Two Weeks of Cases

In my last two weeks, I've had a wide variety of cases. One of the new things I have to do with anesthesia is log my operations and procedures as this eventually becomes important to satisfy the requirements of residency and as a record for future employers. Looking back at my case log, my last two weeks have been heavily focused on orthopedic surgeries, followed by general surgeries. I've done a lot of total knee replacements, a few hip replacements, and a smattering of finger fractures, toe amputations, etc. Doing a lot of one surgery helps, especially if it is with a single attending, because then I get to know the people, habits, steps in the operation, and preferences pretty well.

For general surgeries, I've provided anesthesia for procedures as simple as placement of a peritoneal dialysis catheter or rectal exam under anesthesia to those as complicated as a hiatal hernia repair or sleeve gastrectomy. At the VA, there are a fair share of lumps and bumps (biopsies of masses, removal of lipomas, debridement of wounds). There are a few combined cases between multiple surgical services such as urology to place ureteral stents and general surgery to do a laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy. Lastly, I've done a smattering of ENT cases like thyroidectomy and vascular cases like AV fistula creation.