To date, our trainees in Salone have scanned over 400 patient encounters and identified conditions such as twins, breech presentation, polyhadramnios, hydatidiform mole and fetal demise, referring at least 10% of the scanned patients to the closest hospital for further management .
Tenki started the first OB ultrasound course in Bo district to provide a standard of care recommended by the World Health Organization and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology to obtain at least one ultrasound during pregnancy, preferably before 22wks.
In our courses, we teach community health officers and midwives to recognize fetal presentation, fetal cardiac activity, placenta location and amniotic fluid. With these skills we empower local healthcare providers to identify high-risk conditions such as low-lying placenta, twins gestation, too little or too much amniotic fluid and breech or transverse presentation.
Success Stories
Both of these young ladies were seen at Monghere Community Health Clinic, where we trained Abibatu how to do focused OB ultrasound back in March.
There, using Butterfly IQ ultrasound, Abibatu was able to identify that Kadiatu’s baby was lying transverse (sideways) in her uterus and would not be able to deliver vaginally at her clinic without severe complications. So she referred her to Lion Heart Medical Center (LHMC), where they were able to monitor her and rotate the baby head down prior to deliver, so that she could have a successful uncomplicated vaginal delivery.
Maddie’s experience was not as simple when she came to the clinic a couple months later because on ultrasound Abibatu identified twins but noticed that one of the twins was significantly smaller than the other one. She also was referred to LHMC, where they explained that the smaller twin would likely not survive, but she required prolonged monitoring to ensure that the other one did and ended up also having a successful vaginal delivery.
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