World Paediatrics Scoliosis Medical Team completes successful surgeries

Shortly after their general Orthopaedics Medical Team left St. Vincent and the Grenadines, World Paediatrics hosted their Orthopaedics spine team on St Vincent. The team was led by Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Robert Tuten. His team comprised Dr. Rick Frederick, Paediatric Anaesthesiologist; Cathy Rosenbaum, OR Nurse; Tabitha Bristow, Surgical Technician; Erin Rose, Neurophysiologist; Tina Cardascia, Circulating Nurse; Chris Schneck, hardware representative; and Katherine Hopper, Certified Nurse Anaesthesiologist. They were provided with assistance from local Paediatric General Surgeon, Dr. Jasmine Davy-Ellis as well as staff and OR nurses from the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH), a WPP release said.

On clinic day, April 28, 2024, the team and staff at World Paediatrics evaluated 43 children. Thirty seven of these were from SVG; two from Grenada; two from Antigua; and two from St Kitts with scoliosis and severe back problems. In a four-day span between April 29-May 2, 2024, they successfully completed eight intricate scoliosis surgeries at the MCMH. The medical team expressed their satisfaction with being able to restore a bit of hope and mobility to the lives of these children and their families, knowing the pressures of having to cope with scoliosis. Detailed post-surgery follow-up care plans were shared with both the parents/guardians of the patients and partner paediatricians of the respective islands to ensure smooth and speedy healing and recovery.

This medical team was sponsored by The NuVasive Spine Foundation, and World Paediatrics. The team and volunteers have expressed appreciation for the continuing financial support to enable the work to improve the lives of children in SVG and across the Caribbean.