Orthopedic and Major Limb Trauma at the Tikur Anbessa University Hospital, Addis Ababa - Ethiopia.

Background: In Ethiopia, Injuries constitute around half of all surgical emergencies, and are the primary reason for an emergency hospital visit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and pattern of major limb traumatic injuries and orthopedic conditions treated as emergency at Tikur Anbessa University Hospital (TAUH).
Methods: A three-year retrospective descriptive audit of all the orthopedic and major limb trauma patients who attended the 'surgical' emergency department of TAUH in the three-year period between December 2001 and November 2004, and who received treatment necessitating at least one further visit.
Results: A total of 7317 patients presented to the orthopaedic emergency service at Tikur Anbessa Hospital (TAUH) during the study period. Their median age was 25 years. Males: Female ratio of 3:1. A total of 7151 (98%) had suffered one or more severe limb injuries. Polytrauma was noted in 516 (7%) of the cases. Road Traffic Injuries (RTI's) accounted for 2793 (39%) patients of whom 88% were pedestrians who had been 'hit by a car'. Hand injuries accounted for 841 (12%), and of these 162 (20%) lost either a part of or all of the hand. Ninety nine (61%) of these 'hand' amputations followed a machine injury. Only 740 patients were admitted to TAUH out of 2372 whose condition required urgent inpatient care. One hundred and sixty five patients (2% of total) arrived with an acute orthopedic infection, 120 were children (73%) and 109 (90%) of these arrived 'late'.
Conclusion: It is suggested that a reduction in the number of RTA's together with appropriate education of the public would reduce the number of patients currently being injured in Addis Ababa. Finally we believe that this study recording the relative incidence of fractures and joint injuries by site will provide a base line for further studies.