AOFAS Surgeons Embrace Medical Challenges in Vietnam

ROSEMONT, Ill., July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- When seven orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons arrived in Vietnam last month for a two-week humanitarian trip organized by the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS), they were struck by the bravery of their young patients and the dedication of the local Vietnamese surgeons.

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"Just like at home, we were surrounded by a team of dedicated professionals trying their best to assist normal people with abnormal anatomy," says AOFAS volunteer Thomas A. McDonald, MD, Springfield, Mass. "Some of the orthopaedic challenges were different from what I routinely see in my practice, but the patients were good people bravely trying to face diminished function caused by a painful extremity or deformity. They were desperate in their need but consistently stoic and determined."

During this year's Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam, AOFAS volunteers worked in small teams and fanned out to serve at facilities in Dien Bien Phu, a northwestern city that lies in the Muong Thanh Valley near the Laotian border; Thai Nguyen, a city roughly 50 miles north of Hanoi; and Vinh, a city some 185 miles south of Hanoi on the South China Sea. In addition, they all worked with Vietnamese orthopaedic surgeons at Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi. The dedication of local surgeons was evident in every city.

"In three days in Thai Nguyen, we saw about 40 patients and did 13 surgeries," says J. Turner Vosseller, MD, New York. "In Hanoi, we were able to do four cases with the residents, and their eagerness to learn was inspiring. During those four surgeries, there were no less than 12 residents in the operating room, all watching intently and asking questions."

Other participants in this year's program included Mario Kuhn Adames, MD, Florianapolis, Brazil; Paul S. Docktor, MD, Denver; Aaron J. Guyer, MD, Tallahassee, Fla.; Naomi N. Shields, MD, Wichita, Kan.; and Mark P. Slovenkai, MD, Boston. Shields in particular has a long history of serving the Vietnamese people, having volunteered for the outreach project since its inception in 2002.

In addition to operating and teaching, AOFAS volunteers conducted seminars to share surgical advancements in the treatment of foot and ankle disease and deformity. AOFAS members volunteer their time and pay their own travel expenses to Vietnam. In-country expenses are supported by the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Outreach & Education Fund (OEF), partially through partner Prosthetics Outreach Foundation (POF) and with charitable donations from individuals and industry. POF also makes all of the in-country logistical arrangements and coordinates with the Vietnamese government and hospitals for the trip.

AOFAS Outreach: Why Vietnam?

The AOFAS Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam was born out of a fact-finding trip in 2001. AOFAS members had traveled to Vietnam to explore the possibility of treating disabled children and landmine victims. Patients with untreated congenital deformities are common in Vietnamese clinics, and the AOFAS project provides corrective surgery without charge for both children and adults with lower extremity deformities caused by polio, cerebral palsy, clubfoot, trauma and other conditions.

With the need apparent, AOFAS volunteers began making annual visits to Vietnam to assist in orthopaedic rehab centers. Since that fact-finding trip, more than 1,000 patients have benefited from surgery performed without charge by AOFAS volunteers, and more than 2,400 patients have been seen in the clinics. Meanwhile, partner POF has built local capacity to provide prosthetic limbs to indigent Vietnamese children and adults since the 1990s.

As the years have passed, AOFAS volunteers have found themselves treating and following up with some of the patients they've seen on past trips.

"We were able to examine several patients that we operated on several years ago," says Slovenkai, "some for simple follow up and others for further procedures. A young man who was examined two years in a row with a severe congenital growth deformity was able to finally come back and request an amputation and prosthetic fitting."

Shields also noted the progress of returning patients. "A 24-year-old student had his severe clubfoot deformities corrected last year," she says. "He returned this year for follow-up with his right foot performing excellently and only a little pain in his left foot. He was pleased to say that he was much happier now, having lived in constant pain for his first 24 years."

To learn more about the AOFAS and its Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam, or to donate to the Outreach & Education Fund, click here.

About the AOFAS

The AOFAS promotes quality, ethical and cost-effective patient care through education, research and training of orthopaedic surgeons and other health care providers. The Society creates public awareness for the prevention and treatment of foot and ankle disorders, provides leadership, and serves as a resource for government and industry as well as the national and international health care communities.​

About POF

The Prosthetics Outreach Foundation is a Seattle-based leader in orthopedic rehabilitation in developing countries. It creates opportunities for children and adults who suffer from limb loss and deformities to lead more fulfilling lives. POF staffers emphasize health system strengthening and empowerment through the training of medical professionals in the countries in which they work, as well as the transfer of technologies that foster the local fabrication of mobility devices and their components

About Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Surgeons

Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons are medical doctors (MD and DO) who specialize in the diagnosis, care and treatment of patients with disorders of the musculoskeletal system of the foot and ankle. Orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons use medical, physical and rehabilitative methods as well as surgery to treat patients of all ages. Relying on four years of medical school training, five years of post-graduate training and often a fellowship in foot and ankle care, orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeons perform reconstructive procedures, treat sports injuries, and manage and treat trauma of the foot and ankle.

Related Links

Overseas Outreach Project to Vietnam 
American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society

SOURCE American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society