Postoperative Sepsis Among HIV-Positive Patients with Acute Abdomen at Tertiary Hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa: a Prospective Study

The incidence of HIV in Uganda as reported by UNAIDS (2012) was increased from 6.7% in 2004 to 7.6% to 2012. The main threat to HIV-infected patients following surgery is the development of sepsis. Inadequacy of surgical supplies and human resources further hastens and complicates the postoperative sepsis in HIV patients. The objective of the study was to determine incidence and risk factors associated with postoperative sepsis, among HIV seropositive with acute abdomen. A prospective study ran for a period of 11 months from October 2015 to April 2016 in Mulago Hospital in Kampala. Eligible patients were recruited and included. Study variables included postoperative wound sepsis, type of surgery, and CD4 counts. Thirty-eight data were collected using a questionnaire then entered in the Epidata software 3.1 and analyzed by Stata software version. Sixty-two patients were recruited; of these, 42 were male, 37 were HIV-negative and 25 were HIV-positive. The proportion of patients with postoperative sepsis in the HIV-positive group was 7 (28%) and in the HIV-negative group was 8 (21.6%). The number of patients discharged in HIV-positive group was 24 (96%) and in HIV-negative group was 35 (94.6%). Among the HIV-positive group was 1 out of 25 (4) % and HIV-negative was 2 out of 37 (5.4%). The overall postoperative sepsis incidence rate was 3 per 100 person days for under observation (95% CI 0.02–0.1), and the incidence rate ratio of HIV-positive patients and HIV-negative was 1.04 (95% CI 0.32–3.3; P = 0.47. The limited health resource was associated with developing postoperative sepsis. There was a higher risk of positive operative sepsis among HIV-positive compared to HIV-negative patients undergoing surgery for acute abdominal conditions.