Heart Surgery

 

    Today has definitely been my favorite part of the trip so far. We went to the teaching hospital, where we were allowed into the operating theatre to observe a surgery. In America something like this would never be allowed for either American students of foreign students. 

    I was in the second group, which went to the operating theatre in the second half of the day. First we were given a lecture by a researcher. It was very interesting, although he lost me after about 5 or 10 minutes. He kept my attention though, because he was so passionate in what he was talking about. I really hope with whatever I choose to do, after 30 years I can still be that passionate that I am making a difference some how. Next we went and viewed their telemedicine department. Before this trip I have only vaguely heard of telemedicine. I didn’t really know anything about it, just merely had heard the word before. I believe that it is an amazing new technique in medicine. Their telemedicine is mostly based on cardiac patients. They receive a small circular disk with pads that attach to their chest. After they attach their pads they press the start button on the disk and it provides an ECG that is then transmitted by phone to an on-call doctor. This can provide comfort to the patient that they are okay, or the Doctor can tell them they need to come in immediately. I think it is remarkable, and can’t wait til it becomes more popular in the U.S because I think it can be a tremendous help to older patients who are often times worried about their health constantly.

   After lunch we headed to the operating theatres. We wondered through the hospital and then all of sudden we were there. It was just a hallway that looked like all the others in the Hospital. If we hadn’t been escorted there I would have definitely passed it up. A lady popped her head out of the door and asked all the girls to come in the room to get ready to go into the operating room. We were given scrubs, both top and bottom; along with a cap, mask, and rubber shoes. After this we were allowed to enter the operating room. It still surprises me that we did not have to scrub down or sterilize. It just seems unsanitary to me that a person is cut open and we didn’t even have to wash our hands. Janelle and I went into operating room 1 where an older woman on dialysis was receiving a bypass. After about 15 minutes we were allowed up on the platform with the anesthesiologist to observe the surgery. The surgeon explained to us what was going on and told us that it was a special case just for the “Texans”. It was special case because she was receiving a quadruple bypass, which he said was not very common. I thought seeing the chest separated, or the heart lying there visible would make me uneasy. However, I was amazed more than anything. I was always told that heart was about as big your closed fist. This was definitely not true for this lady, her heart was bigger than three of fists and was all white (fat). It was amazing to sit there and watch an actual visible heard contract and beat. The surgeon was confident and cracking jokes while cutting on her heart; they are by far the most talented and gifted people. He explained to us how he inserted the grafts. He first put what he called “the octopus” on her heart, which looked like a big U with 6 suction cups on it. This stopped the movement of the heart where he placed that octopus which the allowed him to insert the graft.  We were only able to see him do one of the four bypasses before we had to leave. But it was definitely one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. How the body works and how medicine has evolved to fix problems is just so extraordinary.