My second day in Mansoura

29 September 2011

I didn't think this young man could get any cuter until we put the plastic shoe-cover on his head (in an effort to keep him warm during his lip repair).

I was the float anesthesia person on my second day. I circulated between three operating tables: starting IVs, cleaning equipment in between cases, giving breaks and checking patients in pre-op and PACU. Not a glamorous job but I had a good time explaining what pipe cleaners are while I was using them to clean the endotracheal tubes that are special-made for oral surgery. I also got to do some emergency plumbing when I dropped a small laryngoscope blade while cleaning it and it went down the drain in the scrub sink. I had the panel covering the bottom of the sink off in thirty seconds and the drainpipe taken apart in another minute. The nurse watching me thought I was crazy (good for a first approximation) but was reassured when I pulled the hardware out of the pipe.

Hans Kesper is our pediatrician, from Germany. He worked in the clinic during screening and took care of the children post-op.

Tom Flood is our team leader. His motto: "If you're not five minutes early, you're late!"