Arthur Kwizera

• MBChB, M.Med
• Senior Lecturer at Makerere University

Childbirth is one of the most painful experiences of a woman's life. Authorities in the fields of obstetrics and anaesthesia encourage use of labour analgesia. Unlike in high-income countries, pain relief in labour in Africa is not a well established service, especially in the low-income countries like Uganda. Little is known about whether parturie...

General and regional anesthesia are the two main techniques used in cesarean section. Regional anesthesia is preferred, but under certain circumstances, such as by patient request and in patients with back deformities, general anesthesia is the only option. Commonly used induction agents include thiopental, ketamine, and propofol, depending on avai...

Prophylactic antibiotics are used to prevent postoperative infections after caesarean section. Studies have suggested that the timing of prophylaxis plays an important role. Over the years, the role of the anaesthesiologist in the administration of prophylactic antibiotics has become prominent. Therefore, there is an increasing need for anaesthesia...

Aim. Delirium is common among mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). There are little data regarding delirium among mechanically ventilated patients in Africa. We sought to determine the burden of delirium and associated factors in Uganda. Methods. We conducted a multicenter prospective study among mechanically ventilate...

To provide clinicians practicing in resource-limited settings with a framework to improve the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric and adult patients with sepsis. The medical literature on sepsis management was reviewed. Specific attention was paid to identify clinical evidence on sepsis management from resource-limited settings. Recommendations ar...

Background Critical illness represents a major global health-care burden and critical care is an essential component of hospital care. There are few data describing the prevalence, treatment, and outcomes of critically ill patients in African hospitals. Methods This was an international, prospective, point prevalence study in acute hospitals across...

To generate consensus and provide expert clinical practice statements for the management of adult sepsis in resource-limited settings. An international multidisciplinary Steering Committee with expertise in sepsis management and including a Delphi methodologist was convened by the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance (APSA). The committee selected an inter...

Background Pneumonia remains a significant global health concern, particularly among those requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite the availability of international guidelines, there remains heterogeneity in clinical management. The D-PRISM study aimed to develop a global overview of how pneumonias (i.e., community-acquired (C...

Our study aimed to provide consensus and expert clinical practice statements related to airway management in critically ill adults with a physiologically difficult airway (PDA). An international Steering Committee involving seven intensivists and one Delphi methodology expert was convened by the Society of Critical Care Anaesthesiologists (SOCCA) P...

Purpose To generate consensus and provide expert clinical practice statements for the management of adult sepsis in resource-limited settings. Methods An international multidisciplinary Steering Committee with expertise in sepsis management and including a Delphi methodologist was convened by the Asia Pacific Sepsis Alliance (APSA). The committee...

Rationale Acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF) is associated with high mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This is at least in part due to critical care-related resource constraints including limited access to invasive mechanical ventilation and/or highly skilled acute care workers. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and high-flow oxyge...

Intensive care unit (ICU) mortality rates have decreased over time. However, in low-and lower-middle income countries (LMICs), there remains an excess ICU mortality with limited understanding of patient characteristics, treatments, and outcomes from small single centre studies. We aimed therefore, to describe the characteristics, therapies and outc...

Introduction Trauma contributes to the greatest loss of disability-adjusted life-years for adolescents and young adults worldwide. In the context of global abdominal trauma, the trauma laparotomy is the most commonly performed operation. Variation likely exists in how these patients are managed and their subsequent outcomes, yet very little global...

Background Trauma accounts for a huge burden of disease worldwide. Trauma systems have been implemented in multiple countries across the globe, aiming to link and optimise multiple aspects of the trauma care pathway, and while they have been shown to reduce overall mortality, much less is known about their cost-effectiveness and impact on morbidity...

Rationale: Sepsis management relies on fluid resuscitation avoiding fluid overload and its related organ congestion. Objectives: To explore the influence of country income group on risk-benefit balance of fluid management strategies in sepsis. Methods: We searched E-databases for all randomised controlled trials on fluid resuscitation in patie...

Background Improved access to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not equated to improved health outcomes. Absence or unsustained quality of care is partly to blame. Improving outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs) requires delivery of complex interventions by multiple specialties working in concert, and the simultaneous pre...

The aim of these guidelines is to update the 2017 clinical practice guideline (CPG) of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM). The scope of this CPG is limited to adult patients and to non-pharmacological respiratory support strategies across different aspects of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), including ARDS due to cor...

Introduction: Postoperative hypoxemic respiratory failure (PHRF) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in emergency surgery and anesthesia [1]. Identifying patients at risk for PHRF is important for better patient outcomes. There is however little data describing the burden of PHRF and its risk factors in low-resource- setting such as U...

Background: Improved access to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not equated to improved health outcomes. Absence or unsustained quality of care is partly to blame. Improving outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs) requires delivery of complex interventions by multiple specialties working in concert, and the simultaneous pr...

Background Trauma accounts for 10% of global mortality, with increasing rates disproportionally affecting low- and middle-income countries. In an attempt to improve clinical outcomes after injury, trauma systems have been implemented in multiple countries over recent years. However, whilst many studies have subsequently demonstrated improvements in...

Background: Few data from low-income countries report on respiratory support techniques in COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Research question: Which respiratory support techniques are used in patients with COVID-19-associated ARDS in Uganda? Study design and methods: A multicenter, prospective, observational stud...

Background: Improved access to healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has not equated to improved health outcomes. Absence or unsustained quality of care is partly to blame. Improving outcomes in intensive care units (ICUs) requires delivery of complex interventions by multiple specialties working in concert, and the simultaneous pr...

Critical illness is common throughout the world and is associated with high costs of care and resource intensity. The Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created a sudden surge of critically ill patients, which in turn led to devastating effects on health care systems worldwide and more so in Africa. This narrative report describes how an...

Purpose: To develop a set of actionable quality indicators for critical care suitable for use in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: A list of 84 candidate indicators compiled from a previous literature review and stakeholder recommendations were categorised into three domains (foundation, process, and quality impact). An expert pa...

Objectives: To identify the epidemiology and outcome of adults and children with and without sepsis in a rural sub-Sahara African setting. Design: A priori planned substudy of a prospective, before-and-after trial. Setting: Rural, sub-Sahara African hospital. Patients: One-thousand four-hundred twelve patients (adults, n = 491; children, n =...

Background Several repurposed drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been investigated for treatment of COVID-19, but none was confirmed to be efficacious. While in vitro studies have demonstrated antiviral properties of HCQ, data from clinical trials were conflicting regarding its benefit for COVID-19 treatment. Drugs that limit viral replica...

Background: Precision medicine focuses on the identification of therapeutic strategies that are effective for a group of patients based on similar unifying characteristics. The recent success of precision medicine in non–critical care settings has resulted from the confluence of large clinical and biospecimen repositories, innovative bioinformatics...

Background Several repurposed drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been investigated for treatment of COVID-19, but none was confirmed to be efficacious. While in vitro studies have demonstrated antiviral properties of HCQ, data from clinical trials were conflicting regarding its benefit for COVID-19 treatment. Drugs that limit viral replica...

Clinical question: What is the role of drugs in preventing covid-19? WHY DOES THIS MATTER?: There is widespread interest in whether drug interventions can be used for the prevention of covid-19, but there is uncertainty about which drugs, if any, are effective. The first version of this living guideline focuses on the evidence for hydroxychloroqui...

Introduction Limited data exist on the epidemiology of acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure (AHRF) in low-income countries (LICs). We sought to determine the prevalence of AHRF in critically ill adult patients admitted to a Ugandan tertiary referral hospital; determine clinical and treatment characteristics as well as assess factors associated with...

Background : Intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) is sustained increase in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) ≥12 mmHg in adults and ≥10 mmHg in children. IAH has been noted to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients. Measurement of IAP is common among at risk patients in the developed world. However, it has not...

Clinical question: What is the role of drug interventions in the treatment and prevention of covid-19? Recommendations: The first version on this living guidance focuses on corticosteroids. It contains a strong recommendation for systemic corticosteroids in patients with severe and critical covid-19, and a weak or conditional recommendation agai...

Clinical question What is the role of remdesivir in the treatment of severe covid-19? This guideline was triggered by the ACTT-1 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 22 May 2020. Current practice Remdesivir has received worldwide attention as a potentially effective treatment for severe covid-19. After rapid market approval in...

Evidence that face masks provide effective protection against respiratory infections in the community is scarce. However, face masks are widely used by health workers as part of droplet precautions when caring for patients with respiratory infections. It would therefore be reasonable to suggest that consistent widespread use of face masks in the co...

Objective To assess the value of the inability to walk unassisted to predict hospital mortality in patients with suspected infection in a resource-limited setting. Methods This is a post hoc study of a prospective trial performed in rural Rwanda. Patients hospitalized because of a suspected acute infection and who were able to walk unassisted befo...

Background: In developing countries, post-operative pain remains underestimated and undertreated due to economic constraints, lack of awareness and limited resources. In contrast, ketamine is an effective, readily available, easy to use and inexpensive drug frequently used in poor settings. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the ov...

Background: Hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) are vehicles for pathogens responsible for healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Following the identification of Gram-negative organisms (GNOs) in all cases of HAIs in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU), we sought to determine the burden of hand colonization with GNOs among healthcare workers wh...

Objectives: To deploy machine learning tools (random forests) to develop a model that reliably predicts hospital mortality in children with acute infections residing in low- and middle-income countries, using age and other variables collected at hospital admission. Design: Post hoc analysis of a single-center, prospective, before-and-after feasi...

In this chapter, we summarize recommendations on sepsis recognition, identification of the underlying infection and causative microbiological pathogen, as well as recognition of septic shock in resource-limited settings. Early recognition of sepsis is based on the quick Sequential (Sepsis-related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA): respiratory rate...

Sepsis is a major cause of critical illness worldwide, especially in resource-poor settings. Intensive care units (ICUs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face many challenges that could affect patient outcome. The aim of this review is to describe differences between resource-poor and resource-rich settings regarding the epidemiology, pa...

In this chapter, we outline important elements for the general supportive care for patients with sepsis in resource-limited settings. We discuss the use of corticosteroids, sedation, neuromuscular blocking agents, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis, gastric ulcer prevention, glucose control, enteral feeding, renal replacement therapy, and ini...

Recommendations on the management of infections in patients with sepsis and septic shock are mainly derived from studies on bacterial sepsis in high-income settings and are not necessarily applicable elsewhere due to differences in etiology and diagnostic or treatment capacity. In this chapter, we provide recommendations on infection management in...

Background : Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) T cells play a central role in regulation of adaptive T cell-mediated immune responses. Low CD4 T cell counts are not routinely reported as a marker of immune deficiency among HIV-negative individuals, as is the norm among their HIV positive counterparts. Despite evidence of mortality rates as high as...

Background: A pilot study on the World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) showed a reduction in both major complications and mortality of surgical patients. Compliance with this checklist varies around the world. We aimed to determine the extent of compliance with the WHO SSC and its association with surgical outcomes in 5 o...

Objective: To evaluate whether a focused education program and implementation of a treatment bundle increases the rate of early evidence-based interventions in patients with acute infections. Design: Single-center, prospective, before-and-after feasibility trial. Setting: Emergency department of a sub-Saharan African district hospital. Patien...

Objective: To evaluate whether a focused education program and implementation of a treatment bundle increases the rate of early evidence-based interventions in patients with acute infections. Design: Single-center, prospective, before-and-after feasibility trial. Setting: Emergency department of a sub-Saharan African district hospital. Patien...

Background: Neurogenic pulmonary edema is a less recognized complication of head injuries and is seldom considered in management protocols in most centers. We therefore conducted a study to determine the prevalence of Neurogenic Pulmonary Edema among patients who died from head injury at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Uganda. Methods: An observ...

Background Both under- and overinflation of endotracheal tube cuffs can result in significant harm to the patient. The optimal technique for establishing and maintaining safe cuff pressures (20–30 cmH2O) is the cuff pressure manometer, but this is not widely available, especially in resource-limited settings where its use is limited by cost of acqu...

Background The intensive care unit (ICU) admits critically ill patients requiring advanced airway, respiratory, cardiac and renal support. Despite the highly-specialized interventions, the mortality and morbidity is still high due to a number of reasons including nosocomial infections, which are the most likely complications in hospitalized patient...

Background: Surgery and Anesthesia cause an excessive pro-inflammatory response. Mulago Hospital is faced with staff shortage making post-operative pain management difficult.Interleukin-6 (IL-6) drives inflammatory pain, endothelial cell dysfunction and fibrogenesis. Ketamine is cheap and, readily available. We hypothesized that its attenuation of...

Background: Crystalloids are used routinely for perioperative fluid management in cesarean delivery. Few studies have determined the crystalloid of choice in obstetric anesthesia. We compared the effects of Ringer's lactate (RL) versus 0.9% normal saline (NS) on maternal and neonatal blood pH and 24-hour postoperative morbidity in urgent cesarean...

Background: Sepsis is a major reason for intensive care unit (ICU) admission, also in resource-poor settings. ICUs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face many challenges that could affect patient outcome. Aim: To describe differences between resource-poor and?resource-rich settings regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, economics...

Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances. These documents inform and shape patient care around the world. In this perspective we discuss the importance of diversity on guideline panels, the disproportionately low...

Background Sub-Saharan Africa has a great burden of critical illness with limited health care resources. We evaluated the feasibility and utility of the modified Sequential Organ Function Assessment (mSOFA) score in assessing morbidity and mortality in the National Referral Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) for one year. Methods We conducted a...

CONSORT 2010 checklist. Endotracheal tube cuff pressure: a randomized control study comparing loss of resistance syringe to pilot balloon palpation.

Background: Integrated care pathways (ICP) in stroke management are increasingly being implemented to improve outcomes of acute stroke patients. We evaluated the effect of implementing a 72 hour stroke care bundle on early outcomes among patients admitted within seven days post stroke to the national referral hospital in Uganda. Methods: In a on...

TREND checklist. (PDF)

Study Protocol. (PDF)

Introduction: Providing optimal critical care in developing countries is limited by lack of recognition of critical illness and lack of essential resources. The Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), based on physiological parameters, is validated in adult medical and surgical patients as a predictor of mortality. The objective of this study perform...

Table A: Baseline characteristics of enrolled patients compared to self-discharged patients. Summary statistics are presented for baseline characteristics in the population, split by those patients we analyzed in this study (n = 452) and those who were self-discharged (n = 62); 16 of the 530 enrolled patients had missing data for MEWS or outcome at...

Table B: Univariate Analysis of Factors Associated with Mortality, with Supplemental Data. Table B represents an expanded version of Table 3, included in the manuscript. We have provided, for each binary variable within the univariate analysis, the actual proportion of patients who died and survived. This includes the variables sex, medical admissi...

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterized by one or more organ dysfunctions due to a dysregulated host response to infection [1] or, in certain cases, due to direct pathogen effects. Sepsis is not only associated with bacterial or fungal infections but also with any other infection such as viral disease, protozoal (e.g., malaria), or tro...

. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common occurrence in the intensive care unit (ICU). Studies have looked at outcomes of renal replacement therapy using intermittent haemodialysis (IHD) in ICUs with varying results. Little is known about the outcomes of using IHD in resource-limited settings where continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is limit...

Purpose . In high-income countries, improved survival has been documented among intensive care unit (ICU) patients infected with human immune deficiency virus (HIV). There are no data from low-income country ICUs. We sought to identify clinical characteristics and survival outcomes among HIV patients in a low-income country ICU. Materials and Metho...

Background Research on cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has considerably increased in recent decades, and international guidelines for resuscitation have been implemented and have undergone several changes. Very little is known about the prevalence and management of in-hospital cardiac arrest in low-resource settings. We there...

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of sepsis. We determined the prevalence of AKI among adult patients with sepsis on the medical wards in a low-income country and described their clinical pattern and outcomes at discharge. We conducted a cross-sectional study of sepsis-related AKI on the adult medical wards of Mulago National Refer...

Introduction Mortality from trauma remains a major challenge despite recent substantial improvements in acute trauma care. In trauma care patient resuscitation to correct hypotension from volume loss still majorly relies on use of physiological parameters such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, urine output and oxygen saturation. In r...

Background: Surgery and perioperative care have been neglected in the arena of global health despite evidence of cost-effectiveness and the growing, substantial burden of surgical conditions. Various approaches to address the surgical disease crisis have been reported. This article describes the strategy of Global Partners in Anesthesia and Surger...

Primary health care delivery in the developing world faces many challenges. Priority setting favours HIV, TB and malaria interventions. Little is known about the challenges faced in this setting with regard to critical care medicine. The aim of this study was to analyse and categorise the diagnosis and outcomes of 1,774 patients admitted to a hospi...