It’s not every day that a non-medical person like myself is allowed to witness life-changing heart surgery, so when the opportunity is available, we leap at it to better understand and present the stories we share with the readers of M.D. Update.
Such was the case on January 23rd when M.D. Update photographer Liz Haeberlin and I observed and she photographed the brilliantly orchestrated and choreographed TAVR surgery at Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington.
Observing the OR staff and physicians prepare for surgery reminded me of backstage at a performance, a place I know a little something about. The props are in place, the quiet murmurs, the expectation and anticipation, the eye & hand gestures that communicate silently between the players and the backstage staff. Then it’s “Lights, Camera, Action… let the performance begin.”
I know that surgical procedures similar to this occur countless times, every day in numerous OR’s around Kentucky and around the world. For the OR staff, maybe “it’s business as usual.” For the layperson, I assure you, it’s anything but the usual.
We greatly appreciate all of the access the medical professionals give us to tell the stories of their work. We spoke with Dr. Susan Smyth, director and chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and several of the physician-researchers at the UK Gill Heart Institute; Dr. Jesse Roman, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Louisville; Dr. Rebecca Shadowen, director of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiologist at Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green and more.
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All the Best, Gil Dunn publisher, M.D. Update
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jnewton@md-update.com, jennewton01@gmail.com, or (502) 541-2666 mobileGil Dunn, publisher: gdunn@md-update.com or (859) 309-0720 phone and fax