Surgical complications from local herbal practitioners: report of five cases

Over a 12-month period, five patients (out of a total of 72) with serious complications resulting from use of herbs by traditional healers were seen at the surgical unit of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Nigeria. The age range was one and a half to five years with a mean age of 23.4 +/- SD years and a male to female ratio of 3:2. All the cases were misdiagnosed and mismanaged and ended up with various complications. Such as penile amputations, digital necrosis, upper and lower limb gangrene as well a severe sepsis among others. Ignorance, cultural beliefs and attitudes, delusion, poverty and inaccessibility to orthodox medical practice were some of the factors responsible for the patronage of traditional healers.