Current Events > So I got to witness open heart surgery today...

(+) Yeah! (+)

It was pretty cool. I am a RN student and I was sent to the OR for one day to do observation for my clinicals. I stood on a stool at the head of the bed and had an elevated position where I could watch the surgical team work. Guy got a CABG (Coronary Artery Bypass Graft) done. Got to see them split him, use a saw on the sternum, and part the chest with clamps. Seeing them part the chest with clamps made own chest hurt lol. But the coolest moment was when the surgeon cut the pericardium and moved all the tissue out of the way to expose the guy's beating heart. I was so close to it, I could lean in and touch it if I wanted. Of course I would have 8-10 medical professionals pissed off as hell at me if I did it alongside being kicked out of the program. But just knowing I was close enough so I could. The freaky part is when they stopped the heart to do the bypass, it appeared like the patient was dead for a good 30 min-1 hr. Sure enough, it started up just fine after that. Got to see them stitch him up as well.

Really cool experience. Didn't find it gross at all either, just really cool. Although when they cauterized his flesh, the fumes would make me feel slightly dizzy.
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Should have touched the heart with your tongue
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Well, I guess now I know I was clinically dead at least twice in my life. Cool!
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EverDownward posted...

Well, I guess now I know I was clinically dead at least twice in my life. Cool!

Well key word in my post would be "APPEARED". They had him on a heart and lung machine. Tissue perfusion was still being achieved albeit artificially. Im just saying if one was to ignorantly look at his non-beating heart and flatline EKG, the guy appeared to be dead. Just a weird thing seeing a stagnant non-beating heart either way is my point I guess.
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What do you mean you stood on a stool? What if you fell over?
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Capn Circus posted...

What do you mean you stood on a stool? What if you fell over?

They have these surgical stools that the surgical team can stand on in order to get a better view/leverage. The catch with surgery though is you have to have a sterile field. And it is very easy to contaminate that sterile field if you are not careful. Pretty much the entirety of the patient and his surrounding area was sterile and had blue drapes over him. Only qualified professionals with sterile garb and gloves on are allowed near the sterile field. Which means me as a non-sterile student just in standard scrubs was not allowed anywhere near the patient. With that being said, I did have a head piece for hair containment, a mask, and eyewear.

The exception to this sterility would be the head of the bed. The thing is the the head has a blue sterile drape hoisted up above the patient's head. It goes up instead of outward/down. I want to say it goes up 5 1/2 feet from the ground. This creates a barrier for the Nurse Anesthetist who are also at the head to do their non-sterile work. The catch is for me as a student, the barrier is too high for me to accurately see anything. Hence the stool and elevated position so I could peer over the sterile drape. Basically picture someone using a stool to peer over a tall picket fence lol.

Now what happens if I fell over? Depending how I fell, the patient would be fucked. Contamination would occur. Depending what they are doing I could cause an instrument to puncture the patient. The surgeon and team would be pissed off as hell. Equipment would be damaged. And I would probably be kicked out of the program. With that being said, the stool was pretty broad, stable, and flat. So as long as you remained fairly still and were aware where the edges were; you were fine.
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I suppose that's interesting. Personally there's things I know that happen but I'm better off not ever seeing it. Although I can take blood but I can't do vomit and poop.

God bless them but I don't know how or why anyone gets into the nursing profession.
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EternalDivide posted...

I suppose that's interesting. Personally there's things I know that happen but I'm better off not ever seeing it. Although I can take blood but I can't do vomit and poop.

God bless them but I don't know how or why anyone gets into the nursing profession.

Man this surgery was nothing in terms of gross factor. I work as a nurse tech (which pretty much is a CNA) outside of school. I change diapers, empty out urinals, foley cather bags, colostomy pouches, get basins for vomit, etc all the time. Most of it, I have became desensitized too and handle pretty good. The thing I struggle with the most is diarrhea especially the smell... I can deal with the visuals and the task. But the smell is difficult. I try to use masks and pursed lip breathing to get through it when its severe. The pursed lip breathing not only minimizes smell but taste as well. Breathing through your mouth has its own consequences for smells that pungent.

But with all that being said, I used to have the same feelings as you. "I could never do ____ and ____". "Why would anyone want to be a CNA/Nurse". Yet here I am years later doing it all. Didn't think I would ever be able to do half the things I do now. I wont bore the boards with my life story of why I decided to go for nursing but just know it was fairly recent development in my life. I'll say this. If you want something bad enough, you will be amazed of what you can adapt to over time.

Also if I can say a few things I like so far about this career. I like the subject material and hands on nature of the profession. But if one thing gives me a passion for the field is the patient interaction. Getting to know real humans and help them during health crisis of their life. Forming bonds with these patients is truly a rewarding experience.
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The most I ever did. Only because I had to. My step father went into emergency (pains from terminal cancer). Things went badly.....somehow. Went there understanding it would be to pick him up to bring him home. Exited the room because he had to poop in the bed pan. He had horrendous diarrhea. So much so his blood pressure altered in a way that his oxygen bottomed out and he died. He literally shit himself to death.
There was a huge amount of disconnect between me and him so I can't say I was really feeling anything not to mention I never ever thought I would be the one there when his time came. It wasn't my place. It should have been his sons. Granted my mom was there too. But damn. I mean the smell. Holy shit. Plus vomit being sucked out of his mouth at the same time while they're counting down his heart rate stopping.

And then 4 hours later we all went to see the Star Wars TFA premier that we had tickets for. It was an odd odd day.
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Do you think any of the surgeons fart in the OR? Did you?
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http://pbfcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/PBF079-Christmas_Surgery.png

Shoulda done this for the fella
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Very interesting stuff. Can you elaborate more on the process of stopping the heart for that length of time and then restarting it? To your knowledge, what sort of mechanics were used to (I'm assuming) keep the blood flowing to the brain and the patient "alive"?
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Can i see thus on youtube?
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can you explain the process of the ekg rhythms? did he go into various heart patterns before stopping? or did it just go from beating to asystole? vfib?
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