Houston Health Professionals Help 'Merchants of Baghdad'

Pictured are "The Merchants of Baghdad" with their prosthetists, Tom DiBello, CPO, FAAOP, and David Baty, CPO. From left, top row, are Quasim, DiBello, Bassim, Hassan, Solah, and Ala'a. Bottom row, from left, are Nazar, Laith, and Baty. As most people witness the atrocities of war on television sets, presumably safe from harm, many viewers find themselves motivated to make a positive contribution in some way, whether in large or small measure. Feeling the need to reach out with the offer of assistance, initiatives by groups or individuals to aid returning injured veterans and families of deployed soldiers have become commonplace across our nation, and even within the O&P community.

Seven Iraqi men recently received treatment at the Houston Medical Center by Dynamic Orthotics and Prosthetics, The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR), and several well-known plastic surgeons. These men, small-time merchants, had their right hands surgically removed nine years ago on Saddam Hussein's order as punishment for allegedly dealing in American dollars following the first Gulf War. The traditional punishment for this crime was removal of the right hand, which permanently marked the men as thieves, but Hussein also ordered they each be marked with a tattoo across their foreheads, further identifying them as criminals. Throughout their ordeal, the men continued to deny any wrongdoing, claiming to be scapegoats for Iraq's collapsing economy.

Overheard Conversation Leads to Help The men's journey to the United States began with an overheard conversation in an Iraqi cafe. After viewing the tape of a surgeon performing the amputations on the seven men, a Canadian filmmaker, Don North, was discussing the possibility of bringing the amputees to the United States for help when a Houston executive overhead the conversation. The executive encouraged North to share the plight of the seven men with a local reporter Marvin Zindler, known in Houston for successfully procuring medical treatment for those in situations of hardship.

Subsequently, Zindler made contact with some plastic surgeons as well as Tom DiBello, CO, FAAOP, of Dynamic Orthotics and Prosthetics regarding the possibility of fitting these seven Iraqi men with prosthetic hands. Dynamic Orthotics and Prosthetics then turned to Otto Bock with a request for a donation of prosthetic components. The company not only donated the Otto Bock SensorHand", its most advanced prosthetic hand, but also provided the full support of its Texas representative, Walter Governor, and Shawn Swanson, OT, its upper-limb prosthetic clinical specialist.

Whirlwind of Care Upon their arrival in Houston, the men, known as the "Merchants of Baghdad," experienced a whirlwind of medical treatment. The plastic surgeons, Joseph Agris, MD, and Fred Kessler, MD, with the assistance of The Methodist Hospital, removed the tattoos from the men's foreheads and performed revisions on their residual limbs, in preparation for prosthetic treatment. Dynamic Orthotics and Prosthetics donated countless hours to measuring, casting, and fitting the men, as well as designing the socket limb interface and assembling the prosthetic hands to ensure the best possible fit and optimal usefulness for each individual.

Throughout the fitting process, the Iraqis also worked closely with Suzanne Krenek, OTR, and Myra Vasquez, OTR, occupational therapists from TIRR, who trained the men in the proper use of their new myoelectric prostheses. Myoelectric devices use the electrical impulses generated by muscles for control. The Otto Bock SensorHand opens and closes based on the strength of the muscle contractions and is the only hand on the market to include an "AutoGrasp" feature that incorporates sensory feedback technology to measure shear forces relative to the object a person is holding. For example, when filling a glass of water, the shear forces increase as it fills and the hand adjusts so it does not drop the glass. The extensive therapy included training on an Otto Bock "MyoBoy" computer, which is essentially a video game designed to teach the user how to control his or her prosthetic hand.

Following their extensive medical treatment and prosthetic fittings, the Merchants of Baghdad began the exciting and emotional task of functional training with their finished prostheses on May 18. The staff of Dynamic Orthotics and Prosthetics considered it an honor to be the first to witness the men shaking hands and grasping objects with their right hands for the first time in nearly ten years.

On May 22, the men traveled to Washington DC to visit Capitol Hill, with the hopes of shaking hands with US soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Merchants of Baghdad departed Washington DC in early June, returning to their families in Iraq. Due to the caring hearts of many individuals, along with TIRR, Otto Bock, The Methodist Hospital, and Dynamic Orthotics and Prosthetics, these seven men, once marked by the evils of Hussein, will return home happy, healthy, and whole.

Houston Health Professionals Help ‘Merchants of Baghdad’

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