Medical Missions Foundation Antigua, Guatemala Tim Gengler, SRNA

Antigua, Guatemala Took 5 hours by plane to get to Guatemala and another hour by bus to get to Antigua

Medical Mission Guatemala is a small country in Central America. The people tend to be very poor. Their currency is the quetzal Exchange is about 7.5 quetzals for each 1 dollar. There is limited availability of quality healthcare We went to Guatemala to provide surgical services

My Favorite Picture This was not what I would traditionally have expected of a mission trip. We stayed in a hotel that was very nice. No sleeping in huts and eating bugs. This is an inactive volcano that we could see behind our hotel.

Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro We provided surgical services at the hospital, Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro, which is a converted church. Part of it is still used for this purpose.

Schedule We started each day early. 0615 breakfast 0645 walk to the hospital 0715 start first surgical case 1500-1700 finish the last surgical case (all cases had to be finished by 1700 because the bus schedule for the hospital staff) 1800 dinner with the team at a local restaurant Lomo Saltado – a traditional Peruvian dish served at a local restaurant.

Anesthesia Being an SRNA, I performed anesthesia for a variety of surgical procedures This is an older model anesthesia machine, which I used in my operating room

Surgical Cases There were a variety of surgical cases performed ENT – lots of tonsillectomies and septoplasties Urology – lots of transurethrethal retrograde prostatectomies (TUPR) Audiology The audiology department provided and programmed approximately 180 sets of hearing aids Cramped postop quarters, but sufficient

Most profound clinical experience I knew we would have limited resources, but knowing and experiencing are very different I had a patient doing poorly and needing an infusion to support his blood pressure. I had to use what I had available to me in the room while I waited for the nurse from the room to find the pharmacist and then the pharmacist to mix the solution. This really showed me that I need to be ready for anything and sometimes make due with what I have. It’s easy to take what we have at out immediate disposal here for granted.

Most profound cultural experience The Guatemalan people are amazing. One of the translators told me, their goal in life is not to get as much stuff as they can, but just to be able to provide the essentials for their family: food, clothing, shelter. The people who came for our services were clean and wore the best clothes that they had. They appreciated everything we did for them. This vastly different from the poor people in our country.

Final Thought This was an amazing experience. I am very thankful for the opportunity. I knew it would be great, but did not expect it to be so amazing. I look forward to going back on several occasions.