Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Cincinnati Children's Blog
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Blog
  • Healthy Living
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Heart Conditions
  • Learning and Growing
  • Research and Discoveries
  • ?
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us
HOME/Volunteerism/Helping Hands in India

Helping Hands in India

Helping Hands in India
March 14, 2014
1 Comments
By: Tim Bonfield

The lives of six children with complex spine deformities and 21 children with hand and arm deformities have been dramatically improved thanks to the work of a surgical team from Cincinnati Children’s that traveled to India earlier this year.

The trip, held Jan. 19-25, was the second of five annual visits planned to help children at the Polio Foundation Hospital, a charity hospital located in Ahmedabad, India.

“The trip was a great success,” says Shital Parikh, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Cincinnati Children’s and a native of Ahmedabad. “We were immensely proud and satisfied to be part of this mission trip. In addition to helping children with complex deformities, the trip provided several opportunities for exchange of knowledge and skills between the physicians from Cincinnati and Ahmedabad.”

Some of the severe cases treated during the trip involved a the correction of “radial club hand,” a congenital deviation of the wrist and shortening of the forearm. This type of birth defect can be caused by sporadic genetic mutation, maternal exposure to certain chemicals or by a variety of rare childhood syndromes. Overall, radial club hand occurs once in every 30,000 to 100,000 births.

India_hand repair combined

Another case involved a child with a congenital high scapula, also known as Sprengel’s deformity. This rare birth deformity results in one shoulder blade being located significantly higher on the back than the other. The deformity occurs when the shoulder fails to descend properly from the neck to its final position during early fetal development. About 75 percent of all cases are girls.

India_Sprengel's deformity repair

“Several such deformities in children in a developing country are neglected or inadequately treated due to limited resources,” Parikh says. “But after observing and assisting with these and other cases, the surgeons there will be better prepared to perform similar operations in the future. And that will benefit even more children than we could help during our visit.”

The mission team was headed by renowned pediatric orthopedic surgeon Alvin Crawford, MD. The team included surgeons Viral Jain, MD, Kevin Little, MD, Heather Harrison, MD, and Kim Bjorklund, MD, along with anesthesiologists Rajeev Subramanyam, MD, and Elizabeth Cudilo, MD. Janice Mader, an employee of Evokes Inc., a Cincinnati-based company that donated the team’s neuromonitoring equipment and supplies, also joined the team.

Overall, donated spine rods and other supplies and equipment were valued at more than $1.5 million. Surgical instruments and implants were donated by Depuy Spine, USA and Medtronics, USA. Bone graft products were donated by Allosource, a nonprofit bone allograft processing organization.

“On behalf of the entire team, I would like to thank Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the Polio Foundation, India, to allow us to be part of this wonderful trip and to be able to make a difference in the lives of our patients,” Parikh says. “I would also like to thank Depuy Spine, Medtronics, Allosource and Evokes Inc. for their generous contributions.”

Subscribe today for more stories, tips, and updates.

Related Articles

A New Scoliosis Treatment: Vertebral Body Tethering
A New Scoliosis Treatment: Vertebral Body Tethering
Teen with Cerebral Palsy Now Walks Unassisted Following Minimally Invasive Procedure
Teen with Cerebral Palsy Now Walks Unassisted Following Minimally Invasive Procedure
Hip Dysplasia as an Adult: Tips Following Surgical Treatment
Hip Dysplasia as an Adult: Tips Following Surgical Treatment
A Surgeon’s PSA for Lawn Mower Safety
A Surgeon’s PSA for Lawn Mower Safety
TAGS:
  • orthopaedic surgery
  • spine surgery
Avatar photo

About the author: Tim Bonfield

Tim Bonfield is an associate in Marketing & Communications at Cincinnati Children's. He joined the medical center in 2009 after 17 years at the Cincinnati Enquirer as an award-winning health beat writer, assistant local news editor and Butler-Warren bureau chief. Tim is a proud Cincinnati native and the frazzled father of two teen daughters.

Write A Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

Tonya Honeycutt March 19, 2014 at 12:39 pm

What a great story and the picture of all our amazing providers speak volumes – look at the smiles! So often mission trips do as much for the team as they do to help all the children. So thankful to work at an organization that supports so many less fortunate. Congratulations and Thank you for your time, expertise and compassion. You make us all proud! Thank you, Tonya Honeycutt

Topics

  • Cancer and Blood Diseases
  • Child Development and Behavior
  • Childhood Obesity
  • Chronic Care Networks
  • Cincinnati Walks for Kids
  • Featured Faces
  • Fetal Conditions
  • Fitness and Nutrition
  • Food Allergies
  • Ghana 2012
  • Health Care Public Policy
  • Health Care Quality
  • Health Care Reform
  • Healthy Living
  • Heart Conditions
  • Hospital Operations
  • How We Do It
  • Learning and Growing
  • Meet The Team
  • Nurses Week 2012
  • Patient Family Experience
  • Patient Flow
  • Patient Safety
  • Patient Stories
  • Pin of the Week
  • Radiology
  • Rare and Complex Conditions
  • Research
  • Research and Discoveries
  • Safety and Prevention
  • Share Your Story
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Vaccines
  • Volunteerism
  • What Makes Us Different
  • What's New
See All Topics
See Less Topics

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Sign up to get new blog updates delivered to your email.

Popular Posts

  • 6 Questions to Ask When Your Child Complains of Chest Pain 2k views
  • Caring for the Caregivers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease  1.1k views
  • Stuttering In Young Kids: When To Be Concerned 0.9k views
  • Would You Pass This Pesticide Safety Quiz? 631 views
  • 4 Questions to Ask When Your Child Has Recurrent Croup 630 views
  • Laryngomalacia: Is My Child’s Noisy Breathing Serious? 552 views
About

The Cincinnati Children’s blog features thoughts and perspectives from our experts on all things pediatric health. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Learn More »

Contact Us
  • 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3026
  • 1-513-636-4200 | 1-800-344-2462
  • TTY: 1-513-636-4900
  • socialmedia@cchmc.org
Connect With Us
  • Subscribe
  • CincinnatiChildrens.org
  • Contact Us

© 2009-2022 Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center