Today was the second surgical day at The Obras Hospital for Team Hope in Motion. Many activities were happening simultaneously including post-op rounds, pre-op preparation, hip, knee and general surgical procedures, post op care and physical therapy. I will walk through all these aspects of the day.
Again, the day started with a 30 -minute HIIT workout (for some), followed by breakfast, prayer devotional and this time a non rainy walk to the hospital as tropical storm Julia had passed through the area. I tagged along with Dr. Keith Berend, Dr. Mike Berend and Drs. Herbst and Knecht on rounds and found some smiles and some patients that were working through some normal post-op pain issues that occurs the day after surgery. Many patients had family members with them who were happy to see their surgeon and comforted that their recovery was progressing normally.
On the hip side, several patients have experienced hip fractures that have been untreated sometimes for several years, making it very difficult, if not impossible for them to walk, and also adding significant surgical challenges for Dr. Keith to repair their condition. Many significant leg length inequalities were improved, and Zimmer Biomet implants were installed to restore motion to these compromised patients. The last hip of the day was an existing total hip that was infected. These cases require removal of existing implants and special hospital protocols to isolate the infected tissue to a controlled section of the operating room area. This included the operating room staff to completely change their garments immediately after the procedure and the patient to go through surgical recovery in the operating room to allow the room to be completely disinfected after the procedure.
Drs. Klaassen and Mike Berend each did multiple total knees, some of which were complex due to unique anatomy. Poor bone quality is a recurrent theme as many of the patients with knee arthritis have learned to walk by favoring their healthy knee and as we all know, if you don’t use it you loose it. Now that they have new knees, and their mobility will be restored, hopefully their bodies will start to generate good bone quality for a more healthy life!! Drs. Herbst and Knecht were hard at work treating a wide variety of foot and ankle disorders. You can see many examples of unusual feet from the pre-op images that have been skillfully reconstructed to their normal anatomical positions.
The true success of many of these orthopedic procedures is dependent on the physical therapy (PT) that patients receive after surgery. The Team HIM PT team has been doing an outstanding job of inspiring patients to start leaning how to use their new joints. It is so awesome to see their smiling faces when they experience the ability to walk normally. Their lives are at the beginning of a huge transformational change.
Finally, the day concluded with a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal), performed by Dr. Andy Isch. The procedure was a success and new doors are opening for future opportunities for Team Hope in Motion!
Respectfully submitted
John White
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