Prepping for Surgery

The evaluations and operating room setup occurred at the hospital today. We were escorted to the hospital by the military guards. The medical equipment was unloaded from the bus, and we enjoyed a pancake breakfast at the hospital. After that, everyone began laying the foundation for the rest of our mission. The nurses, Anesthesiologists, and several volunteers unpacked our equipment and got each of the two operating rooms set up to host two surgeries at a time for the next five days. I’ve spoken with two doctors today after their schedules were set, and each of them have upwards of 35 surgeries scheduled for the week. I spoke with Dr. Robert Wolf, Plastic Surgeon today about which cases he feels will be the most challenging this week. He informed me that he has two brothers with bi-lateral cleft palate and cleft lip combinations to perform this week that will be both difficult and time consuming. He also has quite a few cleft lip surgeries and cleft palate surgeries lined up, along with scar contracture release procedures to remove burn scars that seem to cover the bodies of so many people here. There is not working electricity in many homes, so several families cook over fires that cause these burns. He also saw a baby today who had chemical burns all over his body. It is truly heart wrenching.

Dr. Wolf also shared several stories of patients that he is eagerly anticipating helping. One is a teenage boy who has a congenital alar deformity in his nose, which causes his nose to appear flat. This boy has already received one surgery to attempt to fix the issue, but the incorrect procedure was performed. He will be performing an open tip rhinoplasty to re-form the cartilage and allow the boy to have a “normal” appearing nose. This made the mother cry with joy when she heard that her son would receive the surgery that will resolve his problem because they boy has been enduring endless bullying at school and his classmates compare him to a chimpanzee.

I also worked with Dr. Domingo Alvear, Pediatric Surgeon, today as he screened his patients for the week. There were several patients who had to be referred to the Hospital in San Pedro Sula when the World Surgical Foundation returns in November 2011 due to the need for a pediatric surgeon to provide follow-up care after procedures are completed.

On Dr. Alvear’s schedule this week, you will find surgery to repair hernias (both groin and umbilical), circumcisions, removal of cysts, and so much more. One little boy will receive surgery to remove the tumor from his thigh which could be a sarcoma. Dr. Alvear will send this tumor for pathology testing to be sure that it is not cancerous. If so, the boy will need to see an oncologist, and he will likely need to receive radiation or chemotherapy. We certainly hope this is not the case, but unfortunately, this type of care is virtually unavailable here.

When I asked Dr. Alvear what was one of the more unusual cases for the week, and he described a six year old girl who has been stooling through an ectopic anus since birth, which is located between her anus and vagina. Dr. Alvear will be able to transpose the anus to its normal location, allowing this little girl to toilet like everyone else.

We are also joined on the mission by Dr. Peter Rovito, General Surgeon, and Dr. Jose “Pepe” Misas, an OBGYN-Oncology Surgeon. I will profile these doctors’ cases in a future post. Until then, thank you so much for your support and for following our mission!