Care of surgical infections by Médecins Sans Frontières Operations Centre Brussels in 2008–14

Abstract

Background Surgical infections represent a substantial yet undefi ned burden of disease in low-income and middleincome countries (LMICs). Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides surgical care in LMICs and collects data useful to describe the operative epidemiology of surgical need that would otherwise be unmet by national health services. We aimed to describe the experience of MSF Operations Centre Brussels surgery for infections during crisis; aid eff ective resource allocation; prepare humanitarian surgical staff ; and further characterise unmet surgical needs in LMICs.Methods We reviewed all procedures undertaken in operating theatres at facilities run by the MSF Operations Centre Brussels between July, 2008, and June, 2014. Projects providing only specialty care were excluded. Procedures for infections were quantifi ed, related to demographics and reason for humanitarian response was described.

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