Dr. Dennis Sagini’s Mission to Restore Upper Extremity Function
In operating rooms far from the comforts of modern medical facilities, Dr. Dennis Sagini brings hope to patients whose hand and arm injuries might otherwise remain untreated. As an upper extremities specialist, Dr. Sagini has dedicated significant portions of his career to charitable orthopedic medical missions, traveling to underserved communities where access to specialized surgical care is limited or nonexistent.
Dr. Sagini’s work focuses on conditions affecting the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands—injuries and conditions that can devastate a person’s ability to work, care for themselves, and maintain their independence. In developed nations, these issues are routinely addressed through sophisticated surgical interventions. However, in many parts of the world, patients suffering from fractures, nerve damage, tendon injuries, and congenital deformities have nowhere to turn.
The impact of upper extremity disabilities in resource-limited settings extends beyond individual suffering. In communities where manual labor forms the backbone of economic survival, an injured hand or arm can push entire families into poverty. A farmer who cannot grip tools, a seamstress who cannot use her fingers, or a carpenter whose shoulder injury prevents him from working—these are the patients Dr. Sagini encounters on his missions.
Each year in July or August, Dr. Sagini embarks on his mission trip alongside 20-30 other dedicated volunteers, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and support staff. These expeditions are made possible through the generous sponsorship of the Miarura Family Foundation and the International Orthopaedic and Anesthesia Foundation, organizations committed to bringing specialized surgical care to underserved populations.
During these charitable expeditions, Dr. Sagini performs a wide range of procedures, from repairing old fractures that healed improperly to reconstructing tendons damaged by workplace accidents. He treats children born with hand deformities, giving them the chance to develop normal function as they grow. He addresses nerve compressions like carpal tunnel syndrome that have progressed far beyond what would typically be seen in his regular
practice, and he repairs complex injuries that patients have lived with for months or even years due to lack of access to care.
The challenges of mission work are substantial. Dr. Sagini often works with limited equipment, basic anesthesia options, and in conditions that require creative problem-solving. Sterilization protocols must be adapted, surgical techniques modified, and follow-up care carefully planned with local healthcare providers who will monitor patients after the mission team departs. Despite these obstacles, the outcomes can be transformative—patients regaining the ability to work, children gaining independence, and families finding new hope.
Beyond the operating room, Dr. Sagini’s missions include an educational component. He works alongside local physicians and healthcare workers, sharing techniques and knowledge that will benefit future patients long after he has returned home. This capacity-building aspect ensures that his impact extends beyond the individual surgeries performed during each trip.
The motivations driving physicians like Dr. Sagini to undertake this challenging work are rooted in a fundamental belief in healthcare as a human right. These missions represent medicine at its most essential—skilled practitioners using their expertise to alleviate suffering regardless of a patient’s ability to pay or their geographic location.
For Dr. Sagini, each successfully restored hand, each shoulder that can once again bear weight, and each patient who returns to productive life represents not just a medical success but a fulfillment of medicine’s highest calling. Through his charitable orthopedic medical missions, he exemplifies how specialized surgical skills can change lives and entire communities, one upper extremity at a time.
His work stands as a reminder that healing hands can reach across any border when guided by compassion and commitment to service.
Contact our office at 239-302-3216 to schedule a consultation and to learn more.
Dennis O. Sagini, MD
Dr. Sagini is an orthopedic surgeon with specialization in hand and upper extremity surgery. He specializes in arthritis of the hand, nerve compression, muscle and tendon injury, fracture care, and upper extremity dysfunction.
He completed his Bachelors of Science in Microbiology from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma in 1998 and his Doctor of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA in 2002. It was during medical school training that Dr. Sagini developed an interest in orthopaedic surgery. His residency in orthopaedic surgery was completed at Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC. Dr. Sagini completed his fellowship training in Hand and Upper Extremity surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
Dr. Sagini is a member of the Lee County Medical Society, the American Association of Orthopedic Surgery and the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.
Dr. Sagini is active in research and community service and has a passion for overseas medical mission work. He also enjoys running, traveling, listening to music, cooking, tennis, and spending time with his family and friends.
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13691 Metro Pkwy, Suite 400
Fort Myers, FL 33912