NICU Eye Exams & My First Time in the OR!

Happy March to everyone! It’s insane that it’s been a whole month since our last day of school. In comparison to last week, this week has been very busy!

At the NICU this week, I shadowed CCN nurses. Continued Care Nurses are those that care for the patients that are almost ready or on the way to go home. The day that I was there was actually a special day at the NICU as an ophthalmologist, a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems, had come to perform eye exams on a large number of the patients who were currently at the NICU. The ophthalmologist comes on a regular basis to give eye exams to check primarily for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), which is a common disease that occurs in premature babies. ROP causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina (the layer of nerve tissue in the eye that enables us to see), which can cause it to detach from the back of the eye, leading to blindness.

In the past, oxygen saturation levels weren’t as regulated for preterm newborns in comparison to today. Recent studies and research have shown that higher levels of oxygen saturation levels given to infant patients increased the chances and the appearance of ROP, which is why nowadays babies in the NICU are given regular eye exams to ensure that the oxygen saturation levels are not affecting their retina development.

Stieve Wonder is famous example of a premature baby who lost eyesight due to high oxygen saturation levels that led to Retinopathy of  Prematurity. 

I witnessed the ophthalmologist give eye exams to few patients, and although it was described to be a very uncomfortable experience for the babies, it is definitely better that they leave without the chance of their eyesight being affected.

This week was also my first week observing Dr. Vegunta of Pediatric Surgery at Cardon Children’s Medical Center! The first day I shadowed him was at the Pediatric Surgery Clinic, where he tended to patients ranging from newborns to teens. Each patient came for either a post operation check-up or a significant concern. The next day, I observed two procedures that Dr. Vegunta had scheduled in the OR (Operating Room). I never have seen or had a surgery before, so I was both excited and nervous to be in the OR and witness a surgery. When I first arrived, I was given scrubs to change into and was given a quick orientation of how the OR operates and the standard procedures.

The first scheduled surgery was a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is the removal of the gallbladder with the assistance of a video camera and several thin instruments rather than a large incision. As there was a small camera tool that was used to perform the procedure, the entire process was shown on multiple monitors. As I didn't realize how much the camera increased the size of the tools and organs in the body, I was very surprised how small the gallbladder was when it was removed from the body.

The second surgery was more complex, in which Dr. Vegunta was aiding another pediatric surgeon to perform an exploratory laparotomy (a large incision made in the abdomen), adrenalectomy (removal of the adrenal gland), and nephrectomy (removal of a kidney). As the patient had a tumor that was stuck to the adrenal gland and the kidney, they tried for a few hours to remove the tumor in a way that would keep the kidney intact. However, in the end they performed a nephrectomy to ensure the best removal of the tumor.

Anyways, I definitely learned a lot this week, so I’m excited to go back next week! I hope everyone enjoys their upcoming spring break, see you in my next post. :)