PERIPHERALIA

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The procedure unit is a stand-alone unit next to casualty and 
provides a service to all the wards and casualty as well as 
acting as a teaching unit.

It is designed to handle and teach office procedures and minor 
surgical procedures under local and regional anaesthesia 
(upper and lower limb and specialised anaesthetic blocks).

The unit operates daily from 08:00 to 17:00 hours. The last 
booking is at 16:00 hours.

The unit consists of 5 procedure areas/beds which are 
allocated to:

1. BOOKED MINOR SURGICAL CASES/PROCEDURES/
INVESTIGATIVE PROCEDURES,  such as skin cysts, keloids, 
lipomas, lymph node biopsy, skin biopsy, tendon injection, 
joint aspiration, ganglions, warts, cryotherapy, toe nail 
surgery as well as lumbar punctures, pleural tap and biopsy, 
pericardial tap, ascites drainage, hydrocoele drainage, liver 
biopsy and haemorrhoid ligation.

2.     SEPTIC CASES, such as abscesses, debridement of wounds 
and infected amputations.

3 and 4.  EMERGENCY TRAUMA SURGERY, such as suturing 
lacerations, traumatic hand and foot surgery, chest drains, 
removal of foreign bodies, epistaxis and urinary or suprapubic 
catheterisation. 

5. SPECIAL LISTS: Endoscopy list, circumcision/vasectomy list 
and eye surgery list. 

The unit is equipped with appropriate instrument trays, 
autoclaves and resuscitation equipment.

FAMILY MEDICINE ROTATION:  This is a one-month optional 
module for interns or community service doctors and 
preference is given to those who are considering careers in 
rural/semi-rural practice.

AUDIOVISUAL UNIT contains screens and projectors for 

teaching and a library of videos/DVDs on procedures 

and anatomical maps, as well as instructions for regional 

anaesthesia. We have televised all procedures and the 

videos/DVDs of these procedures as well as step-by-step 

visual demonstrations of regional anaesthetic blocks can be 

downloaded free from our website.

Teaching includes taking consent, ethical issues and quality 

assurance reviews.

Certain procedures are in research trials.

STAFF:  2 family physicians/lecturers, 1 professional nurse,  

5 staff nurses, 1 data capture/file clerk, 1 research assistant,  

1 receptionist, 1 general orderly.

Phone extension 295 for bookings, or you may book online 

from peripheral clinics.

Please phone our receptionist for bookings from the wards. 

Casualty officers should please phone through cases which 

will be taken depending on workloads and schedules.

The unit is structured to be a service to the hospital and 

surrounding clinics. CPD teaching days in office procedures 

are provided regularly for medical officers from surrounding 

hospitals and for local general practitioners. These instruction 

sessions can also be accessed via our telemedicine unit to 

surrounding and rural hospitals. 

Thank you for your cooperation.

Chris Ellis is a family physician in Pietermaritzburg, 
KwaZulu-Natal

E mail: cristobalellis@gmail.com

Sikanjalo district hospital
Procedural medicine teaching unit