ER Episode – October 6, 2005

LMA Fastrach™ on the Space shuttle

Operation Smile

Founded 25 years ago, Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since 1982, Operation Smile has treated more than 100,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its 25 partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.

From April 29 to May 4 an Operation Smile international team of medical and non-medical volunteers were in Hefei China to provide free medical evaluations and surgery at Anhui Children’s Hospital. The team consisted of nearly 50 medical professionals from the Australia, Brazil, Canada, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and from the United States, who are working with their in-country Chinese counterparts to provide patients with life-changing surgeries.

This is the first Operation Smile international medical mission to Hefei. Over 130 children were screened and 90 received free surgery!

Surgeons of the Earth

Having travelled to the Dominican Republic and El Salvador over the last 4 years with his charitable foundation, Surgeons of the Earth, Robert Shorr, MD set his sights on Guatemala for a February 2007 surgical mission and selected the National Hospital in Solola, near the shores of Lake Atitlan.

An 11-person team of physicians, an OR tech, and equipment reps all volunteered for the one week of surgical training, whereby 2 local surgeons would be taught the skills needed to confidently perform laproscopic cholecystectomies. Currently, only Guatemala City offers facilities for this type a surgery, a distinct limitation given the high incidence of gall bladder disease throughout Guatemala and the rest of Central America.

District rep Angela Hollen graciously supplied LMA ProSeals needed for the trip to Martin Flynn, MD, a SoCal anesthesiologist who uses LMA extensively in his practice. "For years and years, my work in California has been easily 85% LMA, even for obese patients during a laproscopic case in the Trendelenburg position. I appreciate the need and safety for occasional intubation, but when I can get the same consistent and safe results with LMA, I will choose it".

Dr. Flynn remarked, "My colleagues counted on a rapid induction and emergence for each patient so that the surgical teaching time each day was maximized. The ProSeal gave me faster inductions and emergences , and allowed me to easily shift between spontaneous respirations and the ventilator which minimized drug use. It maintained a proper seal, even with CO2 intra-abdominal pressures of 15-17mmHg and I was always secure in using 14-16Fr Salem sumps to ensure a quiet stomach."

Trip volunteers all pay their own costs and cover their personal time away. Even so, as a 501(c)3 foundation, Surgeons of the Earth relies on donations to lessen the other significant costs of providing complete laproscopic systems for each hospital and their graduates. Contributions are always appreciated and can be sent to: