This week had some high points for sure. Finally got into the OR this week and let me tell you it was a quite a doozy seeing the cardiothoracic surgery as my first OR experience. Being very tall I was able to stand near the anesthesiologists and peer over to see what was happening easily. I had to take a step back the first time I saw the patient's chest open and their heart beating right in front of me. It was truly an incredible experience and showed me I really had no appreciation for what happens in the OR. It was very interesting seeing how diseased the heart could become with fatty deposits and how failure in one chamber can lead to pressure changes that lead to hypertrophy on the other side. One side was nearly twice as big as the other. I also was surprised that the smell of burning flesh is common place in the OR due to the surgical tool. The organization in the OR was very impressive and how all the team members know what is going and what the next step is for the procedure to go effectively.
Another procedure I saw was an arthroscopic knee surgery. This really did not compare in the "coolness" factor after what I had witnessed in the OR the other day.
I also did rounds in the pediatric ICU this week which was very interesting yet very depressing. I saw babies hooked up to IV's and ventilators, as well as a teenager that had a massive blood vessel burst in his brain and will be left paralyzed. It was nice to see the children however that were recovering and were starting to smile again which is always refreshing.
The rest of my week was very similar to the other ones as I shadowed fellows in rheumatology.
THATS ALL FOLKS
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