Week Two – Wednesday's Blog
1 year-old Emilio gets Surgery for Club Feet
Emilio was born with two club feet. In this deformity, the feet turn inwards and point down. As the child gets older, this can be a debilitating problem if it is not corrected. They walk on the top of the foot, and it's difficult or impossible to find appropriate shoes. These kids are generally excluded from any sports and often ostracized in society because of their deformity. The earlier this deformity is treated, the more likely the child will have normal function of their feet.
In North America, club feet are treated within the first few weeks of a baby being born with this deformity. The treatment is generally non-surgical with a series of casts which progressively correct the deformity. In Ecuador, however, specialized casting services are not always available. CAMTA patient, Emilio, did receive some casting treatment by the CAMTA team when he was just 5 days old. His feet remained slightly inverted likely because the entire treatment process which involves the child wearing a splint for a period of almost 1 year was likely not completed.
Emilio is seen here with with Layperson Rebecca Day. Emilio is full of smiles during his pre-op checkup.
Since Emilio is now over 1 year old, CAMTA offered him surgical treatment instead of casting for both his feet. The treatment includes surgical release of the muscles on the inside and back of his foot and then holding the foot in the corrected position using a metal wire. The patient is casted for 6 weeks and the cast and wire will be removed by a local surgeon. year old, CAMTA offered him surgical treatment instead of casting for both his feet.
Inside the Pediatric O.R., Emilio undergoes surgery to correct his club feet. (Left to Right) Pediatric O.R. Nurse Heather Raitt, Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Sumit Gupta, Orthopedic Resident Dr. Ryan Paul and Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Don Dick.
Post surgery, Emilio is taken from the recovery room to the ward. His Aunt and Grandmother have been waiting outside the recovery room for 2 hours, and are overjoyed to seem him!
In the Ward, Emilio is reunited with his parents who are teary eyed to see and hold their baby post surgery.
We expect that Emilio will be able to walk normally and play sports without needing any further surgery.
Emilio's grandparents bring flowers and boxes of fresh fruit for the CAMTA team to express their gratitude. In this photo: Emilio's grandparents with Barb Moreau and Social Worker Nellie.
Refresher CPR Training for Local Nursing Staff
Pediatric LPN, Saison Demitor, taught CPR to local nurses and nursing students at the hospital on Wednesday morning. Saison is a CPR instructor for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. During the 1.5 hour session, Saison used a power point presentation, which had been translated in Spanish ahead of time, to review the basics of adult and child CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and use of AED (automated external defibrillator).
Pediatric LPN, Saison Demitor, provides refresher CPR training to local nurses and nursing students. Translator Francisco Gallardo translates for the group.
The nurses in Quito are generally not trained to use AEDs, and many ambulances are not equipped with AEDs which can be used to help prevent a fatal cardiac arrest. In North America, it is common to have AED's in ambulances and even public locations such as malls, schools and offices. The AEDs we commonly use in North America have simple audio and visual commands, so that it is simple for any person to use. Most first aid classes in North America also teach the use of AEDs.
Pediatric LPN, Saison Demitor demonstrates CPR to local nurses. The nurses practice CPR on mannequins. Saison borrowed these mannequins from the Heart & Stroke Foundation and travelled with them from Edmonton to Quito for this training.
Inside the Pediatric and Adult Wards…
Seventy-one year old patient, Gladdys Estela, leaves the hospital after spending two days on the Adult post-op ward. Before leaving, she sings songs for the CAMTA Volunteers to express her happiness and gratitude. Gladdys had surgery on her left hip on Monday and she is the oldest patient of Week 2.
Seventy-one year old Gladdys Estela says goodbye as she leaves the hospital. (Left to Right) Recovery Room Nurse Pauline Worsfold, Ward Nurse Lisa Bleakley and Translator Francisco Gallardo.
Two year old Jerssy Steven was born with a left dislocated hip. Jerssy lives with his mother in Quito and often wakes up crying in the middle of the night because of pain. Jerrsy's family cannot afford the cost of a surgery in the local hospital. When his case was assessed by the local Ministry of Health, his family was told that Jerssy would not be able to receive treatment in Quito at the government hospital for at least 4 years.
Through CAMTA, Jerssy received surgery for hip reduction. The surgical procedure involved cutting his femur and pelvis bones. Jerssy will be in a hip spica cast for 6 weeks.
Two year old Jersey Steven with (Left to Right) Blogger Neha Gupta, Ward Nurses Jum Hemmerich and Dianne Cortez, Translator Tim Smith, GP Dr. Ryan Wright, Physiotherapist Kristen Redhead and Ward Nurse Erica Nelson.
The first adult patient of Week 2, fifty-six year old Mercedes Dioselina was discharged today. Merecedes had a bilateral hip surgery .
56 year old patient, Mercedes Dioselina is discharged. Mercedes was the first adult surgery of Week 2. In this photo: Mercedes with translator Tim Smith and Physiotherapist Brenda Corie.
CAMTA is on the local Radio!
On Tuesday, a local radio station invited a Tierra Nueva executive, Dr. Marc Moreau and translator Toby Cubitt from CAMTA to speak about the TN foundation and CAMTA's mission. In the 45 minute live interview, CAMTA's work in Quito over the last 14 years was discussed. Even with increased government funding for healthcare over the last decade by the local government, the important role of brigades such as CAMTA in providing health care to locals was emphasized. Many patients in the rural parts of the country still need CAMTA and other similar organizations to receive treatments and surgeries that will greatly improve their quality of life. This was the largest radio station that has interviewed CAMTA till date, and was an effective method of raising awareness as well as reaching out to many locals who may not have heard about CAMTA before.