SHARE program helps secure operating microscope for Kenyan microsurgery program

Thanks to a coordinated effort driven by ASPS members, microsurgery training – and practice – in Kenya is poised to go further than ever.

The PSF's Surgeons in Humanitarian Alliance for Reconstruction, Research and Education (SHARE) program has expanded its work training and capacity-building efforts for plastic surgeons in sub-Saharan Africa – particularly in Kenya and Tanzania – with a focus on reconstructive surgery and microsurgery. Ferdinand Nangole, PhD, MBChB, MMed, president of the Kenya Society of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons, was an invited speaker for the SHARE panel held at Plastic Surgery The Meeting 2024 in San Diego, and through a dialogue with The PSF past President Andrea Pusic, MD, MHS, co-director of the SHARE program, he expressed some of the limitations plastic surgeons face in microsurgical training in Kenya.

"Dr. Nangole is a gifted microsurgeon, the plastic surgery department chair and residency program director at the University of Nairobi, which is one of the largest training programs in East Africa," Dr. Pusic says. "He noted that it's been difficult to teach microsurgery because the microscope they have is one-headed – and often not available for use among the plastic surgeons. Not only is it hard to teach, but it's difficult to even be able to perform various cases."

However, inspiration struck for Michelle Coriddi, MD, in the PSTM Exhibit Hall during a visit to the Mitaka booth. Dr. Coriddi, who is co-director of SHARE's microsurgery program, learned that Mitaka receives used, older models of its microscopes as donations and trade-ins when medical institutions invest in new models from the company. Following the annual meeting, Dr. Coriddi reached out to Tim O'Malley, a sales director for Mitaka, who told her the company would be happy to find a dual-headed microscope in good shape that it could donate to the Kenyan program.

"Mitaka is truly grateful for the opportunity to partner on such an important mission," O'Malley says of the collaboration with SHARE. "We are honored to contribute to advancing care and making a positive impact in the communities that need it most."

Dr. Nangole stresses that for microsurgery to become readily available in many African countries, the solution lies in home-based training.

"Thus, there is a need to establish regional centers of microsurgery training to cater to the ever-growing needs of young plastic surgeons who require microsurgical skills," he says. "To achieve this, a good operating microscope is simply essential."

O'Malley tells PSN the company donated a Leica M720 OH5, equipped with a Mitaka Base unit and Leica Optics. Dr. Coriddi says the equipment will provide an immediate impact in its new home at the University of Nairobi.

"When it comes to microsurgical procedures, you can only train so much by using a phone with a zoomed-in lens or even with loupes," Dr. Coriddi tells PSN. "The residents and Global Fellows have demonstrated great success with these methods, but it's easier if you have a microscope – and it allows you to take on more cases. They have the talent and the complete ability to do these procedures – and now they have the tools to take on those cases and do more comprehensive training."

Still, even with Mitaka's significant donation, logistics in how to get the valuable equipment from the United States to Kenya posed its own set of challenges. Dr. Pusic notes that original shipping estimates to move the microscope came in around $30,000. Fortunately, her son, Michael, works with Aid Pioneers, a nonprofit that efficiently delivers life-saving medical aid projects across the globe. By swiftly mobilizing its network of international shipping partners, Aid Pioneers reduced the cost of transporting the microscope to Kenya to a manageable $3,200 – ensuring it would reach the medical team without delay.

At press time, the microscope was still in the United States, being prepared for its international journey, with shipment scheduled for late August.

"This was truly a group effort from Mitaka, Aid Pioneers and SHARE," Dr. Coriddi says. "We're hoping to continue this momentum and supply other institutions with microscopes in the future."

The success of procuring such an invaluable teaching and operational tool notwithstanding, Dr. Pusic says the outcome of this donation speaks to SHARE's larger purpose of capacity building and moving plastic surgery forward in areas that need it the most.

"It's not that we're just shipping a microscope," she says. "We're providing a key piece of equipment that will allow us to really expand our teaching program and help fortify this powerhouse residency program. It's about bringing all the pieces together and providing this trajectory that can help microsurgery capabilities really take off in Kenya."