Mortality pattern in surgical wards and autopsy rate at a university teaching hospital in South-West Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Patients coming to the hospital hope on getting well or cured of their ailment, but this hope goes unrealized, sometimes leading to their death. Objectives: We looked at the pattern and causes of death at adult surgical wards and autopsy rates in our facility. Materials and Methods: Retrospective descriptive study of the mortalities in adult surgical wards at Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, in South-Western Nigeria, over a period of 5 years, July 2011–June 2016. Results: Two thousand one hundred and thirty-eight patients were managed in the adult surgical wards, and there were 89 (4.16%) cases of death during the study with 51 case notes available for the analysis. Twenty-eight males and 23 females with a male: female of 1.2:1. Age ranges from 18 to 93 years, with a mean of 57.14 ± 20.42 years. The highest mortalities were recorded in general surgical unit (25, [49.0%]) with a mortality rate of 3% and highest in patients with neoplastic diseases (24, [47.1%]), followed by trauma (17, [33.3%]). Overwhelming sepsis (14, [27.5%]) and hypovolemic shock (10, [19.6%]) were the leading immediate causes of death. Only 4 had autopsy done with autopsy rate of 7.8%. Conclusion: Neoplasm and trauma are the leading underlying causes of death. Strategies geared toward early detection and treatment of neoplasms, as well as prevention and prompt care of trauma patients, are advocated. Autopsy rate is low in our center.