Background and objective: Pain is a major concern in the surgical environment, but its management remains insufficient due to several factors related to the nursing staff, the organization of the structure or the patient himself. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of the nursing staff on postoperative pain at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study carried out at the Laquintinie Hospital in Douala from September to December 2018. Participants were consecutively selected among members of nursing staff in charge of operated patients in the visceral surgery, trauma surgery, surgical reanimation, gynaecology and obstetrics services. Socio-professional data and data related to knowledge of postoperative pain were collected from this personnel using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Results: With regard to knowledge of postoperative pain, the proportion of correct answers to the knowledge questions was 61.4%. This proportion varied significantly with the specific training received on pain and the specialization of the nursing staff (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results of the study reveal knowledge in this population that deserves to be improved with a view to better management of patients undergoing surgery.

Introduction: trauma is common in pregnancy; it affects one in twelve pregnancies. Abdomen represents the third anatomical region of the body most affected after the limbs and head. As pregnancy evolves, uterus increases in size and goes beyond the pelvic cavity; exposing the uterus to trauma and penetrating injuries in particular. Penetrating abdominal trauma in pregnancy requires a rigorous clinical evaluation to establish a complete assessment of obstetric and non-obstetric lesions. It is an obstetrical emergency whose management depends on the abnormalities found. In case of major trauma, it is essentially carried out in a trauma center, with a multidisciplinary team to improve the maternal and fetal prognosis.Case presentation: the authors report the case of a 28-year-old black woman, semi-Bantu, at 30 weeks gestation. She was referred to the emergency department of Douala Laquintinie Hospital for a penetrating wound of the abdomen after being stabbed at home. There were bowels protruding from the stabbed abdomen. The initial clinical assessment revealed hemodynamic instability, evisceration associated with bowel perforation, absence of active fetal movements, and absence of fetal heart sound from Doppler. An emergency laparotomy was performed. At the end of the surgical intervention, the following lesions were indentifi ed: penetrating wound of the abdomen with evisceration, intestinal perforation, uterine perforation, fetal penetrating chest injury and fetal death.Conclusion: this case report focuses on the spectrum of non-obstetric, obstetric and fetal injuries that may occur as a result of a penetrating stab wound in a pregnant woman.

Background: An Enterocutaneous fistula (ECF) is an abnormal connection between the intestinal tracts or stomach and the skin. They are a major catastrophe to the patient and surgeons and still have a high incidence of morbidity and mortality which varies between 6% -33%; their management remains a big challenge. These patients frequently face complications, and a well-organized multidisciplinary approach must be implemented in their management to improve outcomes. Objectives: Our study aims to assess the prevalence, management and outcomes of enterocutaneous fistulas in Buea regional hospital and Laquintinie hospital of Douala over the past 5 years. Methods: This was a hospital-based retrospective study in Buea regional hospital and Laquintinie hospital of Douala. Records of patients who had enterocutaneous fistulas within the period of 1 st January 2017 to 31 st December 2020 in the surgical departments. Data included demographics, pre-operative diagnosis, comorbidities, type of fistula, management modality and means, the indication of operative treatment, length of stay in the hospital and outcomes. Data was analysed using SPSSv26. Results: The study constituted 1343 medical records of which 83 medical records of patients with enterocutaneous fistulas, giving a prevalence of 6.2%, female predominance at 59% (n = 49), 42.2%

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Background: Survival of patients after rectal cancer surgery as well as their quality of life (QoL) has been little studied in Africa and never in our country in particular. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional multicentre study in Yaoundé (Cameroon). We reviewed operating reports of the selected departments to identify patients operated from January 2010 to December 2019 for a rectal cancer. The outcome of patients enrolled had to be known until December 2020. Patients who were alive were contacted to evaluate their QoL using the EORTC QLQ C30 (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL questionnaire). Results: During the study period, rectal cancer was ranked 4 th within the digestive cancers. We included 68 patients; their mean age was 49.74 years and 41.18% were under 45. The sex ratio was 1.19 in favour of males. The tumour was mainly located in the lower rectum (45.6%). The main surgical procedure implemented was abdomino-perineal resection (42.6%). Forty-one patients died, giving a mortality rate of 60.29%. The mean survival time was 13 months. The 5-year survival rate for the 32 patients operated from January 2010 to December 2015 was 21.87%. The overall QoL of the 27 living patients was good with a mean of 62.346 ± 15.907. Sexual complications and urinary disorders were found in 40.74% and 14.81% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: There is a low hospital incidence How to cite this paper: Bang, G.A.,