miss akay

Today, I sutured!

Things are moving right along this summer. It's amazing how great this summer has been.

Today, I was in the OR with T and J for three different cases. During each surgery I watched over their shoulders and at the end of the third case, T turned to me and said he'd like me to do the rest of the suturing. (YES!) Prior to this moment, my experience with microsurgery began with watching WS in the OR back in 2002. I did no assisting. Only watching. This winter I participated in a study an oph resident at GWU was doing, which gave me the opportunity to suture the cornea of a sheep eye and then use a surgery training simulator for three hours and then suture another sheep cornea to gauge improvement. My next surgical opportunity was another spectator experience. This time I observed dissection of the medial canthus of the eye along with experimental surgery, in which the tilt was enhanced for aesthetics.

This summer I've been working with T, who has been training me in microsurgery technique on rats. Their eyes are of course are much smaller so while the anatomy isn't great for comparison I have been able to practice working with the microscope and trusting my hands for small skilled precise movements. When placing the sutures today I had much greater confidence in my own hands than I would have a year ago. I had a good gauge for the size of the bites and the method of tyeing the knots. T was a great instructor and guided me through each of them. With each one I got faster and it felt simpler. I'm honored to have been given the opportunity and appreciate the trust I've earned through working alongside T. It's been such a great learning experience for me this summer that I kind of don't want it to end. But I've chosen a fellowship to apply for and I'm looking forward to returning here next year! Whew!!!

posted by miss akay @ 8:16 PM