Dr. Wells talked the audience through the procedure and fielded questions about open heart surgery and valve repairs along the way. When you think about it, this is a much easier way to “teach” about surgical procedures and medical treatments. A normal OR can only handle two dozen or so professionals that cram as close as they can to the ledge of the observation deck.

I know personally, it was always much easier to pick up technique and sequencing when I was up close and personal during surgical procedures.

There were no issues finding volunteers for the televised surgery. Many patients were more than happy to help out. And seriously speaking… you know you are going to be very taken care of with over 200 people watching the doctors work and such, yeah? Here is the clip. Enjoy (it is graphic).

Post from: Blisstree

Open Heart Surgery Becomes A Night Of Entertainment For Over 200 Observers

While it is only a depiction of what open heart surgery really consists of, it is fairly accurate. I have scrubbed open heart before and the simulation follows the same basic steps just without the complications, risks and unforeseen circumstances of real surgery. Give it a try and let me know how you do. You know you want to!

Post from: Blisstree

Try Simulated Open Heart Surgery… It’s fun!

Top 10 Hearty Trivia Facts

1. Author of Frankenstein Mary Shelley kept her dead husband’s, poet Percy Shelley, heart wrapped in silk until she died. Imagine how that smelled!

2. You can purchase the largest model of a human heart for a small price of $5795.95 US dollars. Um huh, I said five thousand. It is 8 times the size of an anatomical heart at 100×90x70 cm. Wow, that is a lot of money!

3. The smallest person believed to ever have open heart surgery was just over 25 weeks gestation and about 1.4 lbs. This was back in 2002 and I think it to still be the smallest baby to have open heart. I searched and searched. If you know different, shoot me a hello.

4. Throughout your life your heart contracts about 70 times a minute and pumps about 5 liters of blood each minute. That is amazing!

5. You heart muscle, or myocardium, is unique to just that… your heart. It is not found anywhere else in your body!

6. When you are in love, you really do “feel” with your heart. Yes, it is true. Your heart, more than any other organ, feels and senses emotions and responds accordingly. Everybody now… awwwww!

7. During an average lifetime, your heart will beat over 2.5 billion times. Seriously, that is one hard working muscle!

8. About 1.2 million Americans have heart attacks every year and over 400,000 of them will never make it to the hospital.

9. The word heart, meaning soul or feeling, is termed cor in Latin.

10. The cardiovascular system is my favorite by far, and always has been. Anatomy, micro, nursing, physiology, biology, chemistry, psychology… the heart is so fascinating in every capacity! I am absolutely amazed by it and at times can not even wrap my brain around the fact that it’s muscle never, ever gets a break and keeps us going from the time we are born till the time of our death. Wow!!!

Post from: Blisstree

Top 10 Hearty Trivia Facts…

Researchers found that 16 percent of these patients reported refusing one or more medical or surgical interventions recommended by their physician. The most frequently refused interventions were cardiac catheterization and surgery, with refusal rates of over 10 percent. Other interventions refused included chemotherapy, radiation, intubation, dialysis, and transplantation. Hospitalization was rarely refused.

I can not count the amount of times I sent a very elderly, frail, compromised, extremely sick and helpless patient off to open heart surgery, let alone stress tests and catheterizations. And what I really wanted to do was say, “You are the boss of yourself. You make the final decisions and can say no to anything you want to. If you were my Grandfather, I would say don’t do it”. But I don’t, at least not for the most part.

What do you think about the quality versus quantity? And what do you think about getting second opinions and saying no to physicians? Would you feel comfortable questioning a clinician? I am always amazed at how patients hold them up high and feel like they have no say in the situation. When it should be them who are being held way up high. Be your own advocate. Don’t you think?

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Refusal Of Cardiac Procedures By The Elder Population Common

The last hospital that I worked at was Nationally known for their open heart surgery program. We flew people in from all up and down the east coast, and did at least 15 cases a day, our CSU department had 20 beds. That is big compared to most. The hospital that I currently work at does catheterization without interventions. They are getting their approval to do stenting in September, but there will not be open heart surgery for at least 5 more years.

We can easily fly people out to Baltimore, 20 minutes away, where there are at least 5 hospitals that can prep an OR room, but does that make you fell safe enough? I don’t know how I feel. I think that if it was my family member I would prefer to be at an institution that had that type of back up! Am I being snooty? Probably… but after all it is each persons own decision, right?

Do I take good care of my post cath patients? Heck yes. Do I tell them they should go to a different hospital next time? No! Do I have faith in our cath interventionalists? Yes. This is just something to think about, so you will be prepared when you have these decisions placed in your lap.

Post from: Blisstree

The Dilemna’s Of Heart Catheterizations…