Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City

Alexandra Adler

Resident in Anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital

PGY-4

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City 

As my first week in the OR’s at Children’s Hospital Number Two comes to an end, I’ve taken a few moments to reflect.

The OR’s at CHN2 are incredibly busy and yet one of the things that has surprised me the most is the attention to cleanliness within the operating rooms. My first day, I changed shoes each time I moved to a new area of the hospital (between outside the hospital, the clinic and meeting rooms, and the OR’s). Every healthcare worker I saw took the time to do this. I noticed that families also removed their outdoor shoes before entering the hospital. And indeed, studies continue to suggest that wearing shoes from outside the OR may contribute to infection (Clesham K, et al. J Hosp Infect. 2018).

This week, we focused on thoracic anesthesia. At CHN2, they are working to increase the thoracic volume and together with the residents and staffs, we participated in the anesthesia for three very challenging cases on young children with congenital lung malformations. One area we focused on was using a fiberoptic bronchoscope to guide the insertion of endotracheal tubes. This is particularly important in thoracic surgery as surgical conditions can be improved by individually ventilating one lung or the other. Although tubes can be inserted blindly and placement can be confirmed by auscultating the lungs, checking tube placement using a fiberoptic scope to visualize the bronchi can improve placement and also assist when placement is difficult.

In the afternoon, we had case discussions and I had the opportunity to learn along with anesthesia residents from Ho Chi Minh City. I’m looking forward to what next week holds!