Today was a great day at work. It was one of those pick a room and observe. So I decided to go to the heart room, I have never seen any surgery on the heart. I was observing in amazement at the difference between the set up of this open-heart surgery and a plain gallbladder removal surgery. The best part happened when I got to go stand up by the anesthesiologist. The best part of “observing” is that I have no responsibilities and get to watch and ask questions. As I stood at the head of the bed and peered over the surgical draped, I saw the chest wide open and the heart in plain sight, beating. It was the craziest thing. When it was beating, it was more like jiggling. As the surgery progressed, they needed the beating to stop, so ice was placed on it to make it cold and it stopped beating. At this point, the heart and lungs were being run by some pump machine. I loved it. The anesthesiologist was great explaining all the anatomy and what the two surgeons were doing.
The body is just an amazing thing. The more I learn and see, the more I do not know. I am truly amazed at what we, in this day, are able to accomplish, and how science has improved our lives.
