From INSIDE the O.R. thank you. I almost got splashed with water and brain residue. I was that close.
Did I mention that I am a secretary???
How many secretaries do you know, get to watch BRAIN SURGERY??
Let me clear my throat....
BRAIN SURGERY
So I work at a large non-profit hospital for the Stroke Department. My boss is the Neuro/Stroke manager and she and some of the nurses are going to be doing a poster presentation at the American Association of NeuroSciences Nurses Convention in the spring. So thier presentation is on Deep Brain Stimulation for patients with Parkinsons Disease. So one of the Neurosurgeons said that they could watch a procedure. And because my boss is a kick ass big shot around there lately, she was able to get me in to watch. I assume that they think I have a clinical background. I'm not about to tell them differently.
The procedure, is that they put the lead (the electrode) into this guys BRAIN and then the extension (like extension cord) will be attached next week, to the 'batterypack' and that gets placed on his chest, much like a pacemaker. They adjust the settings and the tremors, ideally, stop. It's all technical and I am learning, but what I do know- is that this kick ass Neurosurgeon made a 4-5 inch incision, exposed this guys SKULL. Drilled into his head with what looked to me like a Black and Decker, make a hole the size of penny. Sucking away blood, and "skullmush" (think sawdust). Ok, so it was not a HUGE hole, I mean, I guess looking into that hole, I could see the brain.
THE BRAIN
Yeah, that is not what I saw, but I saw the skull and a penny sized hole drilled in to it.
I took this picture!!
So they had this metal cage thing on his head that is like a positioning device and based on these computer generated coordinates, they know exactly where to drill and how far to stick this long tube in this guys brain, leaving behind a very thin wire, about the size of a piece of hair with the electrode in the deep in the brain, which will run out of his skull, under the scalp, down his head and neck and be attached to the "battery pack" (neurostimulator) on his chest.
The second part is when they attach it to the batterypack, so they just tucked the wire and the connector under his scalp, just shoved it down, like stuffing money in your bra.
I wonder if that itches... You know, like you got something under your skin!!! yeah, a wire and a connector, talk about an irritant.
My head itches just thinking about it.
So yeah, I had a pretty good day at work.
1 comment:
That is so cooL!
The closest to that that I ever saw was a dead body six weeks after the maggots had turned up...
Post a Comment