By Umaru Fofana
A medical team at Sierra Leone’s 34 Military Hospital has "made history" in carrying out a rare surgery on a known COVID-19 patient. In what doctors at the hospital say is probably the first time in West Africa or even the whole continent that such has been done since the pandemic, Chernor Barrie has recovered from the coronavirus and was yesterday discharged from the isolation centre and brought to the main 34 hospital ward where he is recovering from the surgery.
On 2 May 2020 a nine-member medical team led by lead surgeon, Dr. (Major) Sheku Dennis Massaquoi successfully conducted the operation under spinal anaesthesia.
According to the Commanding Officer of the Joint Medical Unit, Dr (Lt. Col.) Stephen Sevalie, the surgery was done in a modified isolation operation theatre providing care to the patient, as well as the operating team of health care professionals. He said the patient required an above-the-knee amputation as a result of a septic or gangrene left leg together with SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) and anaemia. He had been involved in a road accident early this year after which he underwent a surgery which he said was bungled leading to complications.
Elaborating on the protocols followed, the lead COVID-19 surgeon at 34, Dr Major Sheku Dennis Massaquoi said the patient had come through the triage isolation unit and tested positive for COVID-19. “He was in shock, anaemic, dehydrated and had a gangrene left leg. All our staff in the isolation unit, treatment centre and the operation theatre always wear proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)” he said.
Dr Massaquoi said that after getting update from the Commanding officer of the Joint Medical Unit of a COVID-19 patient needing life-saving surgery, there was no change in the decision of the surgical team to conduct the emergency surgery even though the patient had the coronavirus.
"The only thing was [that] we had to implement the Sierra Leone Health Authority Protocols for COVID-19, conduct the surgery in a segregated modified operating theatre and also take complete care of the surgery team comprising surgeons, anaesthetists, operating theatre nurses, paramedics, technicians and other hospital staff", Dr Massaquoi went on.
He continued on: "We are not conducting elective surgeries but in situations like this we go ahead with the surgery to save lives and make sure we are not putting other patients at any risk. All frontline doctors and several nurses and other hospital staff working in shifts at the 34 Military Hospital wear PPE as per protocol; Suspected patients are tested for COVID-19 before surgeries…
"We want to assure the people that that 34 Military Hospital has excellent isolation and treatment facilities and there is complete segregation, and regular patients have no risk of transmission".
He said Barrie was “definitely bound to die without the surgery, so we had to save him”.
Barrie told Politico that he might have lost one of his legs but was grateful that they saved his life: “I thank God and I pray for the doctors and nurses who saved my life. I cannot thank them enough”.
Based in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Barrie said he was knocked down early this year on his motorbike by a vehicle. He was taken to hospital and discharged. He said he later started experiencing complications after a follow-up visit at a hospital in the provinces that “exposed my bone and rotted by skin”.
He said when he was brought to 34 he could not even talk, apparently having been beaten down by the combined ferocity of COVID and the injury.
Copyright (c) 2020 Politico Online
