Early this morning in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit), I witnessed one of the most horrifying things that can happen in this world: a mother watched her 2-year-old daughter die. Continue reading To watch her daughter die
Tag Archives: med school
Anesthesia Impressions
It took just one case for me to know: anesthesiology is a pretty cool job, and there’s no way I’ll do it. Their job, when unperturbed, is a routine of vials, syringes, lines, tubes, and making sure a digital control station doesn’t freak out. It’s delicate and complex, but it’s also a relatively unstimulating exercise of parameter control. Their job, when perturbed, is supremely stressful, situations in which they must act within seconds or permanently brain damage or kill someone. Neither of these situations sounds remotely fun to me. Continue reading Anesthesia Impressions
The Hospital Oracles
There were oracles in China around 1200 BC who could see the future in ox bones and turtle shells. They would inscribe them with characters, anoint them with blood, heat them up until they shattered, and “read” the fracture patterns to divinate future events. Royals would ask about rainfall, about warfare, about their own health. There were oracles everywhere in the ancient world; in Greece, Africa, and America, people sought the advice of those mystics who could see things they couldn’t. Continue reading The Hospital Oracles
My Hands Shake
I wrote this post in the style of a spoken word performance. It is Part 3 of 3 about my stance on surgery, but it is meant to stand alone. Continue reading My Hands Shake
Laparoscopic Magikarp
For the past month, I have mostly played Pokémon GO standing still in the same place: in the operating room hallway during spare minutes between surgeries while I wait for patients to arrive. The ORs are right on the East River, which means all day (and I mean all day) I only get to catch water Pokémon, mostly Magikarps that are flopping around. This is pretty ironic on many levels, but it also got me thinking. Continue reading Laparoscopic Magikarp
Pet Peeve: Surgeons Who Can’t Type
They bother me more than they should. Surgeons who can’t type. Continue reading Pet Peeve: Surgeons Who Can’t Type
Hemithyroidectomy
INDICATION FOR PROCEDURE: The patient is a 29-year-old gentleman who presents with a large left thyroid goiter, visible in the neck and shifting his airway to the right. After considering his options, he elected to proceed with a left hemithyroidectomy. Continue reading Hemithyroidectomy
Swiss Surgery
In the past four weeks in my surgery clerkship, I’ve seen several different surgeons operate in their distinct own styles. They’ve ranged from the calm and meticulous vascular surgeon to the loud profane but courteous trauma surgeon to the high-velocity efficient bariatric surgeon. Each was effective in their own methods and I admired them all. However, on Tuesday, I watched Dr. Saldinger, the Chairman of Surgery at NYP Queens, perform two masterful operations, and his surgical style was awe-inspiring. Exacting, precise, and particular. He trained in Basel, Switzerland before coming here, and he is stereotypically Swiss in the best possible way. Watching him operate was the first time I felt like I truly witnessed that mythical surgical precision. Continue reading Swiss Surgery