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May 24, 2002/Sivan 13 5762, Vol. 54, No. 36
Local doctor lends helping hands to Peruvian children
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Dr. Paul Angelchik, right, performs a cleft palate repair in Lima, Peru. He is assisted by a local plastic surgeon.
Photo courtesy of Paul Angelchik
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A local physician's travels have taken him to Peru, Argentina and India - not as exotic vacation destinations, but on medical missions to treat children whose families cannot afford surgery.
Dr. Paul Angelchik of Phoenix, a plastic surgeon, will participate in his third mission with Rotaplast International to perform cleft surgery on patients in Lima, Peru June 5-16.
Rotaplast International is an organization that began as a project of the Rotary Club of San Francisco to facilitate missions that provide treatment for children with cleft lip and palate - patients who would be unable to obtain this medical intervention without the program, according to the organization's Web site. The first mission visited Chile in 1993, and to date, more than 4,000 children have been treated in Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Cleft lip and palate are congenital defects in which the lip, the palate or both are cleft or "split," according to the Cleft Lip and Palate Association Web site. Without treatment, children are left not only disfigured, but also may suffer from speech, hearing, orthodontic and breathing problems.
Cleft lip and palate affects approximately one in 750 children, according to Angelchik, though incidences are even higher in Latin American and Asian countries. Some cases are genetic, while others relate to poverty and use of tobacco, alcohol and some medications during pregnancy.
In the United States, children born with cleft lip and palate are generally treated as infants. But due to the level of poverty of the children in the nations served by these missions, the patients would be unable to receive treatment without the work of the volunteers.
This is Angelchik's second mission to Peru and he will serve as team leader - heading a team of six surgeons, two anesthesiologists, two pediatricians and a crew of nurse anesthetists, recovery room nurses, operating room nurses and non-medical volunteers. Orthodontists and speech pathologists will also take part in the mission.
In addition to the cleft surgery and other related procedures, says Angelchik, the team will spend time teaching and working with the surgeons at the Hospital Loayza in Lima, an 800-bed teaching hospital.
"We try to set up long-term relationships with the places we go and to help them develop their own teams, so they can continue this work without our assistance," he explains. "We stay in touch so that they can develop their own centers for management of cleft lip and palate problems."
The team will see 120-150 patients in a five- to six-day period, and Angelchik says that while the facilities are primitive, the team brings the necessary equipment and supplies safely to perform the procedures.
Angelchik says the work he does on the missions is particularly rewarding, as there is a social stigma involved in having this condition.
"In kids who are older, it's a big step forward for them just in terms of social acceptance from people around them. It makes a huge difference in their lives," he says.
While the team usually treats children, they also treat some adolescents and even a few adults.
"Some of the adults we have operated on in the past - who have basically been living a cloistered existence because of being ashamed of their deformity - have gone out after their lip has been fixed and gotten married and started families," he recalls.
This is Angelchik's third mission to Peru. His first Rotaplast mission was a visit to Argentina in 1999. Angelchik says he developed interest in this type of program when he participated in a mission to India during his residency in the early 1990s. While it took a few years to set up his own practice in the Valley, Angelchik says he always knew that he wanted to continue this kind of work.
"This kind of trip refreshes you and reminds you why you do what you do," says Angelchik. "It's very emotionally rewarding work."
Angelchik, the son of Dr. Jean Angelchik of Phoenix, grew up in Phoenix and attended Central High School. He is a graduate of the Philips Andover Academy, Stanford University and University of Arizona medical school.
He completed his surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and his plastic surgery residency at the University of Virginia.
Angelchik has offices in both Scottsdale and Glendale. Call 623-561-6000 or 480-551-2072, or visit www.doctorangelchik.com.
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