Day 8: Fourth Day of Surgeries in Can Tho

In 2010, this young man was in a wheelchair
and needed his parents' assistance for nearly
everything. Today, he not only walks -- he runs.

Monday morning brought us back to Can Tho Central General hospital and our patients. It's amazing how quickly the days at the hospital become routine and comfortable despite how different everything is from our lives at home. 

As we start the second week in the operating rooms, our medical team and the local teams have worked with one another in the surgeries, the support teams have figured out their roles, and things run very smoothly. In the second week, our daily surgical cases also increase in number. Instead of six patients a day, we may see seven or eight.

A big bonus of this week is that we have visitors. On Monday, three previous patients came back to Can Tho Central General Hospital to visit and thank the medical team. It's humbling and satisfying to see how patients have responded to the surgery and, in many cases, hear their stories about how IEP's work has changed their lives. More specifics and stories about our return patients in future posts. So much happens that it's hard to keep up with posting (especially with the lack of wireless at the hospital).

More specific medical details...

Patient 1: 7-year-old boy

• Bilateral equinus
• Procedure: Bilateral gastroc recession

Patient 2: 34-year-old man

• Unopposed inverters and traumatic brain injury resulting from previous motor vehicle accident 
• Procedure: Left triple arthrodesis with tendo-Achilles lengthening

Patient 3: 55-year-old woman

• Posterior tibial tendonitis
• Procedure: Posterior tibial tendon transfer to flexor and posterior tibial tendon tenosynovectomy

Patient 4: 27-year-old woman

• Left calcaneous fracture and syndemosis injury
• Procedure: Left subtalar joint fusion and reduction of syndemosis; z-lengthening of distal fibula

Patient 5: 37-year-old woman

• Bilateral equinus
• Procedure: Bilateral gastroc recession

Patient 6: 44-year-old man

• Equinovarus, right foot
• Procedure: Right TAL with lateral wedge triple arthrodesis in a plantarflexed position with plantarflexion osteotomy of the first ray

Tho Nguyen, one of the residents on the IEP surgical team, preps for
a Monday afternoon surgery. Improvisation is a key to success --
note that the operating room door serves as a lightbox for x-rays.