KBNF Mission Trip – Sierra Leone (post 4)
The Connaught Hospital is the regional hospital for Sierra Leone. Dr. John Sampson, President of DrUMM, in collaboration with other Johns Hopkins staff including Megan Max and five nationals, are conducting research in the area of safe anesthesia and developing improved measures during intraoperative management. Education for the nurse anesthetists is being taught, in the use of special monitors, measuring the carbon dioxide levels during inspiration and expiration.
John has been discovering that the vast majority of surgeries conducted in these developing nations are putting the patient unnecessarily at risk due to their lack of knowledge, inadequate monitoring equipment and inappropriate anesthesia equipment. Many of the hospitals have received North American anesthesia equipment that soon falls apart during use, if used at all. With frequent power outages and power surges, equipment is often fried and they don’t have the luxury of spare parts or biomedical engineers to repair this equipment.
John and members of his hospital team are commencing the trial of anesthesia monitors that do not require electricity. Using battery and manual expertise, this could be the solution for many operative sites around Africa, particularly in rural areas.
