This is a trip where we will organize 20-25 volunteers (Anesthesia, Surgery, Cardiology, Nursing, Critical Care) to provide life saving surgery and heart catheterizations to underserved children in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and surrounding areas. We anticipate performing 15 surgeries and 15-20 catheterizations over 10 days.
The underserved children of Santa Cruz, Bolivia and surrounding areas. We established a relationship with a hospital there after one of our anesthesiologists helped them start a liver surgery program. We stared working with local cardiologists to build patient lists to help. A local charitable organization has been formed there and help to support our mission.
We anticipate performing 15 surgeries and 15-20 catheterizations over 10 days. We will also provide some lectures to local physicians and nurses to help build their knowledge base in the care of these children.
This was an amazing trip where we were able to provide heart surgery to 13 patients and cardiac catheterizations for 16 children. Many of these children will not require additional procedures or surgery for the rest of their lives. They will now be able to grow and develop normally. A few children were improved by the procedures/surgeries we performed, and will be able to have more active lives until further interventions can be performed as they become necessary. These children have no other recourse. The children we care for do not have the ability to leave the country to seek care elsewhere, and these services are not available to them in Santa Cruz.
