First surgeries at school!

Today I observed my first two surgeries at school - this is a requirement for my general surgery and anaesthesia course. We were there to learn about anaesthesia, and observe the procedures. I was so nervous this morning, I couldn't say why, but I was worried I'd have to call and cancel because I felt so sick. 

The first surgery was a left eye enucleation in an 11 year old, entire male Yorkshire terrier. He had a history of glaucoma, which was left untreated and developed into uveitis (inflammation of the middle layer of the eye). Several courses of treatment later, the eye was ulcerated and painful, so the owner agreed to take it out. 

The surgery was incredibly fast (about 20 minutes, using the transconjunctival approach). It was very interesting to see a retrobulbar block used, as I have very little experience with opthalmology. The dog recovered well, and was sent home with NSAIDs and antibiotic eye drops. At the end, the surgeon mentioned that there was a splenectomy happening later today, and if we were free we could come and observe that too.

Because the surgery was so fast, I had about an hour to get into town to pick up a document for my residency. I've finally figured out how to use my student card as a travel card, so I hopped on a tram and rushed to the office. Everything was done quickly there, so I got myself a cup-of-soup (šošovica), then hopped onto another tram back home, all in under half an hour. After that, I had a pathophysiology seminar on teams, before heading out again to watch the splenectomy. 

 

The second surgery was on a 5 year old, neutered male Yorkshire terrier (apparently they're a very popular breed in Slovakia!). He had a small nodule on the tail of his spleen - an incidental finding on a check up ultrasound after a cystotomy a few weeks before. The owner agreed to an FNA, and the histopathology came back as lymphosarcoma. The vet feels confident that the mass was found early enough in development that the dog shouldn't need chemotherapy treatment after. 

This surgery was a little more eventful. I attempted to cannulate the dog, and I got 2 sticks, but unfortunately I blew the vein twice. Considering I had one attempt to cannulate a rabbit ear over a year ago, I'm pretty happy that I even got close to the vein! 

Because of the previous surgery, there were lots of adhesions so the spleen was difficult to get to. He also had quite a lot of visceral fat, which made the ligation of the vessels difficult. The dog also didn't want to keep breathing! At the end of the surgery, I got to give the dog the anti-sedan and help clean up. I remember where I worked before, one of the vets laughed at me (lovingly) because I was excited to remove a catheter from a dog. She said she remembered being a vet student, and how exciting the first time doing anything is, no matter how little, and I completely get that! 

To make a good day even better, the vet said that working with me was really fun, and that if she asks me to do something, she knows I know what to do. 

On my way home I stopped for some groceries, then immediately fell asleep when I got home. In 2 weeks I have my first credit test (10 short essay questions), so I spent the evening reviewing the slides and making quick notes, then finishing off my ankis before going to bed.

I will try to write more blog posts, as I do think I will be doing more this term!