Laser

Playing with Moby a bit last night, and wrapped the ribbon around him, and in a moment of silliness, tied a bow. This seemed not to bother him at all, and he walked off to have a nibble. More that I was taking photos. It was still on when we went to bed. Well, he never got fussed about collars either. He presumably removed it sometime during the night for bath taking, which wouldn't have been difficult, it was very loose on him.


Today, a rope.

Fridays are just too long to manage posts, nonetheless ten things. Maybe seven things Saturdays. Scrubbed in on hip arthroscopies, simple stuff, but a lot of standing. D made chili for dinner, for which I am very grateful.

So, as I stood there, I thought of the surgery gadgets, most of which make a good sound, starting with clasps.

1. There is a kind of double clasp used on a lot of instrument cases, and all the sterilization pans. I pop the plastic arrow tab as I release the lower clasp, pull it up, and release the upper part to remove the lid. There is a particular feel and sound to it, and I know immediately if it wasn't sealed properly in the first place, or if the tabs are missing - without looking. Lots of variations on this double seal from the various suppliers. Reminds me of the adjustable metal clasps on my brothers' hand-me-down galoshes when I was small.


2. Clamps. Most of the instruments are clamps, and most of those are ratcheted. Clamping one of these on a towel, unclamping, clamping, unclampi... well, it's a great fidget. Oh, and very useful. Loading a needle onto a carbide coated needle driver is a skill all by itself. Putting it in the right place at the correct angle and direction for a left or right handed surgeon. Not difficult, but it does need to be actually learned.

This photo shows a proper shaped needle, but the driver is smooth - no carbide grip, only occasionally used in plastics. Which would be right, since there is no swedged on suture, but an eye, and only in plastics do we ever thread a needle with an eye. The direction is for a right handed user, but the grip needs to be closer to the back, and the angle needs to be up and out, not flat as shown.


3. Staplers. To close skin, or seal the gut after having to take a bad bit out. Really amazing variations engineered by people who can flex space in their head the way I can't. But my favorite is the LDS stapler, because it has a CO2 canister to power it, and it makes the most wonderfully satisfying ssshhhthunkgsss.

There is an inservice video here, skip to 55 seconds in to hear it, instead of going through the whole thing and fall asleep instantly of the utter boredom of it. Above all, don't buy anything.

4. Nerve stimulators. These are little, electrical, pen like objects used when doing repairs on hand injuries (mostly under the microscope) to isolate or locate a nerve. Always interesting to see enervation in action. Useful in a scrub's hands as a threat to cranky surgeons.

5. Laser pointers. Lasers have not proved as useful in surgery as anticipated, or still widely believed by the general public, with the exception of eyes and a few tumor specialties. But when a rep is directing a scrub on a new and/or very complicated instrument/hardware set, a laser pointer is a sterile way to say "this" doohickey and "that" thingmabob. IF they use it correctly, and don't just wave it around. Also good in other settings as a cat toy.

I've suggested a "bring your pet to work" day, but for some reason, no one has taken me up on it. The dogs would just lie under the tables, and lick the floor. Cats would jump up on the sterile field and take a nap... oh, wait, that could be a problem.

I had seven yesterday, but since the list was on the field, I could not bring it home. And I just can't remember the other two, so they couldn't have been very good gadgets.