Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34744461›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of women's health2021

Childbirth-Associated Fistula and Perineal Tears Repaired on Outreach Campaigns in Remote Democratic Republic of Congo.

Justin Paluku, Phoebe Bruce, Eugénie Kamabu, Benjamin Kataliko, Jonathan Kasereka, Annie Dube

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of women's health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 31% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Justin PalukuDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HEAL Africa Tertiary Hospital, Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Phoebe BruceDepartment of Undergraduate Medical Education, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Eugénie KamabuDepartment of Internal Medicine, HEAL Africa Tertiary Hospital, Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Benjamin KatalikoDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, HEAL Africa Tertiary Hospital, Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Jonathan KaserekaDepartment of Surgery, HEAL Africa Tertiary Hospital, Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Annie DubeDepartment of Undergraduate Medical Education, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7121-2535
NOSM University · CAUniversity of Goma · CD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo describe the demographics and evaluate the repair of childbirth-associated injuries leading to incontinence in patients in remote Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). PATIENTS AND

methodsFour surgical outreach campaigns were organised between March 2018 and October 2019. These campaigns specifically targeted women with incontinence secondary to childbirth-associated injuries. Patients were recruited on a voluntary basis, and locations included Katako-kombe (Sankuru province), Wamba (Haut Uelé province), Karawa (North Ubangi province) and Kipaka (Maniema province). Necessary care was provided along with informal teaching with local healthcare professionals.

resultsA total of 481 patients,14-71 years old with a mean of 32 years of age, were included in this study. The average duration of incontinence associated with a childbirth injury was 6.8 years. Vesicovaginal fistulas (277/481; 57.6%) and perineal tears (148/481; 30.8%) were predominant, while the combination of vesicovaginal and rectovaginal fistulas were seen in only 5 (1.0%) patients. Vaginal delivery (259/481; 53.9%), caesarean section (120/481; 25.0%) and laparotomy (hysterectomy) (102/481; 21.2%) were identified as the causes of the fistulas treated during the surgical campaign. Vesicovaginal fistulas were more likely to require complex repairs, as compared to rectovaginal fistulas and perineal tears (

conclusionVesicovaginal fistulas are predominant among childbirth injuries encountered in remote DRC with poorly managed vaginal deliveries being the leading cause. Cure rate of fistulas and perineal tears is high during outreach campaigns; however, long-term follow-up is limited. There remains a need to train and mentor rural medical professionals in the DRC on adequate management of obstetric emergencies.

Indexed as

childbirth injuriesperineal tearsrectovaginal fistulavesicovaginal fistula

Identifiers

PMID34744461
PMCPMC8565886
OpenAlexW3208623279

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.