Young doctors at work
“CSI: Graz”: Saving a pig’s life with an open heart
Cardiac surgery is one of the most complex areas of medicine. Every move can make the difference between life and death. At the Medical University of Graz, two emergencies were simulated extremely realistically - using state-of-the-art simulation technology and a real heart.
"CSI: Graz" is the name of the Med Uni's advanced training series, which aims to help students choose their future specialty. The "Surgical Student Information Afternoons" usually take place in May, but have now been brought forward and an elaborate course has been designed in collaboration with the Clinical Skills Center (CSC), Europe's leading training center for medical skills, which is based at Med Uni.
Dozens of young doctors lent a hand
And the students came in droves. A handful of interested parties had been expected, but in the end almost 50 budding doctors wanted to listen and also lend a hand themselves when it came to performing a life-saving heart valve operation and treating a patient with an artificial lung in the intensive care unit. "You can see how much interest there is," says CSC CEO Thomas Wegscheider happily. "They don't even have to be there, it's not a compulsory event."
The event was a "hybrid simulation": real tissue is treated in an artificial operating environment. In this case, it was a pig's heart that was transplanted into a first aid manikin. Under the guidance of experienced heart surgeon Ismar Ovcina, the students inserted a valve prosthesis from the 3D printer. The second group was confronted with an emergency in the CSC's lifelike intensive care unit.
"Incredible infrastructure" is unparalleled in Austria
Deputy Head of Surgery Igor Knez was in charge here. "It is an extremely interesting spectacle in this incredible infrastructure, which is the envy of other universities in Austria," he enthuses. The intensive simulator costs around 60,000 euros - money well spent: "The students who work here in their free time benefit enormously from these opportunities. In the normal curriculum, it would be impossible to put everyone through a cardiac surgery operation."
In acute cardiac surgery cases, trainees generally do not even have the opportunity to follow the vital processes, as there is not enough space on the chest. In the CSC rooms, the tables are turned: "The students are in the front row. They feel the cramped conditions - and how thin the surgical thread can be," says Wegscheider.
"Also important for the psyche"
For heart surgeon Knez, this is a particularly important aspect of the high-tech simulation: "Getting hands-on is also good for the students' psyche. Here they realize whether our complex specialist field could be something for them." The "hands-on" opportunities in Graz, which are unique in Austria, should also help to get a grip on the problems of young talent.
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