The Whipple procedure, technically known as a pancreaticoduodenectomy, is when you remove a patient's duodenum, part of the stomach, gallbladder, and part of the pancreas. Then, you reconnect everything to a part of the small intestine farther downstream. It's a massive procedure, the surgery lasting 6+ hours. And it doesn't happen everyday. Some residents go through their entire residency without seeing one.
And I helped on a Whipple. I scrubbed in; I suctioned; I helped tie the anastamosis of the stomach to the jejunum. It was absolutely amazing. I had my hands in a patient's abdomen, nearly up to the elbows. I felt a beating aorta. I held intestines. And strangely enough, 7 hours flew by!
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An uncensored glimpse into the sights, sounds, and smells that is my life in medical school.
2 comments:
Sounds to me like you like surgery! :-)
So far I've had a great experience. My residents have been great teachers... So we'll see how the next 10 weeks go..
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