Our team of pediatric surgeons, urologists, and gynecologists will travel to our partner site in Vietnam where we will work side-by-side with in-country surgeons teaching techniques for surgical management of congenital anomalies of the genitourinary tracts. The in-country team will arrange various clinical and surgical cases that will be managed jointly throughout the week in a teaching and learning environment with the goal to enhance surgical skills and knowledge for effective live-long care of the patients treated during our exchange. In-country surgeons remain our colleagues and as we grow together to improve global care of congenital anomalies world wide. Our team is uniquely qualified, as we have one of the largest centers for the management of congenital anorectal malformations in the world, but we acknowledge that our impact is only as broad as the patients we are able to serve. This trip will allow us to bring education and experience to a center outside of our typical catchment area and improve the care of patients born with congenital genitourinary and anorectal malformations worldwide.
- Patients with congenital urogenital conditions (urogenital sinus) and anorectal malformations (cloaca, imperforate anus) who require surgical care but are otherwise unable to travel to receive necessary surgical care
- Surgeons and practitioners looking to improve surgical skills and long-term management of patients with complex congenital anomalies
The in-country team will have a long-term relationship with our center for ongoing questions or consultation. Our trip will also provide necessary surgical and clinical skill building to bring knowledge and confidence necessary for treatment of patients with complex urogenital and anorectal conditions, so that the skills established during this visit will continue far after our visit is completed.
During our trip we operated on 20 pediatric patients with complex urogenital and anorectal anomalies. The patients who we served were those who have had long-term management in Vietnam but with surgical conditions so complex that they required an expertise not available in Vietnam. During the procedures, we operated alongside Vietnamese surgeons who were able to augment their knowledge with our surgical techniques in the management of these complex conditions; it is our hope that we were not only able to help our patients but also induce growth in the surgeons who were operating alongside us. Our team also provided nursing support to teach care teams about post-operative and long-term care in order to optimize long-term outcomes even after the end of our trip. Finally, we lead a course on management of complex urogenital and anorectal anomalies that was attended by 100 surgeons and trainees with the goal of elevating surgical care and management of complex anomalies in Vietnam.
