The Operation Medical Team Completes Their First Clinic Day in Haiti
On Monday, October 20, 2014 the Operation Medical team had their first clinic day at Pierre Payen Hospital. Last year the team completed one surgical case on their first day and this year the team completed 5 cases! Dr. Jeff Segil said “The team was amazing beyond belief. Everyone knew what to do and got it done without thinking. Everyone was where they needed to be and the patients were wonderful.”
The team started operating at 9:00 am in the morning. Dr. John Reidell started with an axiala abscess (armpit). Dr. Segil followed with an 18 month old little boy who was in urinary retention from a phimosis. After the surgery, the mother was very grateful. These surgeries were followed with two inguinal hernias as well as surgical excision of an extremely large genital chondyloma.
While doing all of the surgery, the team transferred a 7-year old boy with a possible ruptured appendix from Pierre Payen Hospital to another hospital. The boy was already severly septic by the time he came to the Hospital. Gena Deck, who is an emergency room RN from Exeter, traveled with the sick little boy to Port-au-Prince to the medi-share hospital which is run by the University of Miami. Gena had been to the hospital on previous missions and knew exactly where to go and what to do. With the limited resources at Pierre Payen Hospital, the team was worried about his survival if they attempted surgery.
The clinic was busy all day long and the team has booked 5 cases for Tuesday, with 2 of the patients admitted overnight for surgery first thing in the morning.
The sonographer performed approximately 30 scans and diagnosed kidney stones, testicular masses, fibroids, ovarian cysts, hydroceles and a ruptured appendix.
Dr. Segil said “The operating room ran smoothly with our amazing operating room techs as well as educating local RN’s in circulating, scrubbing and pre and post op care. The Operation Medical team staffed the emergency room all day with an RN and the lab tech did not sit still for a minute.” The team finished around 6:00 pm and all post op patients were sleeping and resting without pain.
Dr. Theresa Northern arrived about 4:30 pm, after being on call through the weekend in New Orleans, and she was put to work immediately. She finished the last case of the day with Dr. Segil.
