This week was an unforgettable experience. We were brought to the Uniklinikum to watch various surgeries take place. After we arrived we put on scrubs and were brought into the surgical wing of the hospital. The first type of surgeries offered were cardio, and I've never raised my hand faster. I managed to walk into the very beginning phases of an aortic valve replacement and double bypass. The anesthesiologist walked me through their process of putting the patient under and how he monitors the patient's vitals. Afterwards I was able to watch the lengthy process of getting to the heart. Since this patient had had two previous aortic valve replacements there was a lot of scar tissue, making this process much more difficult. By the time everything ended I had stood unmoving, without food, for about eight hours, and it was totally worth it. That was by far one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to be a part of. The surgeons were incredibly friendly and I got to talk to them about the surgery taking place as it happened.
Later on in the week we got to go to the anesthesia museum, guided by Dr. Stoeckle. While there we were able to see lots of various anesthesia machines, drugs, and accessories throughout the years. There were even some dentistry-related drugs on display which was very cool to see. Finally, while there we got to see a full Iron Lung. There aren't very many of them left on display, so it was very cool to be able to see one in person. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures this week but the experiences were enough to stick with me.
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