Background: Venous thromboembolic (VTE) disease burden is increasing worldwide, representing a major cause of cardiovascular death and public health problem. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the most serious clinical presentation of VTE. Epidemiological and clinical data on PE are still lacking in Africa, particularly in Cameroon. This study aimed at determining the clinical features as well as imaging presentation and outcome of pulmonary embolism. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in three hospitals in Douala. We retrospectively reviewed patient records admitted for PE from January 2009 to May 2017. We collected data on epidemiology, clinical presentation, venous Doppler/pulmonary computed tomographic angiography (CTA), and outcome. Results: We included 103 patients (56 males) with PE. Their median age was 52 years. The main risk factors were obesity (49.5%), hypertension (35.0%), long trip (24.3%) and cancer (18.4%). The most frequent clinical presentations were dyspnoea (83.4%), chest pain (78.6%), and cough (40.8%). Additionally, pleural effusion (32.8%), atelectasis (25.7%) and pulmonary hyperlucency (20.0%) were the most frequent findings on chest X-ray. The main abnormalities found in electrocardiogram were sinus tachycardia (63.4%), S1Q3T3 aspect (37.6%) and right axial deviation (28.7%). Moreover, right cavities dilatation (26.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is also the most common complication in hospitalized patients. Aims: To study the in-hospital prevalence of VTE, describe the socio-demographic characteristics of patients, determine the frequency of risk factors, describe the clinical presentations, and determine the short term outcome of VTE in hospitalized patients in a low-income tertiary hospital setting. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive retrospective study over a period of 6 years and 4 months (January 2008 to April 2014) in the Douala General Hospital-Cameroon. Patients were cases of confirmed venous thromboembolic disease (VTE). Results: A total of 78 case files were retained for this study, giving an in-hospital prevalence of 4.4 per 1000 admissions.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases in pediatric pathologies have emerged in the recent years in

Aims Acutely decompensated heart failure (HF) (ADHF) is a common cause of hospitalization and mortality worldwide. This study explores the epidemiology and prognostic factors of ADHF in Cameroonian patients. Methods and results This was a retrospective study conducted between January 2003 and December 2013 from the medical files of patients followed at the intensive care and cardiovascular units of Douala General Hospital in Cameroon. Clinical, electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and biological data were collected from 142 patients (58.5% men; mean age 58 ± 14 years) hospitalized for ADHF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), whose left ventricular ejection fraction was <50%, or alternatively whose shortening fraction was <28%, both assessed by echocardiography. The commonest risk factors associated with HFrEF were hypertension (59.2%), diabetes mellitus (16.2%), tobacco use (14.1%), and dyslipidaemia (7.7%), respectively. The major causes of HF in hospitalized patients were hypertensive heart disease (40%, n = 57); hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (33.8%, n = 48); and ischemic heart disease (21.8%, n = 31). The most frequent comorbid conditions were atrial fibrillation (25.4%, n = 36) and chronic kidney disease (18.3%, n = 26). Major biological abnormalities included increased bilirubinemia >12 mg/L (87.5%, n = 124); hyperuricaemia >70 mg/L (84.9%, n = 121); elevated serum creatinine (65.6%, n = 93); anaemia (59.1%, n = 84); hyperglycaemia on admission >1.8 g/L (42.3%, n = 60); and hyponatraemia <135 mEq/L (26.8%, n = 38). At admission, 33.8% (n = 48) of patients had no pharmacological treatment for HF. The most frequently used therapies upon admission included furosemide (50%, n = 71), angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs; 40.1%, n = 57); spironolactone (35.2%, n = 50); digoxin (26%, n = 37); beta‐blockers (17.7%, n = 25); angiotensin‐receptor blockers (ARBs; 7%, n = 10); and nitrates (7.0%). The overall in‐hospital mortality rate was 20.4%. Factors associated with poor prognosis were systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg [odds ratio (OR) 3.88; confidence interval (CI) 1.36–11.05, P = 0.011], left ventricular ejection fraction <20% (OR 7.48; CI 2.84–19.71, P < 0.001), decreased renal function (OR 1.03; CI 1.00–1.05, P = 0.026), dobutamine use for cardiogenic shock (OR 2.74;CI 1.00–7.47, P = 0.049), pleural fluid effusion (OR 3.46; CI 1.07–11.20, P = 0.038), and prothrombin time <50% (OR 3.60; CI 1.11–11.68, P = 0.033). The use of ACEIs/ARBs was associated with reduced in‐hospital mortality rate (OR 0.17; CI 0.02–0.81, P = 0.006). Conclusions Hypertensive heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and ischemic heart disease are the commonest causes of HF in this Cameroonian population. ADHF is associated with high in‐hospital mortality in Cameroon. Hypotension, severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, renal function impairment, and dobutamine administration were associated with worst acute HF outcomes. ACEIs/ARBs use was associated with improved survival.

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