The first week of my immersion experience has been an exciting introduction to the field of vascular and endovascular surgery. Despite having no previous contact, my clinical mentor, Dr. Schneider, provided me the opportunity to delve into the field. He patiently introduced the concept of minimally invasive treatment of vascular disorders in which I had essentially no background. After introducing me to the vascular surgery team, I was afforded the opportunity to shadow the vascular team in the OR, observing a variety of vascular and endovascular procedures.
My experience in the OR began with the repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm with a fenestrated graft. Even with the introduction from Dr. Schneider, I was blown away by the ability of the surgeons to accomplish this complicated repair via small incisions near the hip and x-ray feed of the procedure. As the week progressed, I observed a variety of surgeries in the OR, ranging from revision surgeries to address leaky stents to an amputation below the knee. Each experience has reinforced and enriched my understanding of vascular surgery and I look forward to observing more surgeries.
Dr. Schneider’s clinical research interests are centered on the design and development of endovascular devices for repair of complex vascular morphologies such as branching points in the aorta. Relevant to these interests, Dr. Schneider discussed a possible research project regarding investigation of vessel mobility after repair of branches of the aorta (i.e. renal arteries) with fenestrated vs. branched stents or flexible vs. rigid stents. Although the idea is preliminary, the project could help inform surgeons who must balance various factors into implementing a strategy for complex vascular repair.
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