Digestive Surgical Emergencies at Analankininina Toamasina Madagascar University Hospital during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

During the period of total containment during the Covid-19 pandemic; our department became the sole treatment center for all surgical emergencies. The influx of many patients made the task very difficult for the surgeon. This is a 3-month descriptive prospective study in the visceral surgery department at the Analankininina Toamasina University Hospital Center. Of the 81 patients hospitalized during the study, 32 patients were admitted for digestive surgery emergency, i.e. 39.50%. The mean age was 34.87 years with a sex ratio of 1.66, predominantly male. Abdominal pain occupied 43.75% of the reason for consultation, the most frequent pathologies were acute intestinal obstruction (18.75%) and acute appendicitis (18.75%). An exploratory laparotomy is performed on 40.62% of patients. Many patients were operated on for proctologic emergency (18.75%). The average length of hospitalization is 4.18 days. The visceral emergencies are present despite the presence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the activities of the health personnel are uninterrupted.