TITLE:
Spectrum of Orthopedic Emergencies in a Tertiary Center, North-Eastern Nigeria: A 5-Year Appraisal
AUTHORS:
Yusuf Stephen, Shaphat Shuaibu Ibrahim, Abubakar Musa, Shirama Yakubu Bababa, Amur Saidu Ibrahim, Ahmad Ja’afar Ahmad, Kefas Wida James
KEYWORDS:
Orthopedics, Emergency, Morbidity, Mortality, Surgery
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.13 No.4,
April
29,
2025
ABSTRACT: Background: Orthopedic emergencies are one of the leading causes of death globally. In the world scale, road traffic accidents and natural disasters such as earthquakes and the likes are a major thing to prepare for and worry about, however, in our region, road traffic accidents, insurgencies/assaults to poorly managed fractures and infections are our major perpetrators not less disastrous, nonetheless. Methodology: We traced the records of all the patients who had emergency surgeries because of an orthopedic emergency condition from the theater records, wards records and folders. We also take numeral records of all the emergency surgeries that were done during the 5-year period of study in the hospital (ATBUTH). All data analysis was done using SPSS version 29. Results: For the 5-year period under review, from January 2019 to January 2024, there were a total of 5462 emergency surgical procedures that were done in the Surgery Department of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, 1366 were orthopedic emergencies constituting about 26% of the total emergencies done within this 5-year period. Conclusion: Orthopedic emergencies constitute a significant burden of emergencies seen in ATBUTH Bauchi and this data can be used to prognosticate, prepare and plan to ensure the best outcome of care in this region onward.