welp..spent the morning in the OR watching the diabetics get amputations. I was a lil uneasy about going because i think its a little un-natural to watch someone cut off body parts for purposes other than killing someone...but i got over this really fast once i got back into the OR.
"Hi Dr. C, my name is D, I am a medical student and will be observing today if thats OK with you."
"That's fine. As long as you promise not to pass out. And if you are going to, make sure it is not on my operating field."
"yes sir. I promise"
The morning began with a couple simple toe amputations. It takes like 5 minutes, seriously. Just get the scalpel, cut, cut cut and pluck that thing right off.
Next I saw them take off the big toe of a women and the metatarsal behind it. first time they used the saw...if i was going to pass out, this would be it. but no. of course not! At one point i was standing next to the resident watching her suture closed the site that once was the big toe and blood just dripping. i wish i had been able to take a picture.
Next up, below the knee amputation revision...meaning, he already had a BKA but the stump got infected, wasnt healing [ie wasnt controlling his diabetes so nothing was healing] so they had to cut more of his leg off. Mental image...using a scalpel to cut to the bone, then using a small saw for the fibula and then a 'string saw' for the tibia. then watching them use a very sharp big ass knife [think kitchen knife for your turkey on thanksgiving] to cut the posterior muscles. then watching them dissect arteries, nerves and tendons. pretty sweet.
last up, a symes amputation. Basically dis-articulating the ankle and heel bone and taking off the foot from there. tons of cool anatomy there too...
i left the OR and went straight to eat lunch. i was starving :)
gross. i remember when we were kids you would take apart the organs of our christmas dinner and cut them into a million pieces. barf.
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