Abstract

Objective: To determine the impact of a structured, organized and integrated fistula (Solfa, Unikin, St. Luc hospital, Lumos KUL) care program in lowering the incidence of obstetric vesico-vaginal fistula in a district hospital in DR Congo.

Materials and Methods: Several Fistula campaigns were organized by SOLFA between 2008 - 2012. A database of all fistula patients was kept, containing their demographic and administrative data next to clinical data. The hospital yearly report of obstetric activity in Kisantu has been reviewed from 2008 to 2012.

The analysis of some epidemiological parameters (age, the original residence, the distance between the residence and fistula hospital, the year of treatment and the primary fistula or a recurrence) allowed to estimate the incidence per year in the Kisantu health district .

Results: 218 patients consulted in St. Luc hospital between 2008 and 2012 for obstetrics fistulae. 43 patients had a primary fistula (19,75%). The number of patients with VVF from Kisantu compared with those living outside of Kisantu decreased over time. The incidence of new VVF compared with the recurrent/persistent VVF decreased as well, while there was increase in the rate of recurrent fistulas. The mean distance patients travelled to the fistula center increased over time.

Conclusion: The integrated management (Solfa, Unikin, St.Luc hospital, LUMOS KUL) is characterized by a pro-active practice of obstetrics and has significantly contributed to the decrease in numbers of VVF. The increasing numbers of VVF from remote areas indicate that overall health system and especially the obstetric care has to be improved to avoid late treatment.

Keywords: New Fistula; Recurrent Fistula; Curative Setting

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Citation

Citation: Loposso Nkumu Matthieu., et al. “The Management of Obstetric Fistulae: A 5-Year Integrated Approach Decreases the Incidence in a Health District of DRC".Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 4.7 (2020): 49-53.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2020 Loposso Nkumu Matthieu., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.