HEY!!!!! I am still alive.....

[jmn13]

So I decided that since I dont talk to all of you guys much anymore...maybe I will post a little more to let you know how things are going because I read your entries every week! Any objections, let me know

Comments

[basicallybeej]

glad to hear you're still alive! sounds like you've got a busy life! it sounds like it's going well which is great!...what is a perfusionist? also..."pumping your own cases?" i was curious about this too... i may just be stupid... or its the jargon i don't understand! hope to read an update on you soon!

[jmn13]

You are not stupid...most people have no idea what a perfusionist is...heck, I didnt know until a few years ago. During cardiac surgery, there are times when a surgeon needs the heart to be empty (meaning no blood circulating through it) so they can operate. They do this by using the Heart and Lung Machine, which is run by a person (i.e. the Perfusionist). The blood returned to the heart from the body is drained to a reservoir in our machine, which then goes to a pump (acts as the heart), then an oxygenator (functions as the lungs) to go from venous blood to arterial blood, and then the blood is returned to the patient in the ascending aorta, where it is returned to the body. This way the heart is empty and can remain still during surgery and the machine functions for the heart and lungs. When I said I was "pumping my own cases", I meant I started running the machine myself instead of observing the other perfusionists. It is quite a rush...hope that helped explain things :)

[basicallybeej]

that is very cool! how exciting!... that sounds very cool. you are totally keeping that person/those people alive and that is awesome! thank you for explaining! i'm glad to learn something new! =]

[starrdancer418]

i love you jordi.
am super jealous of your new york ways.
and i completely understand about clinicals ... and pharmacology.

how did the exam go?

♥