So, I'm half way through my general surgery rotation. I have been doing a lot of exciting surgeries so far. Being the only student working with a group of 4 surgeons, I am treated as an surgical intern. I have to pre-round on all the patients and present them to the surgeons. I also have to do surgical consults in the hospital, the ICU, and the ER. So far, I have been first assist for all the surgeries and also being on call whenever the surgeons are on call. I'm also expected to research and know all the procedures, complications, treatments, managements, and pathophysiologies of all the cases we see and operate on. So, needless to say, I haven't got much free time. Daily we evaluate abdominal pain, obstructions, perforations, and we do surgeries when we need to. I've assisted in removal of cancers, stitching the bowels when they get perforated from ulcers, taking out appendix and gall bladders when they get inflammed, draining fluid out of every infected orfices and wounds, saving people's lives when they get critical, and assisting doctors of other specialties (such as OB/GYN) with surgical needs. I have gotten to do a lot and starting to get a feel of what internship is like and what being a doctor is like. I've got to admit that many times I do feel like I can't ever learn enough. The more I ask questions, the more I've been asked questions, the more I realize that I don't know enough. At times I do get satisfaction to be able to answer questions that are asked, but I still struggle to find ways to retain what I've learned and to keep learning more.So, today, I met Da Vinci! I can't describe to you how excited I was. Da Vinci is a robotic system that allows doctors to do 'minimally invasive surgeries.' What that means is that this robot allows complicated surgeries to be done with the smallest possible incision sites. The robot has four arms that inserts instruments into the belly. It also has 2 cameras that goes into the belly and projects the images to a screen. The 2 camera system gives the surgeon a 3 dimensional view so they can do abdomenal surgeries with the highest degree of accuracy, also minimize risks and complications. Right now, we routinely do laproscopic abdomenal surgeries with instruments and cameras, but this robot take surgery to the next level. The surgeon is doing surgery in a console. The potential is that you can literally do operations on someone half way across from the globe. How about doing surgeries in the field on wounded soldiers or astronauts in space? The draw back is that the machine is several million dollars to purchase and costs more than $10,000 per month to maintain. I guess for the time being, the art of surgery still involves human touch.
Seriously, the surgeon let me sit in the console and see through the 3D camera... it was so cool! If you want to experience and see what it does, click on this site:
I am thoroughly impressed! I want one. I want one NOW!!!
3 comments:
That is pretty cool. But it's only a matter of time before it turns evil and turns its newly added lasers on ourselves for some facial reconstruction.
Wow, George! This is amazing. Who woulda ever thunk it? I know, I know, a surgeon who wants to take surgery to the next level. . . Anyway, so glad you are getting to experience all of this. :)
An impressive information from your blog. I've heard some patients were completely satisfied and happy using da vinci robot on their surgery. However, even if there are many patients benefited with the surgical robot a few reports of complications and risk by some patients have also emerged. Moreover, these risks can be caused by design defects, inadequate surgeon education, manufacturing defects, and other problems that multiply the likelihood of patient complication. Furthermore, it feels so sorry for some patients pile up for da vinci lawsuit in claiming for their losses.
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