Week #5 (Nerymar Ortiz Otero): Brain, Heart and more…

         
         At the beginning of this week, the Dr. Schwartz was out of the New York City. Therefore, I had the chance to work with another surgeon, which is Dr. Girardi a great cardiothoracic-surgeon.  Also, I was spending time in the research lab from my advisor, Dr. Schwartz that is about epilepsy.

          The most interesting case during this week was a patient with a severe stenosis. I was in the OR when the Dr. Girardi was doing a aortic repair/replacement (AVR) through of an open heart surgery. During this procedure, the Dr. Girardi opened the sternum and the pericardium to have access to the heart. Then, he put the heart lung machine to replace the function of these organs. This kind of machine makes the lung and heart functions to allow that the doctor can stop the heartbeat to work on it. After, he opened the aorta to remove the defective valve and put the new one. At the end, he reestablish the heartbeat (put the heart to work) and close the chest. Also, I could see another surgery about the mitral valve replacement (MVR). This surgery follows the same procedure than the AVR where the only difference is the kind of valve. The experience being in an open heart surgery was amazing for me because see the heartbeat is really awesome. If I compare the brain with the heart surgery, I think that the heart surgical procedure is more bloody than the another. However, the brain surgery make me feel pain because I am sure that a mistake in this in irreversible. I don’t know how explain this but the sensation or feeling in both were totally different. 

          On another hand, I spent time in the lab seeing and learning the experimental procedures made there. The Dr. Schwartz’s research lab is focused in study the beginning and the spreading of the seizure in the brain. In the procedure that I saw is about use a laser to make a cut in the brain cortex (tissue) to see if this can stop the beginning or spreading of the seizure. The laser make a cut in the cortex without affect the brain surface. First, is necessary make a craniotomy in a mouse model to have the brain exposed and introduce a sensitive dye. Second, is make the cut in the brain cortex using the laser. Finally, is put 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) to induce the seizure and use a combination of equipment to measure the spreading of the seizure. Spending time in the lab was really productive because I am adapted to another kind of research and this is new for me. Usually, I do research that involves cellular behavior, cancer cells, and proteins, however, the epilepsy research was completely new for me. This is a little challenge for me but I liked because I have a good chance to learn and understand novel experimental procedure and concepts. Basically, is put myself in a unknown field.