While in Nalerigu, I kept a logbook of all the procedures, surgeries and patients that I saw. I will admit that I actually saw more things than I recorded. I usually just recorded the things that either I performed personally or had an active role.
I really did gain a wealth of experiential knowledge while at the BMC. It was great to have mentors in Dr. Faile and Dr. Hewitt, as well as many of the visiting physicians. Each shared from their own expertise and was not afraid to try new things.
I actually would have seen more things, but because William was gone half the time, I had to be at home at night to take care of Trey. Don’t take that the wrong way, I was very happy that William had the great opportunities to travel. I am just saying that for future student volunteers, the opportunities for procedures is there!
Here is the list:
- Inguinal Hernias – 13 left, 13 right
- Femoral Hernias – 2
- Epigastric/Ventral/ Umbilical Hernias – 5
- Hydroceles – 5
- Testicular mass removal – 1
- Exploratory Laparotomy – 16 (10 Typhoid, 3 abscesses, 3 misc)
- Prostatectomy – 3
- C-Sections – 15 (5 of which I was able to do much of the cutting, suturing, and delivery of the infant)
- Uterine Rupture – 2
- Bilateral Tubal Ligation (sterilization) – 3
- Sequestrectomy – 3 (removal of dead bone from the middle of bone shaft)
- Cleft lip – 1
- Contracture release with full thickness skin graft – 2 (observation only)
- Perirectal abscess / fistula in ano – 2
- Adult circumcision – 1
- Colostomy (for high imperforate anus) – 1
Minor Procedures
- Dilation and Courettage (for missed or incomplete abortion/miscarriage) – 9 (performed 5)
- Cerclage (placing a purse-string suture in an incompetent cervix during pregnancy) – 3 (assisting)
- Culdocentesis (aspiration of the pouch between the uterus and rectum) – 1
- Lipoma or Cyst Removal – 10 (mostly with only the help of a scrub tech)
- Lumbar Puncture – 9 (from 1 month old to 70 years old)
- Spinal Anesthesia – 12
- Jaw Wiring – 1 (saw the same one removed at 6 weeks)
- Jaw Relocation – 2
- Debridement – 20+ (mostly assisting – most notable included burns, Buruli Ulcer and Fournier’s gangrene)
- Casting/ splinting – 3
- Split Thickness Skin Graft – 5 (on the last one, was allowed to do the entire procedure)
- Incision and Drainage – 10 +
- Suturing Lacerations
Outside of surgery – 8+
In surgery – too numerous to count - Foreign body removal – 6 (ears – rocks, seeds, bugs), throat – fishbone (observed)
- Joint injection/aspiration – 5
- Wound exploration – 6
- Paracentesis / Thoracentesis – 5
- Amputation – 2 fingers, 1 toe
- Flourescein dye test (for cuts on the cornea) – 1
- Cutaneous horn removal – 1(observed)
- Ultrasounds – 60+ (?) (really, I lost count)
Patients in Clinic ~ 1000+ (my records for clinic patients are a little sparse)