June 25th- Last Day of Surgery

Our last day. Dr. Nichter makes rounds to see the progress of patients.

Elena and Lucy lecture about cleft lip/palate and recovery to a full house

It is the last day of Surgery for the Plasticos Team in Siem Reap, Cambodia. When the medical instruments are cleaned and put away, and each patient is in the ward- recovering, we will have performed more than 50 surgical procedures on 20 patients. This is not the usual trip where one procedure or maybe two are performed. Rather because of the complexity of the cases, the severe disfigurement and loss of large portions of their anatomy required this number of individual surgical approaches. The teaching opportunity of each case also resulted in less patients then say the repair of a cleft lip. Although other non-profit surgical teams travel abroad in hopes to operate on as many individuals as possible, Plasticos is unique in that, rather focusing on the quantity, we emphasize the transfer of information to the local staff. Our metric of success if based on the new found technical skills the local surgeons will competently have so that the same work can be accomplished in our absence. This is one of the main objectives of the Plasticos Foundation- to leave behind an indispensable contribution- the knowledge, and capable hands to continue performing the complicated and intricate reconstructive plastic surgery procedures. In this mission to Cambodia this included cases such as, severe burn reconstruction and complex congenital hand reconstruction. The cases the local surgeons chose were cases that they would not normally attempt on their own.

A typical day in the OR. (from left to right: Chris, Dr. Sar Vuthy, Jessie, Dr. Nichter, Elena and Mia)

The Plasticos Team not only has formed a strong bond with the patients and families, but has worked side by side with the local medical staff, in-trusting the surgeons and nurses with their years and years of experience and skillful insight. In speaking with a number of the local physicians and nurses, we are happy to hear their thankful response and enthusiasm for the Plasticos Team helping the children of Cambodia and welcome the foundation back with open arms.