Day 2 - Tuesday

We had an interesting start this morning due to four emergency surgeries from the Olanchito Hospital’s OBGYN staff. Three were emergency cesarean sections and one septic abortion. The septic abortion happens often in Honduras because abortion is illegal, and women who want one obtain them from people who do not perform the procedure as it would be performed in a hospital. This woman had received an abortion that left some of the lining/fetus inside of her uterus, which became infected. The doctors were able to clear what remained, but the woman is still in extreme danger of dying or requiring a hysterectomy. (Below, Dr. Misas comforts a patient before she is given anesthesia before her surgery to remove a fibroid tumor.) After lunch, Dr. Misas was finally able to begin working on his six scheduled procedures for the day, mostly consisting of hysterectomies. The other procedures performed today included cleft lips, burn/scar tissue removal, a thyroidectomy, gallbladder removal, hernia repair, an emergency appendectomy, a circumcision, and many more.

The conditions here are less than desirable. There are two operating rooms with two surgeons in each. With the nurses, anesthesiologists, and other staff to assist, it is certainly tight quarters. In addition, there is only one recovery room with four beds that were shared by up to three children at once. The doctors consult with patients in the hallway between the hospital and the operating room wing because there is no private room to do so. Regardless, spirits are high and the WSF brigade continues on in pursuit of helping the people of Honduras.