Wrap a Smile:

Our bodies are designed to tightly control our internal temperature, no matter what the external temperature is. This natural regulation is called thermoregulation.  Our core temperature holds pretty steady around a very cozy 37 degrees Celsius, naturally fluctuating by just a few tenths of a degree throughout the day.

Anaesthesia drugs interfere with the body’s natural body temperature.  The recovery process can be uncomfortable for patients as they often wake with chills and shivering.

Members of the Rotary Club of Wells Maine have been making quilts for patients since 2001.Wrap-A-Smile is entirely devoted to supporting the medical missions of Rotaplast International. To a quilter, being “Wrapped in a small disposal plastic sheet after surgery was not acceptable.” Their group of volunteers have provided the mission with beautiful quilts seen here.  To know more about Wrap-A-Smile, click on the link below.

https://www.wellsrotary.org/sitepage/wrap-a-smile

Here is a patient snuggled nicely with one of their quilts.

Anesthesiology:

Anesthesiologists manage pain relief and more. They monitor the patient’s bodily functions, assess the best way to treat the vital organs, and provide a balance of medications suited to the individual’s needs.

The functions they need to monitor include:

    • heart rate and rhythm
    • breathing
    • blood pressure
    • body temperature
    • fluid balance

Below are our three anesthesiologists on the mission.

Dr. Srikanthan Kandasamy

CRNA Matthew Schindler

Dr. Tim Conahan

PACU Nurses:

PACU nurses (Post Anaesthesia Care Unit) provide very important patient care post-surgery. Once the patients are stable enough to leave the operating room, all bundled up in their new quilts, they enter the PACU, into the welcoming arms of Liz and Tami.

Liz Brown

Tami Schindler

Patient Photos:

And what wouldn’t be a blog without seeing some before-and-after photos.  Sometimes, the surgical wounds are fresh.  Scars are red and raised. Over time, the scar will become flatter and paler and less noticeable.

Above is 3 year old Poonam who travelled 150kms, seen here with her mom, to have a left lip revision.

Above is 11 year old Mehak. She had a left unilateral cleft lip repair done when she was 6 months old. She is with us on this mission for a left lip revision and rhinoplasty.

And that’s a wrap for today!