Surgery Report

Jan 23, 2007...We did our first three laparoscopic cholecystectomies for this trip yesterday. We brought and assembled the equipment and did the first lap gallbladder surgery at Clinica Ezell a year ago. Today we did an additional 3 lap gallbladders. Ed Grogan, Eric Grogan, and Duncan McRae have all done at least one and Danny Minor will do one tomorrow. We have all had prior experience at Health talents - most of us have been four or more times. We have to adjust to using different equipment, patients with more chronically inflammed gallbadders and using general anesthesia - not spinal as in most of the hernias. We have been blessed with no major problems. The largest stone was the size of a pecan. These people are so appreciative. We did 18 different operations yesterday - 13 general surgery cases and 5 Gyn cases. We have 3 Gynecologists, 5 general surgeons and one 4th year medical student, a lot of doctors, but it has worked out well and allowed us to be much better organized and to see the preop patients after lunch rather than after devotional. It has been nice because we all have worked together before. Tomorrow we do 8 pediatric patients - mostly hernias. Ed Grogan M.D.