Monthly Archives: May 2010

The post-operative clinic ran from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. After that, lunch at the hospital, an interview in Spanish with a radio station, and another round of goodbyes before the last of the packing at the hospital and the hotel. We … Continue reading →

Our last day in the OR. After we finished, we had cake with the hospital staff. Tomorrow morning we will see the patients in follow up clinic to check for infection, swelling, sutures, and early healing. After that, we leave … Continue reading →

Today we ran over 12 hours at the hospital and got dropped off at the Rotarian dress-up dinner still in our scrubs. The days have been a flurry of OR changes: kids coming from far away who arrive late for … Continue reading →

Breakfast starts at 6 a.m. and I’m on the first bus to the hospital at 7 a.m. Patients are waiting outside for us and I check to see that they’ve fasted the proper amount of time and that no one’s … Continue reading →

OR days 4 and 5. Patients continue to dribble in for evaluation. Today there were two infants. Families carry growth charts or small booklets with information about the babies and their vaccines. One 3 month old infant with a cleft lip hasn’t … Continue reading →

This morning we rounded at the hospital and discharged patients. For our one day off, one group went to the beach while the others opted for a trip along the Ruta de Las Flores in western El Salvador. We stopped … Continue reading →

Today was the third day in the OR and a half day of cases for Saturday. Two cleft lips–one 5 month old and one 11 month old–had never had surgery to correct their primary defect. The babies must meet the … Continue reading →

Today we ran three surgical rooms for three surgical teams. We started at seven and ended twelve hours later. Procedures included fistula repairs–connections between the mouth and nose–that interfere with eating and speaking.  Another case involved the removal of a … Continue reading →

The first day in the operating room was balanced to start with some less complicated cases to make sure everything went smoothly. From there, longer cases got the go ahead. I spent the day in post operative area where patients … Continue reading →

Patients were waiting for us when we arrived at the hospital. We settled into our stations: registration, vital signs, and then the specialists. First the patients saw one of the three surgeons followed by the anesthesiologist if a procedure was … Continue reading →