Indications and Results of Digestive Stomas in Children in N'Djamena (Chad)

What is known. Digestive stomas are common and life-saving surgical procedures in pediatrics, indicated for congenital malformations and acute peritonitis. The problem addressed. In sub-Saharan Africa, and particularly in Chad, the epidemiological profile, precise indications, and medium-term outcomes (time to closure, complications) of stomas in children are poorly documented. What this study adds new. This five-year retrospective study of 208 children reveals stomas accounted for 4.5% of surgical procedures. Nearly half (45.7%) involved neonates, with a predominance of congenital pathologies (67.8%). Colostomies were the majority (71.6%). Peristomal erythema (17.3%) was the main complication. The mean time to closure was long (142 days). Six deaths were associated with complicated typhoid perforations. Implications. These findings call for strengthened neonatal care capacities for digestive malformations. They underscore the imperative to develop stoma care pathways to prevent local complications and to plan for early stoma closure to improve children's quality of life. This publication is available in full in Health Sciences and Disease.