Borland Groover Clinic Docs Leaving Sihanouk Hospital with Patients Waiting Outside of the Front Door

Below is a blog about bringing state of the art Endoscopic equipment to the Sihanouk Hospital in Phnom Phen Cambodia, Follow the story to the start, by clicking at the bottom of the pages to previous posts, I hope you enjoy the story, and the pics.

Our 9 days come to an end in the am, I want to thank the great staff at Sihanouk Hospital for the care of us during our stay with them. Without Sandie's and Angie's help, these endoscopic rooms would never have gotten up and running, and also, without Angie's pre equipment send off work, this equipment would never have made it to Phnom Phen.  Dr. Tek, you and your wife made this trip outstanding. As our guide to the customs, the foods, the politics of Cambodia, we could not have asked for better ambassadors.Without Brigitte Schmites help, nothing would have happened, Danke!  I wish to thank the partners of the Borland Groover Clinic which supported this project both in transport support, but in technical support and staff, again without the Borland Groover Clinic, this would not have happen. We are very grateful to Olympus of North America, THANK YOU!, and to Baptist Health, Jacksonville Florida.

Drs Etzkorn & Tek with the Department of Surgery, Sihanouk Hospital, Phnom Phen, Cambodia

Our final day is over, 30 cases today! Over 9 days on the ground, we set up two rooms of near new endoscopic equipment, gave a reserve room of equipment which was put in storage. Trained techs and RN's on equipment care, cleaning, ect. Tought three docs on perfecting their endoscopic skill, and worked, performing endoscopic cases for five days for the Sihanouk Hospital system. Its time to go home, it was worth ever cent the cost to do this. Its my goal to return, I would strongly encourage any health care professional to concider giving time, equipment, skill, if not out right cash to this organization.

A Sad Consult:

The patients mom gave us permission to post her daughters pic and story. She presented with classic common bile duct obstruction from stones, with abdominal pain, jaundice, but because Sihanouk Hospital dose not yet have ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Pancreatography) ability, she will require an open lap, with common bile duct exploration, far more risky.  Our hope, within the next 12 month either we, or some other group will help out with setting up ERCP ability at the hospital.

After 5 days, the docs seem to be getting much better!

Hall way consult

Eating lunch in the O.R., thanks to Dr. Tek's wife, always good with plenty of antioxidants

Tr. Tek's wife, resting between a procedure, helping with translation

Outside O.R.s 1 & 2

Dr. Tek and Angie at the Silver Temple

AFTER 9 DAYS, IT RAINS!!!

Inside the Central Market

Outside of the Central Market, Phnom Phen

Craftsman in Central Market, Phnom Phen

Driving to work today, had to stop and take a few pics of smoked PIG!

End of our 2nd to last day, our longest day yet, looking forward to sleep

Traffic Jam in pre-post op

Dr. Chantha Hor and crew doing an EGD

Dr. Hor, had just returned after several months in Germany learning advanced endoscopy. There is a real need for ERCP ability in Cambodia, currently no one does ERCP here. Specific to Sihanouk Hospital, the hepatobiliary cases are many, and as such, we will be back, to help establish an ERCP unit. I worked mostly with Dr. Hor, a good endoscopist, and mindful doc, looking forward to my return to fish out common bile duct stones with him.

Dr. Preap Ley

Dr. Preap Ley, one of the great and wonderful host surgeons at Sihanouk Hospital. Always helpful, here getting past the C-loop

Dr. Tek and his crew of docs

MD/RN O.R. Lounge, these places are the same world over!

Post Op, and off to home.

OR Schedule Board, kinda like JCE, just a bit open to interpretation of whats on store for the day, did 19 procedures, plenty of doubles

Dr. Etzkorn reviewing patient chart prior to procedure

Preop Note

Scope being hand air blown

On the way to work today

An invintation to dinner

We where invited to dinner by Mrs Tek's Aunt, the grand lady sitting between Dr. Tek and myself.  The meal was one of the best ever entered into my digestive tract, and she, a true jewel. Thank you for such a great meal and wonderful conversation!

Russian Market of Phnom Phen

Busy Roads of Phnom Phen

Dr. Tek and I Before Surgical Grand Rounds Talk

Entrance to Sihanouk Hospital Center of Hope

End of day 2 at Sihanouk Hospital

Our white coats hanging on the ExPat hangers next to the Cambodian docs hangers

First Double of the day

First double of the day, got to use Dr. Teks room before going to OR-2

Pre-post op area

OR-2

OR-2, the little OR delegated to Dr. Etz, small, but works well. My team here was outstanding. The CRNA one tough woman, working with some real sick patients today. Would work with any of these folks at JCE. Dr. Tek has the larger OR, sinced he is doing the teaching, I am the machine, for some reason, had all the double procedures today, hmmm!, LOL, it was a blast.

Sandy and Dr. Tek mid way through a double

One of the many excellent CRNA's working with us, they keep the whits stuff coming!