Inside the Operating Theatre

Happy Thursday readers!

The city seems to come alive with more hustle and bustle with each day, and the team like to follow in suit, as we are well in full swing of operations, intensive care/recovery, post-op physio and arts and crafts.

The children aren’t the only ones who will need a heart surgery, because my heart just melted after watching kids come out of an intensive surgery/ recovery and be reunited with their anxious waiting parents. It really is a beautiful moment of reconciliation that brings me to water works each time.

Today I had the privilege of heading in to the operating theatre, at first glance it looks like a mad scientists lab, and on closer inspection it really does look like a mad scientist lab.

Let me “try” and paint this picture for you; tubes and machines are plentiful, (at one point I counted 12 tubes coming from the heart alone) surgeons and many doctors all playing their vital role whether with the patient or monitoring a machine, all whilst machines beep in an unmusical dissonant tune. In short it is a truly wonderful collaboration to save a life.

The usual walk-through the hospital grounds is a reminder of a special little side-project we were involved earlier this year. Last March, Andrew and Doug did a fabulous job paving the walkway area and now it is surrounded by grass and fencing which is a dramatic improvement and benefit for all staff, patients and us! Thanks once again Doug and Andrew (left photo is before and right photo is now).

You may be wondering what Miss Molly (left photo) our perfusionist is doing in the playground? She is usually tucked away in the back corner of theatres playing with a bypass pump. However, Molly has had a chance to get out and play with the kid and has left her Cambodian counterpart to do the job in theatres. Everything went smoothly for the whole day and she wasn’t even asked back into theatres for a simple question. Well done to the Cambodian perfusionist for doing two cases completely by yourself, and with great competence and confidence!

Now even our surgeon Ash (bottom photo) came out of theatres to play. The Cambodians must be doing a good job if he is joining play therapy!!

Have a Wonderful day – here’s some photos to brighten up your Thursday!