Week 1 - Samantha Bratcher

Hi, everyone! My name is Samantha Bratcher. My clinical immersion is with Dr. Adam Talenfeld and Dr. Kyungmouk Steve Lee in the Interventional Radiology (IR) department. Although it's not very related to my field at the university (biomechanics/mechanobiology), the clinical experience has still been very interesting. The IR department is super friendly and all the clinicians have been very available to letting me shadow them. It's only been one week, but I've already learned a lot! Every day has been watching something new, from angioplasty to biopsy to embolization. I find it so crazy that they're able to thread a wire through someone's veins to practically any area of the body. It's always a bit crazy to watch. I got a video of a balloon angioplasty using this method. The balloon is inflated inside a person's veins to expand them and increase blood flow. The second video shows the veins and their quality. The rate at which the contrast dye flows through is an indicator of vein quality. I hope the video quality isn't too bad.

 

   


I've also found the interventional oncology to be especially interesting. I learned about Y90, a two part treatment for liver tumors. Part one maps the veins around a tumor to ensure none lead back to important parts of the body, such as the lungs. During part two, microspheres covered in radiation are injected into the veins that feed the tumor. This makes Y90 a great option for both local and targeted treatment. Dr. Talenfled believes in the future of this technique, and I would agree.

This is also the first time I've been to NYC! It's been pretty great so far. There's so many food options, places to see, and things to do. I went to Chinatown and found a mural on the road. I'm not sure if I'd ever live here yet, but the experience has been no short of amazing so far. 



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