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SNAPTM - Making a Difference in Peruvian Medical Mission SNAP, the handheld device from VIASYS Healthcare that monitors the effects of anesthesia on EEG recently played an important part of a humanitarian effort in Cuzco, Peru. It started with a call to Diana Nunn, Anesthesia Sales and Application Specialist, from a long-time colleague, Steve McClellan, CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist). Steve was helping organize a medical delegation sponsored by Chasqui Humanitarian (www.chasqui.org) for a mission in March 2003 to serve the orthopedic surgical needs of the people of this ancient Inca capital in the southeastern region of Peru. Steve was looking for a donation of two SNAP monitors. Diana happily made the recommendation and the equipment was shipped.The goal of the Chasqui team was to bring all the equipment necessary to run an entire OR. The team had the expertise of a maxillofacial and orthopedic surgeon as well as a family practitioner, anesthesia providers and nurses to provide a continuum of care. Although their mission was to provide much needed orthopedic surgery to as many patients as possible, the team concentrated heavily on teaching new surgical, anesthetic, and nursing skills to the local medical personnel in order to improve the overall quality of care. Many patients, beyond those cared for during the mission, benefited from this training. According to Steve, poverty abounds in Cuzco. Monitoring equipment consists of an EKG and pulse oximetry machine, which are rarely used. The anesthesia machines are a jar with oxygen bubbled through it. As a result, the local anesthesia providers had no idea what concentrations of anesthetic agent they were giving. Also, they didn't scavenge their excess anesthesia gasses so the OR would fill with the smell of the gas anesthetic. It was a wonder the doctors and nurses didn't go to sleep during surgeries. The SNAP monitors played an important role in teaching the anesthesia providers how to administer more cost effective anesthetics. Higher narcotic doses with lower doses of more expensive agents provide adequate anesthesia for much less money. "SNAP was a real lifesaver for us," reported Steve. "There was absolutely no way of knowing your depth of anesthesia without it. During our prior missions, we were giving an anesthetic where we had no idea what concentrations of agent we were administering. The SNAP monitor let us feel confident we were giving the right amount. By keeping our SNAP Index numbers where we knew they should be, we were assured an adequate anesthetic depth." Steve continued, "The other side of the coin is that we only had the limited amount of anesthetic agents that we took with us so every drop mattered. Because of the information from the SNAP monitor, we were able to do more cases because our supplies lasted longer. This made a huge difference to the 15 or 20 patients that we would have had to turn away because we would have run out of agent before we ran out of patients." Many people and companies, like VIASYS, contributed to the Chasqui medical mission with cash contributions or equipment. A total of 60 crates of supplies were donated, most of which remained in Cuzco when the medical team left. Another mission is scheduled for the second week of October, 2003. We promise Steve that SNAP will be there with him and the patients of Cuzco. Return to Home |
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Steve McClellen, CRNA and local Cuzco Resident Anesthesiologist monitor SNAP during a surgical procedure |
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