CPM Foundation displaces teams of medical specialists in surgical missions. They stay 10 days approximately and operate 90 to 100 cases per mission. CPM includes: surgeons, anaesthesiologists, paedriaticians, gynaecologists between other specialists in the teams, depending on the hospital’s necessities. CPM also sends the surgical instrumental and material to operate.
The most frequent operations are cleft lip and palate surgery, facial and general reconstructions, after-effects of burns, etc.
- Oculoplastic surgery
Oculoplastic surgery
According to the World Health Organisation, there are nearly 37 million people with ocular problems in the world, and 90% of these live in developing countries. These problems entail alterations in the hole orbital region. Among the most common causes we can mention the carcinoma vasocelular (a malignant tumor of the eyelid skin), other cancers and infections in the eye socket, eyelids, and lacrimal tract., tics, fallen eyelids, disfunction of the lacrimal tracts, genetic deformities as well as traumas and accidents where the lost of one or both eyes occur.
- Facial reconstructions
Facial reconstructions
There are many deformities cases caused because of infections. They start with a little infection that cannot be fighten by the immunologic system and that grow very quickly. If they don’t get any treatment, the infection literally “eats” some areas of the face, what gives more chances to get more infections, as well as the impossibility to get on with a normal life.
We operate cases like Noma, infections, accidents after-effects, armed conflicts, etc.
- Cleft lip & palate
Cleft lip & palate
Because of a combination of genetic predisposition, bad alimentary conditions during pregnancy under other facts, nearly 1.500 children are born yearly with a cleft in countries like Tanzania, Kenya or Ethiopia. These deformities can appear together or separately. A cleft lip makes feeding a baby very difficult, it won’t be able to suck correctly because the lip is open to the nose. If the cleft lip is combined with a cleft palate, the major part of the food goes to the lungs or it will be expelled through the nose. It is important that the palate gets operated before the second year of life, otherwise the child won’t be able to learn to speak properly. The cleft palate is also associated with audition problems.
- Burn after-effects
Burn after-effects
In many developing countries it is usual to have a fire in the houses, it provides heat, to cook and the smoke scares away the bugs. It is very common that people in the house suffer serious burns because of domestic accidents; children get burned very often. The healing of the wounds, if it is not done properly, causes serious contractures and a high risk of infections.