Pattern of Acute Foot Injuries in Patients Seen at Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Background Foot injuries are common worldwide and are among the leading causes of morbidity and disability in the human population. This study’s aim was to establish the pattern of foot injuries seen at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Objectives: To determine the pattern of acute foot injuries in patients seen at KNH. Methodology and Study setting: This was a cross sectional descriptive study carried out at KNH casualty, wards and clinic between November 2019 and February 2020.The target population was patients who presented with acute foot injuries and fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A sample size of 150 patients was established using the Cochrane’s formula and consecutive sampling technique used to select participants. Data collected included the cause of injury, nature of injuries, severity of injury using Foot and Ankle Severity Scale (FASS) and associated injuries. Data Analysis: Chi-Square test for categorical data to analyze the differences in patterns of foot injury among patients. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Results: Foot injuries were present in 18.1% of all orthopaedic surgery in –patients admitted in KNH. Majority of the patients who suffered foot injuries were males constituting 82.1% of all cases compared to females a 17.9%. The leading cause of the foot injuries was road traffic accidents (65.6%) followed by industrial injuries (10.6%).Fractures constituted majority of foot injuries (56.3%) followed by skin laceration and loss at 37.1% and tendon injuries 13.2%. Most patients suffered simple foot injuries (67.7%) and the rest (32.3%) severe foot injury based on the FASS. Only fall from height over 3 metres showed an association with severity of foot injuries. Majority of the foot injury patients seen had associated injuries (64.9%). Conclusion: Males are more prone to foot injuries compared to females. Foot injuries are commonly caused by road traffic accidents, industrial injuries and falls. The largest proportion of foot injuries fall under the category of simple injuries though severe injuries also constitute a significant number statistically. Recommendations: Further studies on motorcycle associated foot injuries, industrial foot injuries and long term outcomes of foot injuries should be carried out.