Trusted By
Long Island Residents
Dr. Salvatore Zavarella recently returned from his third service trip to the Dominican Republic, working with The Butterfly Foundation, teaching and performing life-changing spinal deformity surgery in this underserved country.
“In the United States, few children born with severe scoliosis wouldn’t get it cared for at an appropriate time,” says Dr. Zavarella.
“That doesn’t happen in the Dominican Republic. This experience continues to motivate me to do more trips like this throughout my career. Seeing the patients’ dramatic physical changes, and the smiles and gratitude they share, are tangible signs of success, and a genuine display of humanity shared.”
For seven days, Dr. Zavarella, a board-certified neurosurgeon, performed over 15 surgeries at Salvador Gautier Hospital, in the nation’s capital of Santo Domingo. The collaborative effort included a multi-disciplinary team of volunteer anesthesiologists, nurses, orthopedic surgeons, and representatives from Stryker and Medtronic, leaders in the worldwide orthopaedic medical technology market, who generously donated implant materials.
In the photo above, Dr. Zavarella is pictured fifth from the left. The medical professionals from the US, trained and prepared their local colleagues-spine surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses – to successfully replicate the spine surgeries on generations of residents to come.“This experience continues to motivate me to do more trips like this throughout my career. Seeing the patients’ dramatic physical changes, and the smiles and gratitude they share, are tangible signs of success. A genuine display of humanity.”
Dr. Salvatore Zavarella
Most of the surgeries performed corrected severe spine curvatures. The children, as young as nine, suffered from at least a 80-100º curves. “Without corrective scoliosis surgery, these spinal deformities would have significantly impeded the patients’ quality of life, and in some cases, limited their life expectancy,” said Dr. Zavarella.
While the hospital’s facilities were bare-boned at best, all of the surgeries were successful, and provided at no cost to the patients. Dr. Zavarella wants to recognize Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for donating essential surgical materials like gloves, gowns, surgical pens and more, that helped assure sanitary working conditions.
Dr. Salvatore Zavarella understands the impact that missionary surgeries can have on underserved communities, throughout the world. For four consecutive years, he has brought advanced surgical techniques for complex spinal deformity and scoliosis, to the remote areas of the Dominican Republic, and changed the trajectory of countless young lives.
Dr. Zavarella, a board-certified neurosurgeon with advanced training and expertise in complex spinal deformity surgery, works with the non-profit organization, The Butterfly Foundation, and a multi-disciplinary team of established US medical professionals, to provide surgeries, at no cost, to the patients. Working side-by-side with attending spine surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and local residents at Salvador Gautier Hospital, in the nation’s capital of Santo Domingo, Dr. Zavarella and his team, have corrected upwards of 100 patients with severe spine curvatures, from at least 80-100⚬.
“The profound change in these young people extends beyond the physical,” says Dr. Zavarella. “Making surgery accessible to these teenagers and young adults, offers them a future with hope, free from pain, or physical limitation.” For many of his patients, that means the possibility to attend school, and engage with peers, for the first time in their lives.
One of his recent, and memorable cases, was a young woman who suffered from 130⚬ of kyphosis, a spinal disorder where an excessive outward curve of the spine, causes an abnormal rounding of the upper back. Following a successful surgery, the female patient, overcome with emotion, stood tall and proud, and announced plans to renew her wedding vows with her husband. Dr. Zavarella emphasized that mentoring and training local healthcare professionals, in the Dominican Republic, is as important as performing the surgeries themselves.
“US-trained surgeons have a lot to offer local practitioners, in terms of clinical education and training. Navigating the complexities of medical treatment, in a resource-poor developing country, has its challenges, but, year after year, the advancement of skills and treatment protocols are exponential.”
While the patients’ successful outcomes provide deep satisfaction for the surgical team, it is the overall progress of the healthcare delivery system in developing countries, like the Dominican Republic, that will have long-lasting impact for generations to come. Dr. Zavarella notes that the absence of state-of-the-art technology such as intraoperative imaging and neuronavigation, so familiar to surgeons from the western world, underscores the importance of developing cost-effective technology, to be used at home, and abroad.
Dr. Zavarella encourages colleagues to explore similar volunteer opportunities, to bring their skill, experience, and leadership to underserved areas, around the world. He also wants to recognize Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, Stryker, and Medtronic for donating essential surgical and implant materials.
