Day Five

Today we completed our final four operations, all went succesfully. As demonstrated by the X Ray seen here the level of disease and deformity we are able to treat is extremely severe. We are fortunate to have such skilled surgeons to correct these deformities. However, once the operation is completed the real work begins, starting with the nurses in the PACU and continuing to the ward. While on the ward patients are receiving vigorous Physical Therapy from a great team of therapists from as close as New England Baptist and Brigham and Womens and as far away as Kansas City and New Hampshire. Patients start receiving treatments at 7 am and it continues until 8 or 9 each night. Ensuring that the patients are able to adequately mobilize and return to their normal activities as soon as possible is perhaps the most vital part of the mission. To their credit our patients meet this challenge head on with enthusiasm and grit. Our therapy team routinely remarks on what a pleasure it is to work with such motivated patients.

Severe Valgus Deformity



Post op



Scott PT, Dr. Thornhill and patient (see X Rays)

Carolyn PT walking with her patient

The hallway this afternoon looked like a crosswalk on a main street downtown as all of the patients walked up and down the corridor, many climbing stairs with minimal assistance. Carolyn Beagan (Head Physical Therapist) has been extremely pleased with the progress seen today. We were even able to ambulate several of our post op day 0 patients after their femoral nerve blocks wore off.

Emily Pt getting ready to work with a bilateral total knee patient

Yil working with a bilateral total knee patient

Busy ward

Dominican and US Central Processing Team

After all of our cases were completed Paul Laemmle and Debbie Pitts led the OR team in breaking down our cargo room. In addition, the CPD finished cleaning and washing the final sets of instruments and packing them away. In all over one hundres sets of hips and instruments were cleaned, sterilized and repackaged this week. To give some perspective that volume of equipment is usually processed over a span of 5 to 10 days at major academic centers who have large teams and enormous autoclaves. This was all done with two tiny autoclaves and no more people than those seen in the picture above. Truly a remarkable effort.