Archive for category: Dominican Republic

2014 HRFU Dominican Republic Mao Trip Summary

The trip to Mao as a new site for HRFU in the Dominican Republic trip was truly a success.  From November 17th-21st; 66 hernia operations were performed and numerous other patients were examined and referred for additional medical and cardiac workups pre-operatively. As always the team members were grateful for the experience. We had team members from Centrastate , Jersey Shore , Lankenau and CHOP Hospitals.

Drs. Jarrod Kaufman, Giampero Campanelli, Robert Fitzgibbons were the surgeons. Dr. Kaufman led the team and brought many new first time physicians. Dr. Sandra Abramson a Cardiologist facilitated the pre-op and post op evaluations. The anesthesia team consisted of Drs. Charles Farrell, Anthony Fugaro, and Nancy Moyer CRNA.  There were no operative complications during the mission and none reported postoperatively to date.

The entire team performed well under less than predictable conditions, as this was our first time at the site.  There is continued enthusiasm on the part of the team members and local hospital staff members to continue our work at the Mao hospital. The Timmy Foundation and Banelino and HRFU Local staff truly helped round out the team for a successful mission.

There were many good moments and below are but a few.

 

                              Below two of our post operative patients are ready to go home.

                                 

 Surgeon Training:  One fully trained local surgeon, Dr. Fausto Rodriguez-Perez, a Mao surgeon was trained by Drs. Campanelli and Fitgibbons on the Lichtenstein repair.  Dr. Fausto did very well and was awarded pieces of donated mesh for future Lichtenstein repairs on poor patients.  Below are pictures showing the beginning of training with Drs. Campanelli and Fitzgibbons . After operating and after completion of 5 other groin hernia operations performed by Dr. Fausto  with Drs. Campanelli  and  Fitzbibbons first assisting him.  After each of the 5 operations a written rating form was used to assess surgical performance by Dr. Fausto.

         

Training has become an important part of the HRFU mission.  Many hernia repairs need to be performed but surgeon training and eventually if protocols are followed, training of those surgeons to be trainers will occur.

The most recent HRFU Dominican Republic trip was a huge success! Forty two US volunteers and many Institute of Latin American Concerns health care providers (cooperadores) and 4 Peace Corp volunteers cared for more than 200 patients. Two Dominican surgeons were trained as described below. One hundred and fourteen hernia operations and 18 lumpectomies were performed without complication and numerous other patients were examined and treated medically.

Surgeon Training

Two fully trained Dominican Republic surgeons were chosen–a Pediatric surgeon for Pediatric hernia training, and a general surgeon for Lichtenstein hernia repair training. Dr. Robert Cusick trained the Pediatric surgeon and Dr. Wolfgang Reinpold trained the adult surgeon. Both trainers used a validated surgical technique rating form designed by the University of Southern Illinois surgical department education division (with input from Dr. Filipi, Dr. Cusick, and Dr. David Chen of the UCLA department of surgery). The rating form is now being implemented in the U.S. for surgical residency training. The hernia rating forms are available upon request.

The rating form was reviewed and then the trainer performed the first operation and the trainee assisted. The trainee and trainer reversed their roles with following operations. The trainer then filled out the rating form in privacy then immediately reviewed it with the trainee giving him a numerical score and explanation for all of the step ratings. This was repeated immediately for four subsequent operation. Both surgeons passed with flying colors and Dr. Ramirez was given free mesh on condition that he would use it only on poor patients and that he would monthly fill out a spreadsheet on the patients receiving the mesh and send the spreadsheet electronically to Dr Filipi. Photographs below show the process.