Epidemiological Profile of Patients Undergoing Urgent Corneal Transplant in a Referral Center in Northeastern Brazil

Abstract Background The purpose of the study was to characterize the epidemiological profile and average time on the waiting list of patients undergoing an urgent corneal transplantation (CT) in a referral center in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil. Methods This cross-sectional...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transplantation proceedings 2016-09, Vol.48 (7), p.2366-2370
Main Authors: Cruz, G.K.P, da Silva, S.B, de Azevedo, I.C, Carvalho, D.P.S.R.P, Meireles, P.F, Júnior, M.A.F, Vitor, A.F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Brazil - epidemiology
Child
Corneal Diseases - surgery
Corneal Transplantation - statistics & numerical data
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Retrospective Studies
Surgery
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Background The purpose of the study was to characterize the epidemiological profile and average time on the waiting list of patients undergoing an urgent corneal transplantation (CT) in a referral center in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, northeastern Brazil. Methods This cross-sectional study included cases of urgent corneal transplants performed in a referral center from January 2010 to December 2014. Data were collected between January and March 2015. Results Seventy-four cases of emergency CT were analyzed. Of these, 69.4% were male, over the age range from 8 to 92 years. There were 38 transplants occurring in the right eye, 55.4% with tectonic purpose, 25.7% with optical purpose, and 18.9% therapy purpose. The main indications for patient inclusion in an emergency were the perforation (52.7%) and corneal ulcer unresponsive to medical treatment (33.8%). Interstitial keratitis was the most common diagnosis (74.3%), responsible for all prioritized cases in line for corneal ulcer unresponsive to treatment. The average length of the waiting line to perform the urgent CT was 9.03 days. Conclusions In this study, there was a predominance of male patients and patients >50 years old, which corroborates the results of other studies with similar results. Perforation was the main indication to include the patient on the urgency list (52.7%). There is a need for further research to improve public health policies on the process of corneal transplantation as well as raising awareness of the importance of organ donation.
ISSN:0041-1345
1873-2623
DOI:10.1016/j.transproceed.2016.06.012