The day before
Ready for live surgery tomorrow in Kathmandu, Nepal. Wu Kang looks worried that I am not going to wait until tomorrow to start operating.
What live surgery means at a surgical course
Live surgery is a teaching format in which an operation is carried out in a real theatre on a real patient, with the camera view and the theatre view relayed to the lecture room so that the audience can follow it as it happens. A surgeon in the lecture room usually narrates, and delegates can ask questions during the case, which is the part that makes the format worth the effort. Watching an edited video shows what was done. Watching a case live, and being able to ask why a particular step was taken at that moment, shows how the decisions were made.
The patient's interests come first throughout. Cases for live surgery are selected and consented in the ordinary way by the local treating team, the operation is the one that patient needed regardless of the course, and the teaching is arranged around the surgery rather than the other way round. Individual results vary.
Why the day before matters
Arthroscopic shoulder surgery depends on a long chain of equipment: the camera and light source, the fluid pump, the shaver and radiofrequency instruments, the anchors and sutures, and the positioning equipment that holds the arm where it needs to be. Operating in an unfamiliar theatre means checking that chain before the day, confirming which implants and instruments are available, and going through the plan with a theatre team who have not worked with you before. Much of the day before a live case is spent on exactly that, which is why the photograph was taken standing around rather than operating.
Related information
- Our post on the B&B Shoulder Arthroscopy Course in Kathmandu.
- Our post on the international faculty.
- The shoulder surgery page explains the procedures taught on courses of this kind.
- The shoulder fellowship page covers the training programme.