ArticleBJS open2020
Availability, procurement, training, usage, maintenance and complications of electrosurgical units and laparoscopic equipment in 12 African countries.
Article in BJS open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Building Surgical Capacity in Resource-Limited Settings Through Innovative Laparoscopy Training: A Systematic Review of Educational Interventions.World journal of surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Availability and gaps in operating theatre structural resources for fracture fixation in Tanzania: a national cross-sectional analysis.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Optimizing the management of laparoscopic equipment in low-resource settings: a SAGES White Paper.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Current use of minimally invasive surgery in Ethiopia.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Continuity of maternal and newborn health service provision among private sector players following donor transition. Hope amidst challenging implementation experiences in Uganda.Globalization and health · 2025Article
- Trends and Outcomes of Laparoscopic Surgery in Low-Resource Settings: Lessons From Two African Healthcare Systems-A Narrative Review.Health science reports · 2024Article
- A needs assessment for simulation in African surgical education.Surgical endoscopy · 2024Article
- Sustainable surgical resource initiative for Haiti: the SSRI-Haiti project.Global health action · 2023Article
- Article
- Laparoscopic experience and attitudes toward a low-cost laparoscopic system among surgeons in East, Central, and Southern Africa: a survey study.Surgical endoscopy · 2021Article
- Training programme in gasless laparoscopy for rural surgeons of India (TARGET study) - Observational feasibility study.International journal of surgery open · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundStrategies are needed to increase the availability of surgical equipment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study was undertaken to explore the current availability, procurement, training, usage, maintenance and complications encountered during use of electrosurgical units (ESUs) and laparoscopic equipment.
methodsA survey was conducted among surgeons attending the annual meeting of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA) in December 2017 and the annual meeting of the Surgical Society of Kenya (SSK) in March 2018. Biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs) were surveyed and maintenance records collected in Kenya between February and March 2018.
resultsAmong 80 participants, there were 59 surgeons from 12 African countries and 21 BMETs from Kenya. Thirty-six maintenance records were collected. ESUs were available for all COSECSA and SSK surgeons, but only 49 per cent (29 of 59) had access to working laparoscopic equipment. Reuse of disposable ESU accessories and difficulties obtaining carbon dioxide were identified. More than three-quarters of surgeons (79 per cent) indicated that maintenance of ESUs was available, but only 59 per cent (16 of 27) confirmed maintenance of laparoscopic equipment at their centre.
conclusionDespite the availability of surgical equipment, significant gaps in access to maintenance were apparent in these LMICs, limiting implementation of open and laparoscopic surgery.
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