Vietnamese Entry #4: Bệnh Việc Đại Học Y Dược (Ngày 5-7)

Từ thứ tư đến thứ sáu (ngày 11 đến 13 tháng 7), đoàn được đến tham quan và làm việc tại Bệnh Việc Đại Học Y Dược ở Sài Gòn.  Trong ba ngày tới, nhóm sinh viên MEMO được quan sát cách hoạt động của bệnh viện và vào phòng mổ để xem các dụng cụ y tế mà chúng tôi mang về được sử dụng. Đối với các thành viên MEMO, đây được xem như là một cơ hội học hỏi và trao dồi kiến thức.

            Vì lý do gia cảnh, tôi buộc phải vắng mặt trong những ngày này và vì thế không thể viết về ba ngày qua. Xin cáo lỗi cùng bạn đọc và mong bạn đọc đón xem những bài viết bằng Anh Ngữ.

            -Tuấn

Heart Surgery Day- Hospital Day 3

It is an incredulous feeling, witnessing a life being saved in front of your very own eyes. I was fortunate enough to witness an open heart surgery being performed.

The day started just like every other hospital day, breakfast and formal attire. However, I was not prepared for the atmosphere that I'll be put into later in the day. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, we were immediately put into the waiting room for the operating room for where they perform heart surgeries. We scrubbed in; hairnets, face masks, the whole she-bang. There was about 6 of us and they only allowed 4 of us into the operating room at the time.

We changed sandals at least 3 times before we were finally able to enter the operating room. The patient was already sedated and I was able to watch the whole preparation up close. The surgeon explained to us that they were removing a tumor from an artery and that the procedure would take no longer than two hours.

Alex scrubbed in

Surgeons prepping for the Heart Surgery

First look at the heart surgery

Surgeries

More surgeries

Even more surgeries

I cringed as the surgeon made the first incision; I've always dreamed of witnessing a heart surgery, however I had always fearful of how my body would react to seeing one being performed. But to my surprise, the more I watched, the more I became fasinated by how the heart actually looks as it beats, and how nonchalant the surgeons were as they opened up the patient.

What made the day most memorable to me is how well it triggered all 5 senses. At that exact moment, life felt surreal and that as complicated as the surgery might've been, the surgeons did a good job making it a stress free environment.

William Nguyen

Day 3 at Bệnh Viện Đại Học Y Dược

For the 3^rd day that we spent at the hospital, I got up earlier in order to join the orthopedic team and Dr. Ninh for surgeries at the hospital. We saw a total knee replacement and an arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery and we learned so much from him. What I enjoyed most was listening to Dr. Ninh and the head of the orthopedic department debate over what techniques they believed in the most and what procedures Dr. Ninh considered "outdated" in Vietnam as compared to what doctors use in the U.S. 

Scrubbing in =)

Drilling down the piece of bone outgrowth at the rotator cuff. View from  the arthroscope.