Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Saving Lives Crosses Cultural Boundaries for Martin Memorial Heart Team in India

For two weeks in May, two members of the Ocala Heart Institute – which partners with Martin Memorial to provide open-heart surgery at the Frances Langford Heart Center – will be taking their life-saving skills to India.

Dr. Michael Crouch, a cardiothoracic surgeon, and Dale Ruby, who operates the heart-lung bypass machine at the heart center, will be part of a team providing heart surgery for patients who might not otherwise have access to the proper care.

During their trip, Dale and Dr. Crouch will periodically post blogs discussing their adventures.

May 12, 2009

Greetings from India again!!

Today was a great day here in India as Dr. Crouch and I operated on a woman with advanced-stage heart disease. We performed a coronary artery triple bypass surgery. The surgery went great considering the power shut down twice during the surgery while we were on cardiopulmonary bypass!

The power supply here is not reliable and the hospital backup takes several minutes to kick in. The OR got very hot (it is about 35 degrees centigrade outside) when the air conditioner lost power. The loss of power during open-heart surgery is not something you can really prepare for!

When we finished the surgery, as I was leaving, the patient’s family came over to me. They did not know any English but when I smiled and gave a thumbs up they knew that the surgery went well. It was great to see the love of a child for their mother in any language. I feel so blessed for the opportunity to bring happiness to this family.

After surgery we visited a leprosy hospital nearby to cheer up the patients. Leprosy is rarely seen in America but is seen in India. Many of the patients were recovering from surgery to rehabilitate and integrate back into society.

Tomorrow we have another young mother on the OR schedule for bypass surgery. The week is going by fast as we only have two more days of surgery remaining. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Dale Ruby

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