OR at the Nigerian Christian Hospital |
On mission trips, we average ten major surgeries per day. Some days we do twelve cases. We have two operating tables in a large room and usually do spinal anesthetics on one table and general anesthetics on the other.
People often ask me how we get so many cases done. Simple-we don't fart around. Everyone is always working and we keep things simple. If we need a right angle clamp and we only have a tonsil clamp, we use the tonsil. I always say "If you can't do it with a can opener, then you probably can't do it.
Anesthetic machine |
Of course, it takes a team to get the work done. Someone has to get the patient, start the IVs, set up the OR table, clean the room, set up the packs, etc. I work with a motivated group of people in Nigeria and without them, not much would get done.
OR team during excision of large ovarian tumor |