Mongolian Ingenuity

The other day Monica and I were doing some teaching with the Mongolian doctors and nurses about hand hygeine and central line care.  We were trying to make the point that careful attention to infection control could make a huge difference for them.  An interesting conversation to have in a hospital that doesn't have toilet paper and in which it takes an act of congress to wash your hands.  They did at least have alcohol gel readily available throughout.  But I digress,

A baby returned from the operating room after getting a colostomy for imperferate anus.  We were busily documenting the way they transported the baby with a pillow filled with oxgen that they squeezed to fill the mask they were using to bag the baby.  Crazy..

Amira, my translator, hooking the oxygen pillow up for transport.

Then they got the baby in his isolette and began to set up his ostomy.  They were attaching a latex looking thing with a dam of sort that they tied to the skin.  I looked at Monica and said "is that a.." She replied "female condom, yep!"    There you go they had attached ties to a female condom and were using it as a colostomy bag.  Brilliant really..

Ingenious really!  Who uses them for barrier protection?  They are cheap and readily available.  We were amazed.