atw: Re: medical documentation

Back when I was an orderly in an operating theatre, some surgeons had their
own special instruments.  It seemed to be a mark of being a successful
specialist.

* a wooden clothes peg.  It holds the face together after a hare lip
repair.  smaller and gentler than the heavy s/steel clamp.
* bolt cutters - medium ones with handles about 12 or 15 inches long.  For
'reduction of prepuce' aka circumcision.
* hammer and chisel - this is quite standard stuff for orthopods, for
hacking bones.
When the patient asks "why is my inner left thigh bruised when they worked
on my right thigh?" how do you tell them it was the effect of having the r
leg attacked with a hammer and chisel.
* side cutters - like a pair of pliers.  often used to take bone fragments
from the iliac crest, and place elsewhere on the person.
* drill guns.  these were air-powered as electric ones may ignite the
anaesthetising gases
* gigli saws - a wire with little teeth along it and handle at each end.
for cutting bone.  Pass it under the bone then pull back and fore.  used to
cut out patches of skull, or cut through leg and so on bone.  We collected
then after the op and used then for cutting our broom and mop handles.
* assorted Sidchrome spanners, inculing adjustable wrenches.
* hack saws - of course.

What fun.
Bob T



On 3/22/07, Warren Lewington <warren.lewington@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


 Universities have spent millions developing simulators that students can
use to practice medical procedures. 3D and everything. But in reality, most
of the tools that surgeons like orthopaedics use are found in dads rusty
toolbox in the shed, you know the one, near the beer fridge. Or the kitchen
utensils draw.
I know, cause I was STOOPID enough to ask my physio while still concussed
from the post op blues (too much opiates on the operating theatre slab for
too long). He showed me pictures. In a manual. With a smile on his face. My
eyes popped when I saw the first page and without thinking exclaimed "I have
one of those, I use it to cut metal with". And so it went on until I saw the
Makita drill, and an exact replica of my electrical winding rubber mallet.
At which point, I fainted.
It was a good manual, you know, follow the instructions and you could do
it at home.

Warren.
PS: You should see what they use to prepare the piece of hamstring they
farm using a paring knife before poking it in the hole for the new medial
ligament... I don't have one of those yet, they don't sell them at Bunnings.
AFAIK.

 ------------------------------
*From:* austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *hedley.finger@xxxxxxxx
*Sent:* Thursday, 22 March 2007 11:10
*To:* austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* atw: Re: medical documentation



Just when you were getting all relaxed and comfortable, read Dr. Atul
Gawande's *Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science.* If
you were wondering where your young surgeon learned her trade, wonder no
more.  She is learning on *you*!  With an experienced older surgeon by her
side, of course, ready to take over.  And after passing a rigorous
examination, cutting up corpses.  I asked my surgeon, Black Jack Dawson, how
surgeons learned new techniques, such as keyhole repair of hernias, and his
reply was (imagine a Paul Keating delivery): "Yer watch the *video*!"
--
Hedley Finger
Training Content Developer and Tools Specialist
MYOB Australia Pty Ltd <http://myob.com/au>
P.O. box 371   Blackburn VIC 3130   Australia
12 Wesley Court   Tally Ho Business Park   East Burwood VIC 3151
Australia
<mailto:hedleyDOTfingerATmyobDOTcom>
Tel. +61 3 9222 9992 x 7421,   Mob. (cell) +61 412 461 558

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