Island Med Student

Today I started my anesthesiology rotation. Of course, that means that I spend all my time in the OR, which I love. Today was AMAZING! I got to see so many awesome things. Here’s an incomplete list of the stuff learned:

1) How to remove fibroids using a special corkscrew device. Oh my god, this is the coolest thing ever!

2) How to surgically fix both an epigastric and umbilical hernia.

3) Commonly used anesthetic drugs, and their indications/contraindications/side effects, etc.

4) Holding the anesthesia mask on an unconscious patient is WAY harder than it looks. My hands were aching and tired after about 10 minutes

5) How to put in an IV line.

6) How to inject an intrathecal anesthetic. Here’s the longer version:

The coolest part of the day involved a young patient who had fractured his patella playing soccer. He needed surgery to remove the broken fragment and re-connect his ligaments. They opted to use an intrathecal rather than a general anesthetic. The injection was given, and he was completely numb from the waist down. A sheet was placed in front of him, so he couldn’t see what was going on. The surgery was totally awesome. It was my first orthopedic surgery, and I was amazed by all the drilling and poking. During the surgery, my friend and I were talking to the patient. Eventually, he wanted to see what was going on with his knee, so my friend would take a picture with her cell phone, and then show it to him. He was amazed and having a great time. He totally gets the best patient award. Thank you Mr. Patient, for allowing me to post these pics!