St. Paul Science Classes Watch Live Surgery
by Keaton McCracken
October 05, 2011
Total Knee Replacement Surgery
by Keaton McCracken
On Wednesday September 14, 2011 the Advanced Biology and Anatomy and Physiology classes from St. Paul High School traveled to the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center at Greenbush to participate in a total knee replacement surgery. The students were invited to attend this Interactive Distance Learning Activity as part of a grant by Science Center Director Lisa Blair. USD # 505 is a member of the Greenbush Science Center, which allows the students to be able to attend these exclusive opportunities to extend their knowledge in the field of Science. The total knee replacement surgery took place in Columbus, Ohio at the Mount Carmel East Hospital.
The video feed was live from the first cut to the last stitch. Students from Altoona-Midway and Northeast High School also participated in the experience. Greenbush was connected to three other schools from Texas and Indiana. These schools were Keller High School and Kempner High School in Texas, and Leo High School in Indiana. The Center of Science and Industry (CoSI) produced the video and audio portion to allow the students to ask the surgeon questions during the procedure. This allowed for the students to understand and get more of a feel of what it was like to be in the Operating Room.
There were many exciting factors during the Surgery, but I would have to say that my favorite part of the Surgery was the fact that it was a live procedure. Orthopedic Surgery has always been an interest of mine. The other careers involved the nurses, who assisted the surgeon prepare the patient, create a sterile environment, and handle many instruments. The anesthesiologist monitored and kept track of the patients vital signs before and during the operation. Other positions included technicians, who made sure that the surgery ran as smooth as possible by giving the surgeon the proper tools and equipment at the right time. All of these careers played a huge role in the success of the procedure.
Students prepared for the event the previous day by visiting www.edheads.org where they could perform a virtual version of the surgery. The page also allowed the students to interact with the website to make the surgery more realistic. At the end of the day all of the students enjoyed the activity and brought back some very resourceful information.
