Nicholas Comninellis

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Author name: Nicholas Comninellis

2013 Angola

Newborns With Malaria – Angola Day 8

  This morning the mother of this two-week old girl declared “My baby Estele suddenly stopped nursing and now her entire body is limp!” Sure enough, the girl’s temp was quite low, her pulse rapid, and reflexes very poor. In North America we would be very suspicious of sepsis or pneumonia. But this is the […]

2013 Angola

Taking A Hit For The Team – Angola Day 7

  Angola was home of one of Africa’s longest running wars: 1961-2003. The use of child soldiers was not only common but accepted an a norm of combat. Yesterday I was consulted by a man, Feliciano, who as a soldier in 1999 was shot in the hip. As you can see, the bullet destroyed his

2013 Angola

Mental Illness In Africa? – Angola Day 6

  Picture this: I’m seeing a stream of people suffering from malaria, typhoid fever, deep bone infections, stroke, skin cancer, and then… “Doctor, I can’t sleep, I hear voices constantly, my entire body is burning, my brain is splitting open, and people want to kill me.” The spectrum and burden of mental illness in poorer

2013 Angola

Happy Are The Poor In Spirit – Angola Day 5

  “Happy are the poor in spirit, the gentle, the merciful, the peacemakers” – This is the message today from Matthew chapter five, delivered by Pastor Moses in the village next to our hospital. Here amid very crowded, humble, and cold conditions reside families of patients who’ve come for treatment, as well as those who

2013 Angola

The Result Of No Dental Care? – Angola Day 4

  What’s the importance of dental care? This child arrived at Lubango Evangelica Medical Center, in Angola of southern Africa, with an abscess draining from under his chin, and with infection racing down his neck and into the chest. The source of his infection? A tooth abscess. The risks of his infection? Loss of his

2013 Angola

Compound Fractures – Angola Day 3

This 7-year old fell one month ago, injuring her left leg. Mother brought her today to the Lubango Evangelical Medical Center, where I found the girl draining copious pus from several tracts just below her knee.     Can you guess her diagnosis? Take a look at the X-ray:     She fractured the tibia,

INMED Action Steps For You

ObamaCare & Practice Despair

  Key provisions of the federal government’s health insurance mandates were postponed last week. Nevertheless, amid frustrating electronic health records, flat salaries, declining reimbursements, and the ever-present threat of litigation, healthcare personnel persistently ponder, “Maybe it’s time that I pursue the career I once dreamed of…”   What is your dream career? Many wax poetic

INMED Action Steps For You

What’s Your Road Less Traveled?

  Ethiopia? East Saint Louis? El Salvador? Compassionate healthcare persons are prone to bold moves on behalf of marginalized people wherever they are located. This movement is accentuated by professionals who inspire us all toward similar service. The winners of the 2013 INMED Awards, just announced at the Exploring Medical Missions Conference, are exemplary models.

INMED Training Sites In Action

Missionary Or Mercenary?

  High in the mountains of Asia, Fatima’s chest heaved as she gasped for air. Was the cause pneumonia? Pulmonary embolism? Heart failure? James Fyffe, an American RN, scrambled to clarify her diagnosis. Simple labs and a chest X-ray provided little clarity. No CAT scan or blood gas analysis available out there. James provided her

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