Doing some brain surgery this afternoon, but this morning we had a more routine spine case to do. I prefer brains because they are more interesting but also because spine cases often have to go prone i.e. face down, in order for the surgeon to access the backbone, which is a huge faff, and in addition, we get exposed to x ray radiation during the cases.
The portable X ray machines are called II, for image intensifier, I don’t know why. They are driven by specially trained radiographers, more correctly and expensively known as medical radiation technologists. They don’t stay for the entire case, but are called when needed, which usually leads to either the MRT sitting bored in the corner, with their phone constantly ringing, if we call them too early, or the rest of the theatre staff standing around getting agitated, if we’ve called them too late. Here is one of the machines we had in theatre this morning, hopefully without any sensitive patient details in the photo.
X-rays are bad for you in the long term as everyone knows, RIP Marie Curie. We all wear individual radiation monitors that get sent off to a lab somewhere every three months to make sure we’re not getting above a safe level of rays blasted at us. I got a high reading once which I had hoped would lead to a recommendation of taking some enforced time off work, but alas, all I got was a suggestion to take more care in future.
In addition, everyone in theatre has to wear a lead gown during cases when II is in use. When I first started in theatres these were very heavy one piece garments, but the newer ones are generally two piece with a thyroid guard, and much lighter. The private hospital has just bought a batch of brand new gowns for their new theatres, and very colourful they are too. The best patterns had been snaffled by the early bird nurses before I arrived this morning, but I was still very pleased with the electric pink avocado motif I ended up with.
The one gown that is nobody’s favourite, and is always left till last, is the one with the 80’s retro pattern.
I’m getting nasty flashbacks of shoulder pads, big hair, leg warmers, and jazzercise just looking at it.