Venezuelan surgeon coordinated 45 operations amid hospital collapse from earthquakes: 'Being able to help keeps us going'

Venezuelan trauma surgeon Yesy Medina coordinated and performed 45 surgeries at the Domingo Luciani public hospital in Caracas in the wake of a powerful double earthquake that struck the country's central region on June 24. Over two intense weeks, the 38-year-old specialist led 30 operations and assisted in 15 more, contributing to the stabilization of hundreds of injured individuals.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo detailed the overwhelming conditions the hospital faced in the earthquake's immediate aftermath. Dr. Medina described the chaotic initial influx of patients: "They were too many, so many: children, adults, the elderly. When I entered the hospital, 10 patients arrived at once. As soon as the door opened, three or four came in at a time. We had them on stretchers, in chairs, standing, on the floor."

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They were too many, so many: children, adults, the elderly. When I entered the hospital, 10 patients arrived at once. As soon as the door opened, three or four came in at a time. We had them on stretchers, in chairs, standing, on the floor.

Crush injuries, open fractures, and severe burns overwhelmed the available operating rooms. The trauma team, comprising about 30 specialists, conducted a total of 215 surgeries within two weeks. They employed procedures like fasciotomies to prevent amputations and muscle necrosis. Among the early critical cases Medina treated were a young woman with multiple fractures from a collapsed elevator and an 18-year-old with burns covering 40% of his body after a gas cylinder explosion.

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Being able to help is the fuel that keeps us going.

The overwhelming demand meant medical professionals worked continuously. During the first 36 hours post-earthquake, Medina managed only 40 minutes of rest within the hospital premises. Despite the physical exhaustion, she found motivation in the ability to help. "Being able to help is the fuel that keeps us going," she stated, enabling her to face complex surgical decisions, particularly when operating on children who reminded her of her own family.

Medina recounted the profound difficulty of operating on an eight-year-old boy with severe lower limb crush injuries, necessitating an above-the-knee amputation. "It was the hardest, I gathered my courage to do it. Afterwards, I broke down: you feel identified, as a mother. Then I took a deep breath and, well, we had to continue the work; those who followed had the same right to save their lives," she shared. The specialists divided their time between emergency surgeries and daily follow-ups to monitor patient recovery.

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It was the hardest, I gathered my courage to do it. Afterwards, I broke down: you feel identified, as a mother. Then I took a deep breath and, well, we had to continue the work; those who followed had the same right to save their lives.