General surgery encounter following obstetrics and gynaecological surgeries: A 10 – year review at a university teaching Harcourt

Background: All surgical procedures have potential risk of complications of which obstetrics and gynaecological surgeries are no exception. However, the prognosis of such encounters depends on prompt diagnosis and timely interventions in this scenario by the general surgeons. Aim: To determine the general surgical encounters following obstetrics and gynaecological surgeries at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH): a 10 – year review. Method: This was a 10 –year retrospective review of all the encounters involving the general surgeon following obstetrics and gynaecological surgeries at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). The information was obtained from the patients case notes. Permission for the study was granted by the ethical committee of the hospital. Data obtained was analysed using SPSS version 25. Results: There were 92 surgical encounters for the period under review. The mean age was 33 ± 2 years. The age range was 20 to 48 years. The modal parity was 2. The marital status of subjects, 60 (65.3%) were married, 26 (28.3%) were single, 4 (4.3%) were divorced and 2 (2.1%) were widowed. The commonest obstetrics and gynaecological surgery was emergency caesarean section 24 (63%) while the most common surgical encounter was incisional hernia 42 (76%). The preferred incision made to repair encounters was mid-line incision 46 (67.4%). Majority of the cadre of surgeons that repaired surgical encounters were consultants 55 (60.9%). Conclusion: The commonest surgical encounter following obstetrics and gynaecological surgery was emergency caesarean section. Incisional hernia was the most common surgical encounter. Prompt diagnosis and intervention by the combined team of the general surgeons and the obstetrician/gynaecologist resulted in favourable outcome. Collaboration between obstetrician and gynaecologist and other surgical specialties cannot be overemphasized for better prognosis in cases of adverse intra-operative encounters.