CAMTA purchases medical equipment to enhance safety and care!

At an executive meeting on November 30th, the CAMTA executive agreed to proceed with the purchase of some new equipment items to support our 10th Anniversary Mission to the Tierra Nueva Foundation's Hospital Un Canto a la Vida in Quito, Ecuador.

The equipment will enhance safety for our patients and increase CAMTA's ability to deliver surgical care in a timely manner to our Ecuadorean patients.

Pictured below is a Glidescope device which represents the "state of the art" in anesthesia management of airways.  The video laryngoscope comes with the necessary equipment to manage pediatric and adult airways.

The purchase of the video laryngoscope offers an opportunity as well to teach a modern technique to the local anesthesiologists at the Hospital Un Canto a la Vida who care for the poor patients of South Quito.  We are hopeful that they will be able to make use of this "state of the art" device on their patients during the 50 weeks that CAMTA is not "on the ground" in Quito. 

We are also purchasing several new orthopedic instruments for the pediatric surgical program of CAMTA.  Each year we accumulate a few more instruments and these are typically stored in Ecuador unless repairs or sharpening are required.  Pictured below are some typical orthopedic instruments.

These purchases are made possible by the generous support of many individual, service club and corporate gifts.  Without the support of over 1000 donors each year, the mission wouldn't happen!  I would like to thank our donors for their ongoing generosity!

Thanks.

John

CAMTA: Smith and Nephew funds prosthesis requirements for the third time!

Hi All,

Just in from Ed Masson, our chief adult orthopedic surgeon is the following message.  It is wonderful to hear that our prosthetic requirements for the adult patients in Ecuador are fully funded for the THIRD year in a row!  Smith and Nephew are truly a PHILANTHROPIC company!  Check out their website at:  http://global.smith-nephew.com/master/6600.htm

This starts my weekend off on a very good note!  How about yours?

Thanks.
John

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Edward Masson
Date: 12 November 2010 14:43

Thanks very much Carol. That is great news for CAMTA and the poor people in Ecuador.

Take care,

Ed

On 2010-11-12, at 12:53 PM, "Young, Carol"  wrote:

Hello Dr. Masson

I am pleased to inform you that your submission to the Grants Committee for support of the CAMTA Mission from February 18 - March 7, 2011 has been approved.

We will be in touch with you to work out the logistics for this mission.

Carol Young

Executive Assistant 

Continuing Ed Co-Ordinator

Smith and Nephew Canada

--
Please consider a gift to help poor people with joint problems -- kids and adults -- in Ecuador!  View a video of the CAMTA mission at www.camta.blogspot.com !!

Starting soon: CAMTA's "Gold Medal Equivalent" Mission 2010!

Hi All,

There has been some packing activity this last weekend, the final weekend before Team One departs on CAMTA Mission 2010.  There are 51 mission bags for week one plus probably 19 personal bags shared by the team members.  In addition the pedipods from Ottawa, Jay and Lou are each bringing a hockey bag with fibreglas casting material.  Week two has far fewer bags since they are only bringing top-up supplies.  But there may be a few calls in the days before they depart to bring down something we have forgotten!

On Monday, Marc Moreau and I appeared on Global TV Edmonton's morning news for a three minute interview with Mike Sobel.

Today I picked up three banners with the new CAMTA logo from Perry Gould of Digital Print and Imaging in Sherwood Park, Alberta.  Instead of two banners he supplied three at no extra cost.  He is another of the generous supporters of CAMTA who have provided free items or deeply discounted services.  Thanks, Perry! 

Wednesday, a group of seven CAMTA members will be presented to the Alberta Legislative Assembly by MLA Mr. George Rogers.  This is a first for CAMTA!  

On Thursday evening, a group (being organized by Matt Moreau) will load the cube van being provided by Marc Tardif of Echo Promotions and being driven by his Dad and CAMTA member Al Tardif.

Then in the wee hours of Friday we will assemble at our various airports and leave for the CAMTA Mission 2010.  Let us work hard together to deliver a "gold medal equivalent" to our patients in Ecuador!

Thanks.
John

Saint Albert Saint City Golf Tournament

Join CAMTA members and their friends for a great day of golf!
It's at the Sturgeon Valley Golf Course on Thursday, August 27th 0700h.
Click and go to the facebook event page for more info.
By participating you help Kids in Ecuador with Bony Problems!
Thanks.
See you there!
John

Surgical volumes for CAMTA Mission 2009

Hi All,

Here is an open spreadsheet with a full list of our patients. All personal data is blinded or removed with the exception of the CAMTA ID number.  There are two tabs at the bottom and they are nearly out of sight so scroll down and look hard for the ADULT tab & PEDS tab.

ADULTS:  38 patients received surgery.   5 had bilateral hip arthroplasties.  1 had a revision of acetabulum and 1 had a revision of peri-prosthetic fracture.

PEDS:  33 patients received surgery.  11 had bilateral surgery. The breakdown of procedures is as follows:  5 hips, 8 pelvis, 6 foot, 22 tendon, 8 other.

This is a very successful year for CAMTA!

Click here for the full statistics!

Thanks,

John

"One Day In The Life"... of the adult patients and their caregivers

Here's a photo from the roof of the Radisson Hotel!  According to Quitenos, a clear view of the Volcan Cotopaxi is a sign of good luck for the day!  The volcano was very very clear for the last few days of the CAMTA project!

Canna Lilies are common throughout the city of Quito.  Every park has great stands of these tropical plants.  Wish we could grow them in Edmonton in lush stands like this one!  But what about our patients....

Here's Leticia waiting for her surgery on her left hip in our pre-op holding area.

Leticia was seen preoperatively by Dr Gayle Heibert.  Gayle has participated in the project for three years.  The family doctors assess the patients pre-operatively and then care for them afterwards on the floor.  The care they give is similar to what happens here in Edmonton.  We have physician hospitalists who optimize the medical management of the patients.

Here's an x-ray showing osteoarthritis of the hip.  This is painful!  When bone rubs on bone instead of cartilage on cartilage there is inflammation, pain and limited movement.  If you need to work it is tough!

Here's Dr. Paul Moreau reviewing x-rays and the prosthesis inventory before the surgery.

Now compare the two photos!  The one below is from early in our first week of surgery.  The prosthesis storage room was filled in the shot below of Dr. Ed Masson.  But the photo above shows Paul Moreau is choosing from a limited supply as the two week project concludes!

First things first!  The patient needs a spinal anesthetic before she can have surgery.  Here's Dr. Saifee Rashiq performing a spinal.  Nurse Cori Kalven is supporting the patient and that's Glenn Day in the background.  Medical student Mike Metcalfe was up to lots during the second week.  He scrubbed and assisted with surgery as well as helping mobilize patients upstairs and learning about anesthesia.

There are many pans of instruments to prepare for surgery.  Here Nurse Robyn Staffen is "ready to go" with everything that Drs. Paul Moreau and Ron Henderson need to complete a total hip arthroplasty. 

And now the surgery is underway.  That's Paul on the left and Ron on the right. Saifee is in the background and Robyn is in the foreground.

RN Heather Perl is preparing a prosthesis.  She's attached it to the implantation device, ready for insertion into the prepared femur (lower bone) of the hip.

Meanwhile, translator and student Adam Petriw drops in for a picture.  He`s down here in Ecuador for his second experience.  Adam worked very hard on the floor helping to mobilize whilst translating.

After the spinal anesthetic, the patients rest comfortably with mild sedation while the surgery continues.  At home the patients WORRY about whether they will hear noises!  In Ecuador they are simply overjoyed to be receiving a new hip.

With the surgery complete there are many, many pans of instruments to be thoroughly soaked, scrubbed, dried and wrapped before re-sterilization for the next case.  Here are Geoffrey Moreau and Betty MacRae doing their duty!  These two were tireless workers.  They work under the direction of the RN`s and they meet all the standards for surgical instrument processing that we use in Edmonton.  The steam autoclave at the Tierra Nueva is an excellent Italian model.

The reward after surgery is up on the second floor where the patients recover.  They learn to walk with crutches.  They are so very grateful!  Here`s Drs. Paul, Saifee and Ron with a very happy Clarita!

ASDF

Where would we be without local staff!  Here`s Lca. Hilda.  She kept our surgical suite organized, tidy and full of supplies!  Hilda truly understands what we are doing.  She works with 8 or 9 surgical brigades each year.

After the last case on Friday afternoon the staff of the surgical operating room poised for pictures.

L-R:  Cori, Robyn, Paul, Scott Wiens, Ron, Heather, Saifee and Barb.

I`m not sure if Scott was identified in another photo.  He`s an R4 resident in orthopedics at the University of Alberta.

Back on the floor we watch the SHORTEST hip patient that either Ron or Paul have ever operated on ambulate with her crutches.  Lorena is about 4 feet 8 inches, I think.

L to R:  Deb Chalupa, Linda Ushkowski, Ron Henderson, Robyn Goplen.

Here`s another Tierra Nueva nurse.  Blanchita was invaluable.  When we needed blood we got the blood fast.  Every patient has two units available upstairs in the blood fridge.

Here`s a nice shot of Mike and Cori.  Both week one and week two had very compatible teams.

Dr. Orlando observed and scrubbed in several times this week.  He`s a Tierra Nueva Traumatologo!  That actually means Orthopod!

To close I thought I would show you a beautiful view of the hills of Quito.  It is such a beautiful city.  Verdant green interspersed with communities of pastel buildings.  The city is dominated by the Volcan Pichincha which is apparent from everywhere in the city.  If you lose direction:  just look for Pichincha to get your bearings.

And that concludes CAMTA Mission 2009.  We`ll blog some statistics soon about our patient volumes.  But let me know what you think!!!!

Comments_for_John@shaw.ca

Our hearts go out to these children!

Please keep reading the blog! I am running behind on postings and there are some superb stories yet to be told! Keep reading for a few more days, please. Log on to facebook and join the open group Ecuador 2009.

This young woman of 38 went home on Thursday after a bilateral hip replacement. That´s Heather Perl on the left. Heather is the ¨jefe¨of the adult operating room nurses.

And now for a poignant story of a family in Ecuador.

Here´s Omar. He´s being distracted by Mathew Moreau since 41-2 yr olds don´t have a long attention span. Fern and I are speaking with mother, Olivia about her life. She has 5 children and Omar is the youngest. They lived in Quito until six months ago but her life was difficult. In Quito she would arise about 5 and give the 15 year old daughter her instructions for the day. The 15 yr old would have to get the younger children organized and out the door for the day while Mom went to her job as a houseworker by day and as a cook in a restaurant in the evening. Mom never got home until 10 at night and usually the children were in bed by then.

Recently Mom moved to Santo Domingo which is very near the jungle, East and North of Quito. In Santo Domingo she now earns about $8 per day. But the life style is better. The children can climb trees and pick oranges whenever they like. They help Mom on the farm. The farm offers a better lifestyle for the family and Mom sees a lot more of the children. But the work is hard! She has callused hands from the hard physical work. And work in Ecuador isn´t five days a week! She works six days per week.

But what about Omar?

Omar has returned this year to have his plates removed. This next photo is of Omar last year! Note his bow legs!!!!!! Omar had a surgical procedure at his knees to help straighten his legs and the result is great!

Omar is a cute little guy! Everybody loved playing with him. Mom told us his sister, who is 15 is deaf and non-verbal. The younger sister of 9 is the older sister´s sign language translator in school. For that reason the 15 year old and the 9 year old attend grade 4 in the country school near the 7 hectare farm on which Mom works.



After the surgery, here are Mathew and Pablo Valenzuela with Omar in the recovery room. Omar woke up hungry and we fed him some jello. He was only a day surgery patient because the procedure was minor. But then he got to horsing around afterwards and we had to re-tape his wounds after a piggy-back ride. No harm done! Mom and child headed back to Santo Domingo later in the afternoon since the other children were back on the farm alone.




Next is the story of Hugo. He´s a 4 year old with cerebral palsy and he came to us to lengthen his tendons. A year ago his father had a herniated disc and had to quit his work driving a truck. They started a small grocery store in the door of their home to make a living. Mom can´t work outside the home because Hugo is fully dependent. He can´t walk and he needs constant care. He is a bright kid though because he speaks very well. His twin brother walks but isn´t quite so bright. The two were born premature at about 28 weeks of age.
Now Dad is just back to work and Mom is still at home runing the store and caring for the child. She never gets out of the house except on Sunday becuase she is afraid that Hugo will catch a cold. He seems quite prone to colds.


Dad´s hours of work are very long! He´s gone at 6 AM and returns at 9:30 PM six days a week. He earns the typical wage of a few hundred dollars a month. I asked Mom what would have happened if she hadn´t learned of CAMTA. She responded that there was no way that they could have afforded the $4,000 cost of surgery at a private hospital. The loan would have taken years to repay.


Hugo is a bright boy -- He get´s very frustrated when he sees his hyperactive twin brother running about and he can´t. We have lengthened his tendons and he´ll have straighter legs. Mom is hopeful that he´ll walk. We´ll be happy if he can stand!


Here´s Hugo on the way home after surgery. We´ve run out of colourful cast material so he´s got plain white casts. The stick comes off in a few weeks but he keeps the casts for longer. The stick maintains abductio and that helps keep the tendons stretched.

Here´s another discharge shot. Maria and her family were headed home. That´s Asha Olmstead on the right. She came as a student but her Spanish language skills have blossomed this week.

And now for Bryan. This 13 year old has dysplastic hips. When he was 5 the first hip was operated on by Drs. Luis Piedrahita Jr and Sr. at the Hospital Metropolitano here in Quito. He walked much better after that but now the other hip requires surgery.

Bryan has pain and limp. He really wants to play football with his friends. Football is a passion here in Ecuador!

With Bryan are Bev Runka and Pablo Valenzuela. Below is a shot of Pediatric Anesthesiologist, Teresa Eliasson assessing Pablo before his surgery.

Pablo did just fine after surgery. He´s gone home to be with his family. There is a sister of 15. They live with the two parents plus the two grandparents. This extended family is quite typical of the family situation in Ecudor. Dad is an accountant and the mom is a cashier. The aunt and uncle live with them and they are a mechanic and an assistant to an accountant. With all these wage-earners in the family they could afford to pay $200 to the Tierra Nueva for the surgery.

Watch for more in the blog. It´s been too busy to get it all posted. Tomorrow it´ll be a story about adult hip surgery.

Thanks.

Hi Again - from Henrietta Goplen

I am really enjoying your blog.  I am sending it to as many people I can think of who might enjoy seeing it and  as well donating.
Enjoy your warm weather.  We are back in the midst of a blizzard in Saskatoon.  The news at home is Obama leads the headlines. The federal government trying to help the recession.  Saskatchewan now a have province, you should all come home.  Lots of terrible court cases and nasty accidents across Western Canada.  Team Camada won the Scotty and the Men's Brier starts.  The Olympics are a year away.  But your team is doing the most important work.  Take care Henrietta Goplen.

It´s not all about surgery! There´s care on the ward too!

The ward delivers the superb care that gets the patients back on their feet and gives them the skills they need with their crutches to return safely home. Here´s Sarah Southon, Nurse Practioner in Pediatric Orthopedics, Family Doc Doris Kent with Marta at the nursing desk. Marta is a long time Tierra Nueva staff nurse who has worked with us for years. I´m sorry I don´t know the name of the other Tierra Nueva nurse. This year we also have some Tierra Nueva nursing students working on the floor.

Graduate Nurse Robyn Goplen is with Yolanda who had her total hip this very day! Watch for video to be posted of her taking her first steps with her new hip!

Linda Ushkowski, Adela Sandigo RN´s both with Dr. Doris Kent in the charting-medication-storage room.

Julianna´s clubfoot needed a little more work

Julianna is 10. She had her clubfoot operated on when she was about 2. But there is some residual inturning of her right foot. Julianna came with her older sister who is 26. The parents are working in a small town and they sent the kids to Quito to live with their grandparents. In Quito they should get better schooling.

Julianna hopes to wear normal shoes and to play some sports. She hopes to run better.

That´s Fern Cannon on the left and Glenn Day on the right.

Below, Fern stays with Julianna for her anesthetic induction by Teresa Eliasson in the background.

Scott Wiens, R4 Orthopedic Resident, Glenn Day RRT, Cori Kalven B.Sc.N. and Eileen Guilfoyle RN were part of Julianna´s surgical team.

Here´s the surgery underway.


Here´s Julianna´s x'ray.



And finally we have Julianna in recovery room with Bev Runka RN and Student Nurse Rebecca Latimer.

Miguel gets his tendons lengthened!

Miguel has cerebral palsy. Here´s Miguel with his grandmother and aunt, Maria. He was abandoned by his mother and now he lives with his sibs, aunt and their grandmother. The only income is from Maria´s husband´s work as a chauffeur of a bus. Miguel smiles lots and he loved the balloon animals that Anesthesia Tech Glenn Day made for him. Miguel needs flat feet if he´s to walk better and that´s what we did for him today.

Here Fern Cannon helps Miguel onto the operating room table. Fern has been part of CAMTA as a translator since our inception and worked with some of us in Cuenca before CAMTA was formed. She´s an Ecuadorean and now lives with her husband and three girls (9, 7, 5) in Texas.

Here´s the surgical team for Miguel. It´s the end of surgery and he´s got some nice cylinder casts! That´s Robyn Goplen, Surgeon Marc Moreau, Anesthesiologist Teresa Eliasson, Surgeon John McIvor and medical student, Mike Metcalfe.



And finally here is a smiling Miguel on the ward after surgery!

Clinic Day for Team Two - Sunday March 1st

The bus transported Team Two to the hospital at 0800h on Sunday. Some Team One members came in too since there were patients to care for on the ward. And it´s important to brief everyone about the events of the week and where the medication and the equipment is located. Here´s a little girl with the Canadian flag:

Here Robyn Goplen, Graduate Nurse assesses a young woman who needs a total hip arthroplasty. Sonya has had dysplastic hips since childhood. She walks with a terrible limp and has a hard time sleeping. We only had about three surgical slots left after the first clinic. There were 60 patients to see and the majority were follow-up patient exams. It was great to see last year´s patients. There were lots of hugs and kisses.

These two tykes received hip surgery last year. Aren´t they cute!


Here´s their extended family. Mom, Dad, sister and grandpa.



Here´s another family. Everybody wears their Sunday best to the clinic!



There was time for a picture of some of the 40 team two members in scrubs. From left to right is Barb, Marc, Cori, Pauline (star of the CBC 2006 documentary) Ron, Heather, Paul and Robin.

Pedipod Marc Moreau watches the gait of a child with cerebral palsy. We´ll help him to walk a little better with tenotomies to let his feet be flat on the floor!

Here´s Dorothy, Bev and Rebecca with Omar. He´s enjoying all the attention!

Dan Ducholke is fixing the label printer. Everybody loves the labels that our database, designed by Mark Fedorak, produces. Dan is a mechanical engineer who is our data man for week two.

If you think we are doing good work in Ecuador then join our FACEBOOK group at www. facebook.com. Search for the group called ECUADOR 2009.