The Idaho Condor Humanitarian Expedition 2019

The 2019 Idaho Condor Humanitarian Expedition to Peru will take place March 16 - 26. This expedition provided cost-free heatlhcare to the indigent of Cuzco, Peru, and outlying villages. Healthcare professionals from medical, dental, surgical, and audiological careers along with students and volunteers all made the trek to Peru. The ISU Radiographic Science program particpants were assistant professor Trevor Ward, MSRS, RT(R)(CT)(MR)(ARRT), Seniors Elizabeth Overdorf, and Ashley Klink, and program alumni Anton Nelson, ARRT (R), RDMS, RVT.This was the first year in Idaho Condor’s 11 years of humanitarian aid that medical imaging was part of the services provided out in the villages. Anton Nelson was the sonographer who performed the ultrasound exams. The ultrasound machine was donated by FujiFilm Sonosite. Chris Wertz, Radiographic Science program director, was instrumental in securing the machine for the expedition. 

Following is an excerpt from Anton's experience:

To illustrate how beneficial it was to have ultrasound imaging available in Peru, let me share a few tidbits of information.  Many of the coordinators of the Idaho Condor trip were concerned that ultrasound imaging would be poorly utilized.  Dr. Matt Murdoch, one of the principal doctors on the expedition, told me he expected that we may do 30 exams over a five day period.  He was worried I may be sitting around with little to do.  Our first day of clinic in the village of Chinchapujio put any of those concerns to rest.  I performed 27 exams on our first day of clinic!  Throughout the week we continued to utilize ultrasound in aiding our providers in providing sorely needed medical attention. Over the course of five days of clinics, 91 ultrasounds were performed with pathology discovered in 39 of those cases.

Many of those patients were referred to the regional hospital to address findings that included prostate tumors, pelvic tumors, large gallstones, and one severely obstructed kidney.  By the time we had finished our clinic days, many of the program coordinators, doctors, and physicians’ assistants expressed to me how helpful it was to have imaging present during this year’s Idaho Condor expedition.

Trevor and I genuinely expect this year’s experience to act as a launching point for future opportunities to provide ultrasound and other imaging services during the Idaho Condor expeditions.