RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Little was known about the population coverage and causes of sight impairment (SI) registration within the Caribbean, or the extent to which register studies offer insights into population eye health. METHODS: We compared causes of SI registration in the Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association (TTBWA) register with findings from the 2014 National Eye Survey of Trinidad and Tobago (NESTT), and estimated registration coverage. Cross-sectional validation studies of registered clients included interviews, visual function and cause ascertainment in July 2013, and interviews and visual function in July 2016. RESULTS: The TTBWA register included 863 people (all ages, 48.1%(n = 415) male) registered between 1951 and 2015. The NESTT identified 1.1%(75/7158) people aged ≥5years eligible for partial or severe SI registration, of whom 49.3%(n = 37) were male. Registration coverage was approximately 7% of the eligible population of Trinidad. Nevertheless, there was close agreement in the causes of SI comparing the register and population-representative survey. Glaucoma was the leading cause in both the register (26.1%,n = 225) and population-based survey (26.1%, 18/69 adults), followed by cataract and diabetic retinopathy. In the validation studies combined, 62.6%(93/151) clients had severe SI, 28.5%(43/151) had partial SI and 9.9%(15/151) did not meet SI eligibility criteria. SI was potentially avoidable in at least 58%(n = 36/62) adults and 50%(n = 7/14) children. CONCLUSION: We report very low register coverage of the SI population, but close agreement in causes of SI to a contemporaneous national population-based eye survey, half of which resulted from preventable or treatable eye disease.
Assuntos
Sistema de Registros , Humanos , Trinidad e Tobago/epidemiologia , Masculino , Feminino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Transversais , Adulto , Adolescente , Idoso , Criança , Cegueira/epidemiologia , Pré-Escolar , Inquéritos Epidemiológicos , Adulto Jovem , Pessoas com Deficiência Visual/estatística & dados numéricos , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , LactenteRESUMO
AIM: There has been little focus on self-directed treatment for lower limb wounds, although it a common practice among persons with diabetes across the Caribbean. We sought to document this practice in a Caribbean nation. METHODS: We prospectively interviewed all consecutive patients with diabetes who were admitted with lower limb wounds at the San Fernando General Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago over a period of 18 months. A questionnaire was used to collect data on patient demographics, use of self-directed treatment, and details of these treatments. RESULTS: Of 839 persons with diabetes who were admitted with infected lower limb wounds, 344 (41%) admitted to self-directed treatment before seeking medical attention. These patients were predominantly male (59.9%) at a mean age of 56.4±12.4 years. The practice was most common in persons of Afro-Caribbean descent (45.9%) and those with type 2 diabetes (93.9%). In this group, 255 (74.4%) patients were previously admitted to hospital for lower limb infections. And of those, 32 (12.6%) had a prior amputation and 108 (42.4%) had at least one operative debridement specifically for foot infections. CONCLUSION: Caribbean cultural practices may be an important contributor to negative outcomes when treating lower limb wounds in persons with diabetes. Despite being acutely aware of the potentially devastating consequences of inadequate treatment, 41% of our patients with diabetes still opted to use self-directed treatment for lower limb wounds. This deserves further study in order to give a more tailored approach in care delivery.
RESUMO
CONTEXT: Foot infection is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus in the Caribbean. Diabetic foot infections place a heavy burden on health care resources in the Caribbean. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the treatment-related costs for diabetic foot infections in a Caribbean nation. METHODS: We identified all patients with diabetic foot infections in a 730-bed hospital serving a catchment population of approximately 400,000 persons from June 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012. The following data were collected: details of infection, antibiotic usage, investigations performed, number of physician consultations, details of operative treatment, and duration of hospitalization. Total charges were tallied to determine the final cost for inhospital treatment of diabetic foot infections. RESULTS: There were 446 patients hospitalized with diabetic foot infections, yielding approximately 0.75% annual risk for patients with diabetes to develop foot infections. The mean duration of hospitalization was 22.5 days. Sixteen patients (3.6%) were treated conservatively without an operative procedure and 430 (96.4%) required some form of operative intervention. There were 885 debridements, 193 minor amputations and 60 major amputations, 7102 wound dressings, 2763 wound cultures, and 27,015 glucometer measurements. When the hospital charges were tallied, a total of US $13,922,178 (mean, US $31,216) were spent to treat diabetic foot infections in these 446 patients during 1 year at this hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Each year, the government of Trinidad and Tobago spends US $85 million, or 0.4% of their gross domestic product, solely to treat patients hospitalized for diabetic foot infections. With this level of national expenditure and the anticipated increase in the prevalence of diabetes, it is necessary to revive the call for investment in preventive public health strategies.
Assuntos
Pé Diabético/economia , Doenças do Pé/economia , Custos Hospitalares/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitalização/economia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Antibacterianos/administração & dosagem , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1/complicações , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Pé Diabético/sangue , Pé Diabético/terapia , Feminino , Doenças do Pé/terapia , Hemoglobinas Glicadas/análise , Hospitalização/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Tempo de Internação/estatística & dados numéricos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Prospectivos , Trinidad e Tobago , Adulto JovemRESUMO
AIMS: To examine the microbiologic profile of diabetic foot infections in order to guide empiric antibiotic choices. METHODS: All patients with moderate-severe diabetic foot infections at a tertiary care facility were identified from July 2011 to June 2012. Culture samples were routinely collected before empiric antibiotics were commenced. Retrospective chart review was performed to extract the following data: demographics, clinical details, empiric antibiotic choice and microbiologic data. Descriptive analyses were performed using SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: There were 139 patients at a mean age of 56.9 ± 12.4 years. Mixed poly-microbial infections were present in 56.8% of cases. Of 221 organisms isolated, 64.7% were gram-negative aerobes, 32.1% were gram-positive aerobes and 3.2% were obligate anaerobes. Multidrug resistant organisms were encountered in 25.9% of cases and included ESBL producers (11.3%), MRSA (4.5%) and VRE (1.4%). Both ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime had good overall anti-microbial activity against gram-negative (68% and 62%, respectively) and gram-positive pathogens (69% and 48%, respectively). Obligate anaerobes were uncommonly isolated due to institutional constraints. CONCLUSION: In this environment, both ciprofloxacin and ceftazidime provide good broad-spectrum anti-microbial activity against the commonly isolated pathogens. Either agent can be used as single agent empiric therapy in patients with moderate/severe diabetic infections in our setting. Although institutional limitations precluded isolation of anaerobes in most cases, there is sufficient evidence for anti-anaerobic agents to be recommended as a part of empiric therapy.