This morning the team met early for breakfast and discussion about logistics for the day ahead. There was a round table opportunity for feedback and suggestions. The surgeons are expecting access to 2 operating rooms (OR) around noon today, and possibly a third later in the day. If everything goes according to plan, the surgeons can fit in 10 hip surgeries today. Dr. David Lee led the room through today’s cases including medical history, risks, and the surgeons’ strategy. The patient’s occupation and ability to support their dependants are always a consideration when deciding how to treat these patients. The doctors must consider many different factors. One patient used to work a manual labour job, but has not worked for 2 years due to a hip injury he received at 8 years old, which has gotten progressively worse in the last 20 years. The point of this mission is to increase quality of life for people that don’t have access to proper medical care. In this patient’s case, hip surgery could make him employable again and that is something doctors really consider. During clinic, there were other patients that came through with equal or worse hip problems, but due to other factors such as age, employment, pain, or heath they may not be great candidates for surgery.

For the morning, the majority of the team is preparing for the day: sterilization of instruments, set up for anesthesia and preparation of patient charts so that we are all ready for the OR around noon. Dr. McIvor, Dr. Lee and Dr. Lavoie all sit in the core office reviewing and templating (sizing implants) for surgeries to take place later in the week.