Week 2 - Samantha Bratcher

Another week gone by. I've continued to enjoy shadowing the IR department. I think the best description is interesting but not exciting. That isn't to say I don't like it. I think the techniques and devices they use are impressive from an engineering and medical standpoint, but a good chunk of time is always spent to check and double-check the doctor is in the right location. The actual doing is usually fairly quick. It's very different compared to something like plastic surgery, in which there's more cutting and suturing involved.

Some procedures are very common in the IR department, like biopsies, venograms, and drain placements. One of the more interesting ones I saw this week involved the placement of a fistula plug. It's a small device made of collagen shaped almost like a nail. After placing it into a fistula (an opening from outside the body into an organ), the body will naturally degrade the material and replace it with healthy tissue. After 4-6 weeks of healing, it will be completely healed. I also saw an IVC filter removal. An IVC filter is a metal device that can be placed in the inferior vena cava to catch blood clots that may move up from the legs. Below is a picture of what it looked like after it was removed from the patient. Surprisingly large. I am also thankful to Dr. Martin Prince for showing me how to read MRI and CT scans and giving his insight on how he diagnoses someone. Next week, I'd like to start observing procedures in some of my classmates' departments.



I also finally figured out a research project for the summer. I will be working with Vibhor Wadhwa, a fellow in the IR department, to investigate the causes and reasons of vascular closure device complications. I would say more, but I don't want to give away too much. The overall end goal is to gather this information so that clinicians can avoid complications as much as possible.

The past few days have been crazy hot in NYC (even worse than where I'm from in Tennessee). I think it's finally starting to cool down, though. Last weekend I went to the Museum of Natural History. It was fantastic. Even though I was there for about 4 hours, it still feels like I didn't see half of the place. I would definitely consider going again. This weekend I'm looking forward to watching the fireworks in the city. I am also strongly hoping I win free tickets to listen to the New York Philharmonic next week. Fingers crossed!

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