Wednesday

St Andrews day in Port au Prince was a busy one. We started in the OR with one of the pelvic fractures who have been waiting around. In the absence of a working CT scanner ( tube en route from Miami and a talkative tech from Indiana has been staying the last few days waiting for it) and a poor supply of blood open surgery is not an option. So it was an old school solution: reduction under GA and application of a spica plaster which will stay on for 6 weeks until his acetabulum knits together. His legs are the same length now but he is likely to walk with a limp once this is over.

Next up was another chapter in my life as a reluctant paediatric anaesthetist! There always seems to be a challenging child each time I come here. This was no different. A sweet 9 year old girl in Paediatric ICU  who was hit by a car and probably sustained a basal skull fracture. She had had a few seizures but was more alert when they noticed her right hand was tight and swollen so needed decompressing. After the usual OR challenges: in this case getting a blood pressure cuff cobbled together that would work, we proceeded. Looked as if it had been the result of an interstitial IV so only minimal work was required and we dropped her back off in PICU in good condition. Again kudos to Brandon for being my essential right hand man.

Last case of the day was an anxious young guy who had a painful tumour in his foot, probably an enchondroma. Needless to say we may never know what it was as there is no path loan here. The sample is given to the patient who may choose to pay to send it to Miami for pathology! I was joined by Darrell our resident paramedic, magician and troublemaker who was very keen we noted what time he was there. I strongly suspect he wasn't so much interested in anaesthesia as obtaining an alibi!!! He is sure to be up to something. Over the last few days he has been finding strange things in his pillows: started with bottle caps then pineapples!! I think he must have plotted revenge!

All done by 3pm which was welcomed by our hard working nursing team. Everyone was able to chill before dinner at MINUSTAH. Had a very nice beef teriyaki pita but had fajita envy looking at my fellow diners so they are on the agenda for tonight. Team chilled for the evening and decided on a resort for our delayed day trip which is on for Friday before Marc put Spectre on the big TV.

As the ortho team is off for rounds at Le Paix this morning I get a leisurely start to the day before  we get to work on some fractured hips. Stay tuned!