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Hello from Team Panama 2017!
We are so excited and honored to be traveling to Bocas del Toro, Panama for the summer of 2017 on behalf of the UCI Ultrasound Research Initiative. Thank you for your contribution and support!
We are a group of 9 medical students joining Floating Doctors, a non-profit organization that sets up free mobile medical clinics in rural areas of Panama. In addition to working with Floating Doctors to provide medical care, we will bring ultrasound machines to scan pregnant patients and conduct ultrasound based research projects. Many of the women we see in Bocas del Toro lack comprehensive prenatal care and have often never had a prenatal ultrasound performed. We will be trained to proficiently scan pregnant women to detect any fetal abnormalities that require immediate attention on the main land.
Floating Doctors has identified a need for improved maternal healthcare in rural Panama, as the maternal mortality and morbidity due to delivery complications are high. We will perform the Rural Obstetrical Ultrasound Triage Exam on pregnant patients to identify high-risk pregnancy conditions. Our team will help Floating Doctors determine what level of maternal care is needed, and when necessary, a pregnant woman with high-risk conditions will be instructed to travel to a hospital on the mainland so that she may receive a higher level of care. Our goal is to improve the overall maternal mortality and morbidity within the community by early detection and intervention using ultrasound.
Mosquito-borne Zika virus has been reported in 67 countries, and Panama has been classified as a Level 2 setting requiring enhanced precautions and scanning. There is consensus among the scientific community that Zika is associated with microcephaly, which is defined as a head circumference less than the third percentile for gestational age. We will screen pregnant patients for microcephaly using ultrasound and use this data to determine the prevalence of Zika in the community. Our goal is provide the framework for successful ultrasound screening of microcephaly in rural communities so local physicians and midwives can be trained to screen patients.
According to the World Health Organization, diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age in developing countries. Dehydration is often the result of severe vomiting and/or diarrhea. This condition is both preventable and treatable. The main purpose of this study is to use ultrasound technology to scan the inferior vena cava (IVC) in pediatric patients in order to determine their level of dehydration. Our goal is to provide data for future health care providers to use as a reference when diagnosing dehydration in children.
Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death and disability of adults in Latino populations in Central and South America. Ultrasound can be used to measure carotid artery thickness, which is indicative of coronary artery disease and artherosclerosis. The goal of this research is to define normal carotid artery intima-media thickness values and determine a correlation with coronary artery disease risk factors. By doing so we hope to provide reference values for future health care providers in the area. We hope this study will lead to earlier detection of cardiovascular disease and prevention of associated complications in rural Panama.
Supporting Floating Doctors allows underserved communities to access necessary health care and avoid preventable disease and death!
Bringing Ultrasound to rural, underserved communities really stretches your dollars! It is the most cost-effective, safe and efficient way of bringing medical care (literally on board) and serving as many patients as possible.
All donations are directly funneled into travel, living accommodations, ultrasound machines and other clinical materials. None of this work is possible without your contribution!
Visit our website to see past Panama trips: https://ucipanama.wordpress.com/
Visit our Instagram page to follow our journey through photos: https://www.instagram.com/ucisompanama/
Visit our Facebook page for updates: https://www.facebook.com/ucipanama
Visit Floating Doctors' website, where you can learn more about their amazing organization: http://floatingdoctors.com/
$15 - Prenatal kits (pregnancy test strips, prenatal vitamins, maternity pads)
$50 - Family care kit (vitamins, electrolyte tablets to aid with dehydration, bandaids, cholesterol test strips)
$500 - Community improvement project supplies for Floating Doctors (such as building homes and making public areas more handicap accessible)
$1000 - Mobile Ultrasound machine for the Bocas del Toro community
