Tuesday, September 2, 2014

My Surgery: By the Numbers

So the following is a breakdown of my kidney stone removal surgery by the numbers (not prices) as best as I can remember (was there the entire time, but not awake for all of it)...

Doctors (10)

  • 1 Referring Urologist
  • 3 Urology Specialists (all surgeons) -1 consulting, 2 in operating room (1- regular attending/professor, 1 5y in program).
  • 1 Primary Care
  • 2 Anesthesiologists (1 attending/professor, 1 2y student)
  • 1 Cardiologist (see note below)
  • 1 Hospitalist
  • 1 Intern (4y in program)
Nurses (13)
  • 1 Office Visit Nurse
  • 2 Pre-op Nurses 
  • 2 OR Nurses
  • 3 Post-op Nurses (see note below)
  • 3 Floor Nurses (my night shift nurse was outstanding, even remembered me from my baseball officiating days)
  • 2 Nursing Assistants
Other Medical Personal (8)
  • 4 Phlebotomists (1- lab, 1- Pre-op, 1 Recovery (see note below), 1- on floor)
  • 2 CAT Scan Techs
  • 1 OR Tech
  • 1 Pharmacist
Drugs (7)
  • General Anesthesia
  • 8 bags of saline solution
  • 7 doses of Fentanyl (people this is the stuff, it is a synthetic opioid 50-100 times more powerful then morphine, works in seconds when pushed through an IV)
  • Oxycodone
  • Lopressor
  • Laxative
  • Lexvaquin
Equipment
  • Robotic Surgery Unit (with Nephroscope, dilators, laser, camera and suction attachments)
  • Cat Scan
  • Fluoroscope
  • Foley Catheter
  • Nephrostomy Tube
  • Lymphadema pump
Miscellaneous
  • 3 different beds
  • 3 lousy meals
  • 5 hospital gowns ( I liked the one with the built in heating ducts)
  • 4 linen changes
  • numerous dressing change
Cause
  • 1- 2.6cm by 1cm kidney stone
(NOTE: About the cardiologist, extra post op nurse and phlebotomist...while in recovery I was asked how I was doing, I said pain was minimal, but stated that I had a tightness in my chest, within minutes I felt like an episode of some medical drama on TV. I had an EKG attached, blood drawn, oxygen attached, and a statin administered. Turns out to have been muscle soreness from spending 4 hours face down on the operating table strapped to hard rubber supports for the surgery. My heart is still good and strong.)



No comments:

Post a Comment