roadmap for design of surgical equipment for worldwide use. The roadmap consists of four phases: before the start of a design project a clear need for certain surgical equipment should be identified (Phase 0). During Phase 1 the context should be researched thoroughly by determining the barriers encountered by patients to surgical care, the structure of the health care system and if the aspects required for safe surgery are in place. In Phase 2 the implementation strategy and design requirements should be determined and in phase 3 prototyping starts in close interaction with local end-users.We believe that designers should strive for design that is of the same quality and complies with the same safety regulations as equipment designed for HICs. In this way user and patient safety can be assured in any setting worldwide. And we advocate for surgical equipment that fits the context optimally and that will be applicable in comparable settings globally.

Both cryotherapy and thermal ablation are treatment methods for cervical precancerous lesions in screening programs in resource constrained settings. However, for thermal ablation the World Health Organization stated that there is insufficient data to define a standard treatment protocol. This study used an ex-vivo model to compare the tissue interaction of both cryotherapy and thermal ablation to contribute to a treatment protocol. We used porcine tissue to measure the temperature profile over time at 0, 2, 4 and 6 mm depth. For cryotherapy the standard double freeze method was used, thermal ablation was applied for one cycle of 60 s with 100°C. Based on literature search we used 4 mm depth as landmark for the depth of precancerous lesions, and-10°C for cryotherapy and 46°C for thermal ablation as critical temperature to induce cell necrosis. Cryotherapy achieved the critical temperature for tissue necrosis (-10°C) in 3 out of 6 experiments at 4 mm depth, median minimum temperature was −9.6°C (IQR 25-75-15.8°C to −4.9°C). Thermal ablation achieved the critical temperature for tissue necrosis (46°C) in 3 out of 7 experiments at 4 mm depth, median maximum temperature was 43.1°C (IQR 25-75 42.3°C to 49.9°C). Both treatment modalities achieved tissue necrosis at 4 mm depth in our ex-vivo model. For cryotherapy the double freeze technique should be used. For thermal ablation a single application less than 60 s might not be sufficient and multiple applications should be considered.

Background Strategies are needed to increase the availability of surgical equipment in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). This study was undertaken to explore the current availability, procurement, training, usage, maintenance and complications encountered during use of electrosurgical units (ESUs) and laparoscopic equipment. Methods A survey was conducted among surgeons attending the annual meeting of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) in December 2017 and the annual meeting of the Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK) in March 2018. Biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) were surveyed and maintenance records collected in Kenya between February and March 2018. Results Among 80 participants, there were 59 surgeons from 12 African countries and 21 BMETs from Kenya. Thirty‐six maintenance records were collected. ESUs were available for all COSECSA and SSK surgeons, but only 49 per cent (29 of 59) had access to working laparoscopic equipment. Reuse of disposable ESU accessories and difficulties obtaining carbon dioxide were identified. More than three‐quarters of surgeons (79 per cent) indicated that maintenance of ESUs was available, but only 59 per cent (16 of 27) confirmed maintenance of laparoscopic equipment at their centre. Conclusion Despite the availability of surgical equipment, significant gaps in access to maintenance were apparent in these LMICs, limiting implementation of open and laparoscopic surgery.