Photos March 27-28

March 28

Thursday March 27, 2019

We had a full and productive day today!

We had 5 complex ENT cases in the OR including some patients with obstructed airways, a facial anomaly for repair and ear surgery.  There were also 7 complex orthopedic/plastic surgery patients that the anesthesia team helped to care for.

We had a follow up ENT clinic with about 50 patients and the audiology team saw a full day’s worth of patients too with 20 patient evaluations and dispensing 10 hearing aids.

We had a team dinner at an Italian restaurant.  Although Ethiopia was never colonized by any foreign country, it was occupied by the Italians for a short time and there are remnants of Italian influence everywhere especially in the culinary realm!

It is hard to believe that it is already Thursday!

March 27

Wednesday March 27, 2019

Today was a relatively quiet day.

The ENT team had three OR cases that were relatively straightforward; we had an Ethiopian ENT surgeon who has been working with us for many years join in the care.  We also had two Ethiopian anesthetist students as part of the team.  This is the whole reason we are here – to have local providers work alongside of us to care for the patients.  We also had one orthopedic case.

One of our scheduled teaching sessions was canceled so half of the team took the opportunity to travel to the city of Bahir Dar to see another part of Ethiopia.  They had an amazing trip seeing rural Ethiopia and also wildlife and a lake.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with a dear Ethiopian Anesthesiologist friend and talk about our many joys and challenges in the process of caring for others as an anesthesiologist.

We have a busy OR and clinic day on Thursday!

Tuesday March 26th

Tuesday March 26, 2019

We had a full day today.

The audiology team went to the School for the Deaf where they evaluated and cared for many children.  We have had a long term relationship with this school, and they are always happy to see our team.  The school is unique in that they provide education for deaf children but also for hearing siblings of deaf children.  This really helps to encourage the education of deaf children.

The ENT team had two complex surgical cases in the OR.  One was an infant with an unusual genetic disorder who needed ENT evaluation under anesthesia.  The second was a teenager with a prior significant airway injury who needed some evaluation and reconstruction.  I also assisted with the orthopedic and plastic surgery patients on the OR schedule.  I got to spend time with a former Ethiopian anesthesia resident who is doing some work at Cure.  It is very heartwarming to see her develop into a confident competent anesthesiologist.  The ENT team also went to a local government hospital after their surgical cases to see some patient with one of the Ethiopian ENT surgeons.

We’ll have a team dinner at an Indian restaurant tonight.

It is great to be with old friends and make new friends!

Monday March 25th

Monday March 25, 2019

We enjoyed a team Italian dinner last night and rested up for our first full day.

The ENT team saw a large intake clinic and evaluated 68 patients, ten or so are already scheduled for surgery.  Some were follow up patients, some new patients, some we will see again on our next visit to monitor progress.

The Audiology team was equally as busy, performing 27 audiograms and fitting 8 hearing aids.

I worked with the Cure Anesthesiology team and we had 8 orthopedic and plastic surgery cases in the OR.  There are anesthesia students and anesthesiology residents from training programs around the city.  In addition to me and the US anesthesiology resident, there is also a US anesthesiology fellow at Cure.  The US anesthesiology team took advantage of the schedule today and visited a dear colleague at Black Lion hospital where they hope to spend today and tomorrow.  Over the course of the next 6 weeks there is another US anesthesiology resident and another US anesthesiology fellow working at Cure.  This really represents an amazing opportunity for Ethiopian anesthesiology residents and anesthetist students to interact with visiting faculty and teachers and learn additional skills that they have little exposure to normally.

Later in the week we’ll have other clinics scheduled, teaching sessions, evaluations at the School for the Deaf and surgical cases at Cure.

We’ll have an early dinner and we’ll all try to get some good rest tonight!  It is warm and sunny and delightful weather!

March 2019 Ethiopia

March 2019

The Healing the Children ENT team has arrived in Ethiopia!  This is our 19^th visit.

Our team consists of 3 ENT surgeons, 4 Audiologists, a student, and administrator, and me.  A US anesthesia resident is here for the month also working at Cure and will be working along with us.  We hail from Philly, Washington State, Washington DC, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and California!  All of our travels were uneventful and everyone and everything arrived safely.  For most of us it was more than 24 hours of traveling.

Today we are relaxing, unpacking, sorting supplies and equipment, some are touring, some of us went to church and we are enjoying the 80 degree sunny weather.  We are finalizing our plans for this week.

We’ll enjoy some dinner and rest tonight.  Tomorrow – ortho and plastics surgical cases at Cure Ethiopia, ENT clinic and audiology evaluations.  Some will also go to see patients at Black Lion Hospital.  It is good to be back!

On the road again to Ethiopia!