EDUCATION

ANESTHESIA WORKSHOP

Anesthetic Techniques for the Complex and Unusual Patient

SPONSOR: Earthwide Surgical Foundation and the Nigerian Christian Hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The workshop will focus on techniques for the safe anesthesia in the complex and unusual patient. Emphasis will be on 1. The difficult airway, 2. The thyrotoxic patient, 3. Vascular access.

This will be a practical, hands-on course in anesthesia concentrating on complex general/head and neck surgery.

TIME/LOCATION: May, 2013 at the Nigerian Christian Hospital, Mile 11 Ikot Ekpene Rd, Aba, Abia State

PROCTOR: The course Proctors will be  Eric Ojeh and Wilson Anyanwu-Both trained nurse anesthetists with a vast experience. The course Director will be Brian Camazine, MD, a Harvard University trained General/Thoracic Surgeon. Dr. Camazine is President/Founder of Earthwide Surgical Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the surgical care of the poor of the world. He has over 25 years experience in humanitarian work in Nigeria.

COST: N10,000 PER PARTICIPANT. Covering feeding and accommodation

Space will be limited to 3 trainees per session to maximize the ‘hands-on’ experience and permit a close interaction with the proctors.

CONTACTS

  

Mr Eric Ojeh (  CRNA) 

HOD  Department of Anaesthesia                          

Nigerian Christian Hospital, Nlagu

08033911318

efg001@yahoo.com

Mr Anyanwu Wilson (CRNA)

SNO National Orthopaedic Hospital Enugu

08035418139

mywilsonus@yahoo.com      

I'D RATHER DIE THAN HAVE A COLOSTOMY

A lot of patients in the USA say "I'd rather die than have a colostomy". Sure, its not pleasant and requires a learning curve to become familiar with it. But most patients adapt without significant problems.

Its a different story in the third world! Often, there are no ostomy bags or the bags are so poorly made that they fall off the stoma or leak. When there are no bags, patients get creative but it is a difficult situation.

RECENTLY I RECEIVED THIS EMAIL!

Date: Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 9:19 AM

Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP

Dear Dr, I sincerely need your assistance seriously. I have been with colostomy since 2006 but to get  good adhesive bags has been a very big challenge for me. You won't imagine how I have been managing myself since then. It is really shameful and disgraceful. I pray for your help. I am a Nigerian precisely from Imo State.

It has been long, at least seven (7) years now I have been looking and praying for help in order to manage this health situation I found myself. Nevertheless, I never bargained for this but I have been managing it with its shame and disgrace since then since the spirit of suicide is far from me.

Management of colostomy without bag

Thank God I got your contact through a friend in London whom I asked to help me get any association that can help me with the bags since it is difficult to get a good adhesive one here in Nigeria.

Dr., I pray to see you by May as you said because I have seen hell due to this situation. Not only that I cannot find a good bag but the irregularity of excretion is another big problem. The feces comes out any how. The worst part of it, is the offensive gas I often produce through the colon. The offensive gas keeps me uncomfortable even those around me. Dr, what do I do to these problems?

This poor Nigerian man had a colostomy because he was told he had rectal cancer. Unfortunately, there was no cancer! But now there is a permanent colostomy. There was no ostomy nurse to show him how to care for the ostomy and no good colostomy bags!

I had this patient visit the Nigerian Christian Hospital to see Smart Uruakpa, RN. Smart assists me in surgery and we gave the man the few colostomy bags I had. With the help of FOW-USA (Friends of  Ostomates), I will get ostomy bags for this man and hopefully change his life for the better. FOW is already helping with colostomy and urostomy bags for many of my patients in Nigeria.

NEXT TRIP

Would you like to travel 14 hours on a plane with this woman?

Maraya Camazine suturing in Guatemala

In May, I am returning to Nigeria with Don Thompson, Maraya Camazine (my daughter) and Barbara Maufas. I have written about Don previously. 

Maraya is Premed at UT Austin. She has been on mission trips to Nigeria, Guatemala and Belize. She is quite accomplished at surgical closure. 

Barbara is an operating room nurse who has been to Nigeria 5 times. I first met her through my wife when they were both working in the operating room at Fort Hood. She is loved by all.

WHO IS DON THOMPSON?

Who is Don Thompson? Is he a pilot? Is he an AC repairman? Is he Santa Claus? Is he a missionary surgical technician? ACTUALLY-he is all these things and more. I met Don in Nigeria. He traveled there frequently with Dr. Farrar-who is the Godfather of missionary work. Don can fix anything so that's what he did at the Nigerian Christian Hospital. BUT, he always had one eye on the OR. Dr. Farrar realized this and taught him to be a surgical technician. After Dr. Farrar passed, Don started coming with me.

Don is a great guy. A true Christian, husband, father and grandfather. Also a pilot, jet engine mechanic, AC mechanic, business man, property manager, etc. AND, he plays Santa at Christmas. 

Don is a great surgical Technician. He was awarded the Golden Scalpel Award from Earthwide Surgical Foundation, along with Smart Uruakpa. I am lucky to have him accompany me on my trips

TEACHER 2

This man taught me to be a missionary surgeon-Henry Farrar, MD

TEACHER 1

This man taught me all the thoracic surgery I know-Hiroshi Takita, MD