Anatomical Region and Outcome of Fractures in the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The knowledge of pattern of illness provides an insight to the health or otherwise of a society, useful for planning and allocation of resources. Fractures are common emergency surgical presentations in our practice, and patients are sometimes unable to pay for the cost of fracture care resulting in a dynamic traffic for alternative care. This study therefore aims at describing the anatomical region and outcome of fractures seen at the Surgery Department of the Rivers State Teaching Hospital, from 2016 to 2020. Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, using admission and discharge registers to identify all patients with fractures at the Surgery Department of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, from 2016 to 2020. The collected data was entered into Excel Spreadsheet, and tabulated. Results: A total of 223 patients had fractures involving different bones. The male to female ratio was 1.9: 1. The mean age of the patients was 40.53, and the age ranges 30 -39 years (38), 40 -49 years (44), and 50 -59 years (33) were more involved in the fracture cases. There were more fractures of the tibia (17.3%) and fibula (16.0%) within the five-year period. Out of the total of 223 patients who had fractures, 159 (71.3%) were admitted to the wards, treated and discharged home. Twenty-five patients (11.2%) signed against medical advice. Thirty-four (15.2%) absconded from admission, while 5 (2.2%) died from complications of the fractures. Conclusion: Fracture is a common surgical emergency in our practice with male preponderance. Most of the patients were treated and discharged. However, about a quarter of the patients left the hospital before treatment could be completed.