Despite their debilitating and often painful and immobilizing conditions, 14 hopeful people made the difficult journey to a hospital in Ghana with one unifying thought in mind - to walk better and restore their quality of life.

Dr. Eugene Krauss (right) and William Lorusso, PA; assist Issaka Fati, 46, after she received total joint replacement surgery. Whether transported by car or carried in the arms of relatives, these Thanksgiving travelers shared the unusual experience of receiving free, life-altering surgeries, thanks to the orthopedic surgical team from Glen Cove Hospital, whose members chose to spend their family holiday time in service to people in pain.

Led by Eugene Krauss, MD, the hospital's chief of orthopedics, and orthopedic surgeon Ayal Segal, MD, the team included two physician assistants, a nurse and an operating room technician, who performed 18 total joint replacement surgeries in five days - 14 knees and four hip replacements.

The orthopedic surgical team in Ghana (Back Row; l-r): Dr. Ayal Segal; William Lorusso, PA; Frank Fontanetta of Biomet, Inc.(Front row; l-r) Wing-YeeM. Chen Ng, RN; Marie Marzano, RN; Andrea Wendland, PA; Tammy Gagliardi, CST; Dr. Eugene Krauss.

Like most Americans, people all over the world suffer from varying degrees of arthritis, which can destroy the protective cartilage coverings between bones and joints, resulting in inflammation, fierce pain and loss of function as bone rubs against bone. The two most common joints to be affected by arthritis are the hips and knees. If mobility is severely impaired, surgery is the only option. In Ghana most people do not have access to basic health care. In a country where the per capita annual income is less than $300, specialized orthopedic surgery is out of reach. There are only 12 orthopedic surgeons in the country serving a population of about 20 million, but none perform total joint replacements. "Although the need is overwhelming, we were able the change the lives of 14 people during this mission, and that is very satisfying," said Dr. Krauss. "Because of the surgery, many patients are likely to resume gainful employment."

Thanks to double knee replacement surgery, Elizabeth Okyere, 68, was able to walk without arching to one side for the first time in several years. Mrs. Okyere, who was carried into the hospital by her three brothers, has severe rheumatoid arthritis. One knee was bowlegged and the other was knock-kneed, causing a 30 percent curvature in her legs, a condition known as windswept, Dr. Krauss said. Before the surgery, she was housebound; now, she plans to return to her job in a shop for construction material.

Chief physician assistant, William Lorusso, said the experience was very rewarding, though the hospital environment was primitive. Temperatures were over 90 degrees in the operating room and running water often stopped working, forcing medical staff to use buckets of water to scrub. Despite the difficult working conditions, Dr. Krauss said all the surgeries were successful and devoid of any infections, which he attributed to the expertise of the team, which has performed thousands of operations together.

The surgical mission was organized and funded in part by Dr. Krauss and his wife, Carmel (who also volunteered in Ghana), with support from Warsaw, IN-based Biomet Inc., which donated more than $500,000 in high-tech implants and instruments; and Glen Cove Hospital, part of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Glen Cove Hospital is one of several facilities to provide free surgeries for the people of Ghana through the Foundation for Orthopedic and Complex Spine (FOCOS). Dr. Krauss is a board member of FOCOS and a colleague of the non-profit organization's founder, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, MD, who is the chief of the scoliosis service at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).

The two met in medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and both were orthopedic residents together at HSS. Dr. Krauss plans on making two orthopedic surgical missions to Ghana each year; training Ghananese orthopedic surgeons at Glen Cove Hospital to create a sustainable surgical program in West Africa, and ultimately to build a 24-bed orthopedic hospital in Ghana.

Media Contact:
Betty Olt
bolt@nshs.edu
(516) 465-2645