Shadowing Open Heart Surgery-Share Your Thoughts

[Allopathic13]

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So this is kind of just a fun thread---- but I have been doing some intensive shadowing this summer with Cardiology etc. and today I was allowed to scrub in on an Open Heart Surgery-Triple Bypass after the attending in the cath lab found a 99% left ventricular stenosis.

It was pretty amazing!



All the Best!

🙂

 

[wannabesrgn]

So this is kind of just a fun thread---- but I have been doing some intensive shadowing this summer with Cardiology etc. and today I was allowed to scrub in on an Open Heart Surgery-Triple Bypass after the attending in the cath lab found a 99% left ventricular stenosis.

It was pretty amazing!



All the Best!

🙂

That is so SWEET! OMG! YOU ARE REALLY LUCKY.

I've found it so insanely difficult to get into OR's. How long was the procedure? Did they make you stand back from the table or were you pretty close up?!

 

[mic2377]

In my experience, the bigger the city/hospital, the harder to get into the OR. The place I have gotten to scrub in on surgeries is almost an hour drive from the major city with a large university.

I have gotten to see several surgeries, both laproscopic and open. You can even get other opportunities as well. The CRNA in the OR offered to let me intubate the patient once he found out that I was a paramedic student. Nifty!

I am a little jealous of getting to see such a "cool" surgery. I always wanted to see a thoracotomy, but the surgeon I shadow is not a cardiothoracic surgeon.

Did you get to see the bypass machine? Did they do open cardiac massage to get the heart beating again?

This is the kind of stuff that is just plain exciting about medicine!!!

 

[Allopathic13]

The procedure lasted about 3 hours and 45 minutes....I got to stand pretty close to the surgeon because he wanted to explain the steps of the procedure to me---which I though was quite generous of him. It was a UPMC affiliated hospital but not their main downtown Pittsburgh branch. I was hanging out with the cardiologists in the lounge one day and the Cardiothoracic was there and told me to come on down-so I had to get some extra clearances and I was in---it was pretty fortuitous.


I didn't see him perform a cardiac massage-I believe he restarted the heart with a minor electrical stimulation from two flat circular probes. I did see the heart lung machine. It was pretty incredible.

I totally agree mic-I have shadowed over 200 hours up until now-but I was blown away-I though I was really getting a leg up on medical school with all my experience but then a procedure like this just proves that there is sooo much to learn in medicine. lol

 

[DannyV]

i've scrubbed into 15+ surgeries with the first 5 being in my freshmen year in college ...hhaha thats right... i have scrubbed into bypasses....aneurysms....and many different cardiothoracic surgeries.....I will write more about them later since I am using my phone right now...

fun thread!
-DannyV

 

[wannabesrgn]

How did you initially get in contact with these surgeons and then arrange a time to go in??

For a while I was emailing back n forth with a couple neurosurgeons, but by back n forth I mean they would send me a one line email about once every few months and usu it was to refer me to their secretary. The secretary would then tell me to email the surgeon and I figured they couldn't care less about helping me out.

I guess I can't blame them with their ridiculous schedules...but I really wanted to get some OR time. I've only seen some outpatient procedures. Still completely fascinated with pretty much any surgical procedure, but cardiothoracic...oh man...amazing.

 

[DannyV]

my short story to get connected was.....
i went to a research symposium where I met the associate dean of Baylor College of Medicine....where him and I had a great conversation and later he offered me a research position at baylor college of medicine....couple of months later.... knowing that I had interest in becoming a surgeon...he hooked me up to observe surgeries with houston's leading cardiothoracic surgeon.....when I first went in the OR...i stood by the observation window thinking that was my limit...until the surgeon walked in...told the nurse to scrub me in....and i was blown away....he is such a great person...he explains me the cases before performing the surgeries...and teaches me the surgeries as he performs them....also (i like this part)...he asks me to predict his steps (as an attending would ask a resident)...and he expects me to know the answers...sometimes I do...sometimes i dont...but when I dont...he pauses the surgery and takes time to explain me everything....hes a very nice surgeon....always late to surgeries...lol...always listening to ghetto rap in the OR surround sound system they have...but overall the experience is awesome..i know not everyone gets involved in the kind of situation i did but i have friends who have called more than 200 surgeons around the city...and there is always 1 that says yes...so yeah....get used to hearing No's...but eventually you will hear something that you want to hear...and when that happens...take full advantage of that...the only thing that i didnt like was that my surgeon didn't let me shadow him in the
clinic rounds...(i understood though) he was a damn busy surgeon...anyways...if anyone has any questions...feel free to PM me....

good luck!
-dV

 

[Allopathic13]

Thats awesome dannyv!
It's amazing to see how laid back these cardiothoracic guys when they are operating with a person's chest cavity wide open.


Also, Danny I know you are looking into Harvard for this fall---if you end up attending the university Brigham and Women's along with Mass Gen have some volunteer/internships that look good on a med school app.

 

[DannyV]

thanks for the suggestion allopathic13... but i wont be starting the program until fall 2010..haaha ...but i know that your suggestion will be just as important and effective then so thank you!

-dannyV

 

[djd2187]

Last summer, I got a chance to be part of a program for shadowing doctors at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, and Washington Adventist Hospital. My first day at the hospital, I got to see quadruple open heart bypass surgery. The patient also lots of other interesting history with the heart. The entire surgery was literally narrated by the anesthesiologist and the surgeon. During part of the surgery, they started talking about restaurants and movies, and the entire time, the mood was so laid back and relaxing. I got a chance to see 4 more surgeries after that but it is safe to say that was by far the most thrilling experience in the O.R. ever. During one of the surgeries, the surgeon gave all of us a lecture on Judaism.

-Deepal

 

[Allopathic13]

HAHA!!! that is hilarious deepal!

I was in the cath lab today and during the heart catheterization the cardiologist was attempting to recite the title of every every beetles song-----needless to say he failed. 🙂