When Prof. Dr. Martin Lacher travels to Croatia with an international team of doctors, an intensive mission lies ahead. The goal: to operate on children with severe congenital malformations – and at the same time sustainably strengthen medical knowledge on site.
At the end of May 2016, the team of pediatric surgeons from Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA works for several days in a hospital in Klaić, Croatia. The conditions are demanding, the cases complex. Many of the young patients suffer from rare and particularly severe malformations of the urinary, reproductive, and digestive systems. In some cases, natural body orifices are completely missing or malformed.
Every intervention requires maximum concentration – and a lot of time. Some operations last up to eight hours. Particularly challenging are the so-called cloacal malformations, where urinary tracts, genital organs, and intestines open into a common outlet. Four children with this rare condition alone are operated on during the mission. The surgeons reconstruct, among other things, the urinary system, vagina, rectum, and anus – procedures that demand extreme precision and experience.
Children with Hirschsprung's disease are also treated – a rare condition where important nerve cells are missing in the intestines. The consequence: the intestine cannot transport stool, leading to life-threatening complications. For two children, the operation means the chance for a healthy life.
Overall, the mission opens up new prospects for six children. But the impact extends far beyond these days. Until now, many affected children had to leave Croatia to be treated in other European countries or the USA. A burdensome path for the families.
Therefore, knowledge transfer is a central component of the trip: during the operations and in intensive discussions, the international specialists pass on their experience to the local doctors. This gradually lays the foundation for complex procedures to be performed in Croatia itself in the future.
A mission that not only changes lives – but also structures that will endure long-term.
