RECRUITMENT: COMPLETE

Team leader: Lucia Catot

General Surgeons: Lucia Catot, Jose Manuel Hernandez, Sandra del Barrio, Enrique Colas
Pediatric Surgeons: Jesús Redondo, Lola Delgado
Anesthesiologists: Pilar Murga, Isabel M Moreno Segovia.
Internist: Helena Sarmento
Nurses: M Jesús Nieto, Lola Mora Castellano
Translator/logistician: Vitor Lamosa, Alonso Velasquez
13 VOLUNTEERS.

1. TECHNICAL REPORT:

DATES AND LOGISTICS DEPLOYED: ULLONGUE CAMPAIGN 28-10-2022 TO 6-11-2022
Nº ADULT PATIENTS: 96
Nº PROCEDURES: 105
DIAGNOSES
INGUINAL HERNIA = 18
UMBILICAL HERNIA = 4
EPOGASTRIC HERNIA = 3
CRURAL HERNIA = 1
HYDROCELA = 8
TUMORATIONS OF SOFT PARTS (cysts and lipomas) = 50
GANGLIOMA = 7
CHELOID = 4
ANAL FISTULA = 2
HEMORRHOIDS = 2
TOE AMPUTATION = 1
BREAST TUMOR = 1
TESTE TUMOR = 1
ABDOMINAL MASS = 1
INTESTINAL OCCLUSION DUE TO COLON VOLVULUS = 1
uterine rupture (assistantship) = 1

NUMBER OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS: 30
Nº PROCEDURES: 33
DIAGNOSIS
Right costal tumor (Teratoma) = 1
Right arm amputation + face wound healing + EEII wound healing = 1
Cervical tumor = 1
Malar tumor = 1
Vulvar synechiae = 1
Frontal exostosis = 1
Fistula due to osteomyelitis EIE = 2
Ganglion = 1
Baker’s cyst IBD = 1
Inguinal hernia = 6
Umbilical hernia = 10
Hydrocele = 1
Soft tissue tumor = 6
a. COMPLICATIONS: WE HAVE HAD NO COMPLICATIONS, we have been in contact with colleagues in the area and the patients we left in the hospital, no complications.

2. MEMORY OF THE CAMPAIGN

a. THE PLACE
The rural hospital of Ullongue was already known to us, since this is the third campaign we have carried out there (all before the covid pandemic). The equipment of the surgical area has only improved in that we had oxygen and that the anesthesia cart worked, but only in one room.
We operated on 2 wards in the pediatric operating room and in the other ward we placed 2 tables that are stretchers, and separated them with a screen.
The hospitalization room is in front of us and unlike other times, now there is an internist who controls the patients and gives us support.
This time there was no recruitment, and we found that we had to do it upon arrival, which is why we have not operated much. The pediatricians the first day went through the orphanages to recruit and we visited there at the mission and at the hospital. This was because the contacts we had there are now gone.

b. THE TEAM (group members)
Dr Lola Delgado pediatric surgeon
Dr Jesús Redondo: pediatric surgeon
Dr Pilar Murga: anesthesiologist
Dr Isabel Moreno: anesthesiologist
Dr Quique Colás: Adult Surgeon
Dr José Manuel Hernández: Adult Surgeon
Dr Sandra del Barrio: Adult Surgeon
Dr Lucia Catot: Adult Surgeon
Mª Jesus Nieto: Nurse
Lola Mora: Nurse
Dr. Helena Sarmento: Internist doctor
Father Vitor Lamosa
Irene Manzanares : Photographer
c. THE LOCAL STAFF: everything has changed
The medical director Dr. Maria
An internist
Dr. Olga Sheron, who does emergencies.
Real Gilberto, who is a surgical technician who does the cesarean sections.
Mr. Julius who does everything, cleans, sterilizes, and helps us in everything.

d. THE EQUIPMENT :
The pediatricians were well equipped, they brought material and 1 electric scalpel generator.

The adults brought 2 electric scalpel generators and surgical material. They left us some material there, but not much.
As for consumables, we brought everything since there is nothing there.

e. ANESTHESIA
All pediatric surgeries were performed under general anesthesia.
In the case of adults, regional anesthesia, since there is no oxygen or trolley in the room suitable for these surgeries.

f. ASEPSIA AND SURGICAL MATERIALS They have to sterilize and package.
g. OUR LIFE:
We get up around 5.45h, before breakfast we already have to visit people coming from the villages and they are waiting for us, the visits always have to be with someone who understands their language ( Father Vitor Lamosa ).
Then we have breakfast at the mission and we go to the rural hospital of Ullongue, about 20 minutes by car (this year some Portuguese friends of Father Vitor left us a minibus with driver for our day to day). And in this minibus we also take the patients visited in the mission who require surgery.
Arrival at the hospital,
- Group 1 visits the patients operated on the previous day.
- Group 2 goes for consultation
- Group 3 goes to the surgical area with the list of scheduled patients.
We have lunch around 13.30h which is prepared for us in the mission.
We continue operating until the end of the program, while we are operating patients are arriving from villages or emergency consultations, and patients are being visited.
Examples:
- A patient that we saw occluded and that we performed an urgent surgery with a diagnosis of occlusion due to sigmoid volvulus.
- 5-year-old boy with traumatic amputation of arm D multiple contusions, requiring amputation.
- Patient with multiple injuries from a catana who was transferred to the provincial hospital (we had to pay for the ambulance gasoline).
- Traumatic uterine ruptures, before coming to the center, from the villages. If the patient does not go into labor, they use a tree root for dilatation.
Return to the mission, with the minibus, we and the operated patients that we have brought on the way, who will go home, or stay that night at the mission.
In the campaigns here in Ullongue, every day is a surprise.
And everything flows like that, if there are no inconveniences such as the electricity goes out and the generator does not work, the oxygen runs out and thousands of other anecdotes.
Arrival at the mission, shower and dinner that they have prepared for us.

3. CONCLUSION
Strengths of this place: the place itself, the need they have since if we don’t go, no one goes.
Objectives for improvement:
Recruitment, the difficult thing is that, if there is no one there, it is difficult to recruit since the villages are far away. Now it seems that the same people will be there next year and they will be able to help us.

4. BUDGET: (small breakdown of the expenses)
COST PER PARTICIPANT: ticket 1388.38 + donation at the mission where we slept (100 pp).
The tickets were more expensive than usual, since they have changed companies and flights and now we go via Luanda.

Fdo: Lucia Catot
Responsible for the campaign
Surgeons in Action