Getting sharp
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
Typically, the part of surgery that most people don’t get to see is the actual time on the table, under the knife. For Wilton anatomy students, their live feed of a knee replacement in Ohio on Jan. 26 meant stepping into the operating room and seeing what the surgeon sees every step of the way.
Wilton anatomy students spent part of Jan. 26 taking part in a Surgical Suite with Mount Carmel Hospital in Ohio, where a knee replacement surgery was being broadcast to high school students across the country.
Science Teacher Stacy Boeshans said she was asked about taking part in the video feed late in 2017, and that she thought it would be a unique experience for her anatomy students. After the patient scheduled to be operated on in December fell ill, the surgery was moved to January. Ahead of the surgery, Wilton’s anatomy students prepared for the live, interactive video stream like surgeons prepared for the actual operation.
“They send you a kit with all these materials in advance of the surgery,” Boeshans said. “So we scrubbed up, we made a fake knee joint, we went through this whole procedure.”
Boeshans said the students were given information on the surgery team and the patient, and then sat down in one of the school’s ITV rooms for the first incision to be made. Hayle Boechler said this early moment in the surgery was the only time when she felt squeamish.
