Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Day 3 Surgery and clinic

Day 3 went great. 4 cases completed, no hiccups..Carlos has the instrument team running smoothly. Dr Norton and Amanda have worked well with their Veracruz colleagues to get the cases started on time.  We were done and back at the hotel by 4pm. We used up all of the size 3 implants, so while all of day 4 cases are scheduled as size 2, we are not going to have a backup if we sized the X-rays incorrectly.. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. The floor nurses and ours have been great.Things are going very well, the air-conditioning works, the patients are working hard with the physical therapists. 12 cases done! More than we had hoped because of the customs fiasco.
The team is happy and confident. The followup patients are doing great, with pain relief,functional return and great motion.
What a privilege it is to work with this team of people!
Carla translating in clinic, Great Motion!
Dr DeBoer examining a new patient
Dr Otto and Dr DeBoer about to start a case, Chris scrubbing, Carlos first assisting
Tyler taking a patient for their first walk
back from the OR
Moving down to the operating room
after surgery with Katie and Tyler

Photos from Oct 20, 2013

Jessica waiting for the bus back to the hotel
This image of  Super-ness is of none other than Dr Octavio Amador, soon to be SJRI fellow
Dr Doug Holiday in Veracruz clinic, managing his Nashville clinic
Dr Norton doing the Veracruz shuffle 
the floor and holding room crew (Katie,Amanda,&Korie
Dr Rob Otto, current SJRI fellow, scrubbing for surgery

Monday, October 21, 2013

Day 2 Surgery

Thanks Exactech!    Jose, 1 yr follow-up bilateral knee replacements
Aletha and Contessa on the unit
Kori and Amanda at the feast
Dr Scott Curry, Allison,Carlos and Roberto  
Jessica and OR staff member feasting
Dr Doug Norton and an anesthesia resident doing the nerve block
Dr Dan Nelson and Matt in the OR
Kori and Sheila up and down the hall

Saturday, October 19, 2013

The Rotary Club "Saphire Chapter"

Carla, Contessa Wood, Dr Steve Embry in clinic with a new patient
Perhaps the biggest change on this trip has been the involvement of a local Rotary Club Chapter.  Until we were introduced to this wonderful group of women last spring, I really knew nothing about the Rotary Club or its mission. Founded in 1905, the Rotary Club was organized to bring business and professional leaders to together to support humanitarian projects in their local communities. (my apologies to our Rotarian readers, the mission is much more complicated and expansive). We were introduced to a relatively new chapter in Veracruz, The Saphire Chapter.  Composed of women professionals and business owners, the chapter was looking for a new project when we met last fall. Good fortune for us! We were were looking for deeper connections to the community and apparently we looked like we needed help, so they warmly took us in and have transformed the way we see  Veracruz. Things that have been difficult (phones, wi-fi, etc.) are now solved. They are bringing new patients, who might not otherwise get to us, for surgical evaluation. They are in the clinic and on the unit translating and interpreting. They have helped us navigate and understand our surroundings better. It has been a revelation. We are deeply grateful for their help and their enthusiasm.
Coquis meets us at the airport

Day 2 Oct 19, 2013

So we are off to an inauspicious start.
Due to some difficulties with customs, (apparently forms have changed and with a new government in Mexico City there is not a lot of "give" in the system), we were unable to bring in the replacements for the knee implants we used last spring. The implants are in the boxes back at the SJRI office in Nashville.  When the advance team arrived last Sunday, they spent 3 hours with 7 customs agents going thru 3 suitcases. Several saw blades and some antibiotics were confiscated, so we decided to not risk the replacement implants.  That leaves us with a dilemma, 25 patients scheduled but not enough of all the sizes to cover them.  Yesterday, MB, Matt Lowe, Drs Curry and Nelson and I went thru the available  implants and cross referenced them with the templated sizes for the scheduled patients. We scheduled cases based on their sizes and implant availability.  If the sizes match the templating, we should be able to  get 19 cases done. As it turns out, the sizes we used in the spring were a size larger than the ones scheduled, so it looks like it may work out! Talk about good karma!
Matt Lowe inventory specialist
Drs Dan Nelson and Scott Curry figuring it out
We are half way thru the first day and things are going well. We've used sizes that matched the expected, the OR's are COLD (God Bless) and there has only been one sterilization glitch. It is wonderful to see all the work from previous trips paying off.  Friendships are renewed, lessons reinforced, the patients are doing well. I am typing this in clinic (my favorite place in the universe, as most know) because I am connected to the internet! Wonders every single day.... Getting my Mexico Zen going. Lots more to tell soon.

Friday, October 18, 2013

First Day Oct 18, 2013


The majority of the team arrived yesterday afternoon. The advance team, MaryBetty, Donna, Cindy and Carlos C arrived last Sunday and have already getting things ready for surgery tomorrow. Final preparations begin today. Clinic all day, OR prep, and getting the beds ready.


At the airport.
Travel day started at 3:30 am, need a nap!