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Area Surgeon Leads Medical Trip To Nagorno Karabakh Republic

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  • Area Surgeon Leads Medical Trip To Nagorno Karabakh Republic

    AREA SURGEON LEADS MEDICAL TRIP TO NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC
    by Samantha West

    East Aurora Advertiser
    http://www.eastaurorany.com/articles/2012/08/01/news/doc5012f8bdcb32d742624075.txt
    Aug 1 2012
    NY

    "Hope for tomorrow" - this is the mission of the aptly named
    local charity, the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation. Elma resident and
    Williamsville phlebologist Dr. Hratch Karamanoukian has assisted
    in turning this goal into a reality with his recent trip to the
    Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), a republic bordering Armenia. There,
    Karamanoukian established the country's only current vein health
    center, donated several pieces of crucial machinery, and performed
    more than 100 free surgeries to patients in need.

    Phlebology is a branch of medicine that focuses on vein health.

    Karamanoukian, who trained originally as a cardiovascular surgeon,
    has spent the past seven years specializing in vein procedures. He
    is Armenian by descent, although he was born in Lebanon; his family
    moved to California in 1976 to escape the Lebanese civil war, and
    Karamanoukian then moved to Buffalo to complete his medical schooling
    at the University at Buffalo. He is the director of the Vein Treatment
    Center in Williamsville, and has written 32 books on health care for
    both doctors and patients.

    Karamanoukian, along with more than 30 supporting doctors, students,
    and volunteers, were in the NKR from May 24 to June 3. "We went there
    because they have a big need for health care," Karamanoukian told the
    East Aurora Advertiser and Elma Review. There, his main priority was
    establishing a state-of-the-art vein center, which offers the newest
    vein treatments, unprecedented in the area. Karamanoukian and his
    mother also donated a portable Doppler ultrasound machine and a laser
    machine to the Central Republican Hospital in the NKR. This machinery
    is used for endovenous laser treatment procedures, which are modern,
    minimally invasive techniques for treating venous problems. The NKR
    is currently in the process of constructing a new building for the
    Central Republican Hospital; the vein center will be incorporated
    into the new structure as a series of suites once it is finished.

    Karamanoukian recognized the importance of providing health care that
    would last beyond his time in the NKR. "I always try to leave something
    behind, to teach procedures, and to provide the means to carry them
    out," he said. Besides donating equipment, he and the seven other
    doctors who accompanied him trained the Armenian staff in the latest
    vein surgeries. "They were still using traditional vein stripping
    techniques that we don't do here anymore," said Karamanoukian.

    They also worked to incorporate medical students into the experience.

    Ten students from Daemen College, D'Youville College, and the
    University at Buffalo accompanied the doctors for some experience with
    vein surgeries. "It's very important to train the next generation
    to give back," said Karamanoukian. "It's something all health
    professionals need to learn... whether it's here in Buffalo or
    overseas." Overall, the group performed more than 100 free procedures
    for the people of the NKR.

    Karamanoukian has traveled with the Hope for Tomorrow Foundation
    several times in the past. Trips overseas include work in Peru,
    Ecuador, Haiti, Vietnam, Poland, and the Dominican Republic, to name
    a few. The two most recent popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, have
    both taken an interest in the foundation, blessing it and bringing it
    to the attention of the public for its charity work. The foundation
    also uses funds raised to pay travel costs for severe cases, so that
    patients requiring extensive surgery may be brought to the U.S. for
    their procedures.

    The foundation does not have any solid plans yet regarding the next
    travel destination. "I, personally, will be returning [to the NKR]
    in September," said Karamanoukian. He will also be bringing his
    brother with him, who is currently a plastic surgeon in California.

    The doctors who accompanied Karamanoukian are Craig Blum, from
    Children's Hospital; Robert Smolinski and Mark Anders, both from ECMC;
    Jeffrey Meilman, a plastic surgeon who is also the chairman of the
    Hope for Tomorrow Foundation; Jack Kottart, a doctor based out of
    Florida; Claudia Smolinski; and Jack Huebschmann, an anesthesiologist.

    For more information on Karamanoukian's trip, books, or other medical
    experience, visit www.veinsveinsveins.com.


    From: Baghdasarian
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