Kentucky Students To Watch Live Surgery

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 03/18/09

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Science class is taking on a new twist for some Kentucky high school students. Students from 20 high schools as well as community colleges will have the chance to watch a live surgery being performed at the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital via teleconferencing technology March 18.

"We want to excite young people who wish to pursue health careers by using technology to bring them into the operating room so they can witness a live surgery, and interact with the surgeon during the procedure," said Rob Sprang, director of U Kentucky's Kentucky TeleCare program.

The doctor in charge of the surgery, Scott Roth, an associate professor of surgery and director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery program in the university's College of Medicine, has chosen a case that will take about an hour. He will perform a minimally invasive, or "keyhole" surgery, using an endoscope (a lighted tube with a magnifying camera, inserted through small incisions). This type of surgery now accounts for a significant percent of all operations, ranging from gall bladder surgery (the most common) to heart bypasses. This process reduces the risk of infection and is better tolerated by patients. The students will be addressed by Roth and will be able to see and hear what he's doing during the procedure.

"This is an opportunity for students from different parts of the state to interact with each other on a similar interest," said Carlos Marin, health careers coordinator, at U Kentucky's Area Health Education Center.