Two interrelated medical missions were held in Lviv and the US as part of the humanitarian project “Face to Face” with the participation of Razom for Ukraine, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and partner organizations. Both initiatives were implemented as part of the Face to Face project. Their goal is to simultaneously treat the wounded and train Ukrainian doctors.
In Lviv, a team of American doctors worked together with Ukrainian colleagues at the Western Region Military Medical Clinical Center. During the week, 7 surgeons and 8 nurses performed operations on 40 patients with severe facial injuries. On the first day, 55 patients were examined, and in total, more than 100 applications were considered.
During the mission, complex reconstructive interventions were performed, including restoration of facial asymmetry after facial nerve damage, microsurgical operations with tissue transplantation, rhinoplasty, eyelid reconstruction, and installation of eye prostheses. A temporary anaplastology laboratory was also created within the mission, which allowed combining surgical treatment with aesthetic restoration of patients. American surgeons provided assistance to both military and civilians with serious injuries, performing long operations that restore not only functions, but also the appearance of patients.
In parallel, training of Ukrainian doctors in modern reconstructive techniques was carried out. Special attention was paid to work with the consequences of war injuries. The team included a specialist in the treatment of pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, who gave lectures at the Superhumans Center and trained Ukrainian anesthesiologists and psychologists.
In parallel, a training program for Ukrainian doctors continued in the United States. OU Health and the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine hosted a month-long internship for 17 Ukrainian surgeons. They worked alongside American specialists in neurosurgery, vascular surgery, reconstructive medicine, and ophthalmology.
This is the only program in the United States that gives international surgeons the opportunity to work directly in operating rooms with local specialists. The participants, doctors who work near war zones, received practical skills that will improve the level of medical care in Ukraine. Since the initiative began in 2023, more than 30 Ukrainian surgeons have already been trained.
Photo: Andrew Kravchenko, AAFPRS FACE TO FACE Mission trip
Author: Danylo Pievchev