So No Child Must Wait

Traditional Vietnamese Medicine: Cupping

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Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: Traditional medicine is found alongside modern techniques here in Chau Doc, even right in the hospital. One common technique that people use is “coining”- rubbing coins on the skin until a red welt is raised, and “cupping” where heated glass jars are placed on the skin to “draw out” the evil humors inside the patient. We were able to witness one of these treatments right outside the pediatric ward of the hospital. The woman apparently was suffering from a headache.

Tags: traditional medicine, Vietnam, cupping, coining

Post-Operative Ward

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Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: The care of our patients has been really good, both by our team and by the local doctors and nurses. The post op ward is air conditioned, which is really important for these little patients. They lie out on beds, cots or even on the floor with their families along one wall. The rest of the room is filled with post op adults and people with a variety of other ailments. There is little monitoring equipment, but sometimes sophisticated treatments. One night we observed a sick man on the other side of the ward having a CVP (central venous pressure) taken by the old open manometer tube method. He had a dopamine drip running! Another time we observed a young man being treated for a GI bleed with gastric lavage. Tragically he ended up dying before the night was out.

tags: interplast vietnam chau doc

Post-Op Unilateral Lip

  Post-Op Unilateral Lip 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: Here he is after the surgery! It's hard to see because of the tape and the stitches, but he's going to end up looking just like any normal boy.

Pre-Op Unilateral Cleft Lip

  Pre-Op Unilateral Cleft Lip 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: This little guy has a pretty straightforward unilateral cleft lip. As you can see, the cleft extends from the lip up to the nose. When he eats, the much of the food may come out of his nose, and he is more prone to infections and malnutrition, not to mention speech impediments.

Pre-Op Hemifacila Microsomia

  Pre-Op Hemifacila Microsomia 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: Yesterday, Amanda operated on a boy with hemifacial microsomia, a congenital condition which left him with a misshapen, shrunken and misplaced ear as well as a type of cleft lip called macrostomia, where the left corner of the lip doesn’t end at it’s usual location and instead extends out on to the cheek towards the ear, making it difficult for the child to eat. Surgically fixing the mouth cleft is fairly straightforward. It is also possible to correct the ear, but not with the resources that we brought with us on this trip. The boy’s grandmother asked us if she could donate her own ear for her grandson…We had to say no. But at least we have made his mouth deformity a little better. They are grateful for that.

Six Year-Old Post-Op

  Six Year-Old Post-Op 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: We have been able to correct her palate. Hopefully she also will have an opportunity to live a more normal life, and have the speech to take better advantage of her intelligence.

Bojan Gassing Six Year-Old Girl

  Bojan Gassing Six Year-Old Girl 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: A six year-old girl, with a cleft palate, is, according to her mother, very bright and does well in school. But she comes home most days in tears: she is teased by other kids because of her abnormal speech.

Bird Flu Poster

  Bird Flu Poster 
  Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: Interestingly, the bird flu is not without concern here to the Vietnamese. They have a fair idea of the dangers and have posters distributed around the hospital that illustrate safety precautions. I myself have not felt in any greater danger from bird flu than any of the other myriad of infections and afflictions that are possible in a place that is unfamiliar.

Post-Op Bilateral Cleft Lip

Post-Op Bilateral Cleft Lip
Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: Fortunately, we can do a pretty good job of making these look better.

Pre-Op Bilateral Cleft Lip

Pre-Op Bilateral Cleft Lip
Originally uploaded by interplast.

Chau Doc, Vietnam - Tim Sproule, plastic surgeon: We have probably only 2 operating days left. The time has gone by quickly. Several cases stand out in my mind as being particularly meaningful.

There has been a much higher percentage of bilateral cleft lips than on most trips I have been on in the past. I wonder about whether this is because of some environmental contamination such as agent orange, which I know was sprayed extensively in these parts during the Vietnam war.