Madagascar

During the fall of 2015,  Dr. George Politis and Dr. Sarah Rosquist traveled to Tamatave, Madagascar to participate in a medical mission with Operation Smile. Over the course of the 10 day trip a diverse team of plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, medical technicians, dentists, speech therapists and child life specialists contributed to a busy operating schedule during which 118 cleft lip and cleft palate repairs were successfully completed. As an anesthesiology resident, Sarah was able to participate due to the generosity of the Regan Fellowship from Operation Smile. There were abundant learning opportunities, including use of infraorbital and suprazygomatic maxillary nerve blocks, delivery of general anesthesia without a ventilator using the Mapleson D circuit and a limited pharmacy (no zofran or morphine). Providing care to the Malagasy was incredibly rewarding and the team learned that some things are universal across all cultures, like the joy of blowing bubbles and the soothing nature of song. As a first time mission participant, Sarah found the trip to be exhausting, eye opening, and one of the most rewarding experiences of her life!

Dr. Rosquist blogged her experience here:

2015