Medical Assistant Accidentally Cuts Heart Surgeon During Surgery, Who Leaves Abruptly, Dodges The Bullet When He Returns Minutes Later
There are a small handful of scenarios where people’s whole life flashes before their eyes. Though, nobody expects it to happen after accidentally injuring a surgeon who’s performing open heart surgery and who then leaves the operating room without any instructions whatsoever.
Now, sure, this sounds more like career auto-unaliving, but it might as well apply to life too because of how much shame and fear the unintentionally bloodthirsty medical assistant had to endure in those long few minutes until, luckily, the surgeon returned.
More Info: Reddit
While many MDs do have a phenomenal sense of humor, it goes without saying that messing with them, intentionally or not, is not a good idea
Image credits: jesse orrico (not the actual photo)
One surgical assistant recently shared how they made an oof during surgery by accidentally clamping the surgeon’s hand. Hard. Really hard
Image credits: u/RNsRTheCoolest
When the surgeon left without saying a word, everyone felt the sense of impending doom, but the doc returned after a few minutes and saved the day
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Surgical Assistant u/RnsRTheCoolest recently shared a very, very, very big screw-up they had during work in the r/TIFU subreddit, a place for people to share their screw-up stories without censorship.
The story goes that OP typically works with a number of different surgeons, one of whom is a world-class surgeon, an old-timer, calm and collected type of guy. OP would work with the doc every once in a while and all was well.
Until now, that is.
OP was helping said surgeon out in the OR when he was hands-deep in open-heart surgery. The surgical assistant had to do some hemostat clamping action, a routine and imprecise maneuver, to seal the deal (or some surgical deal). However, that didn’t really go well as the hand-eye coordinatory trajectory was set and as OP was executing their plan of action, the surgeon moved his hands in an unexpected way. And this in turn led to an accident.
In particular, the clamp OP was holding sunk into the surgeon’s pinky knuckle, immediately prompting blood. He lurched back, screaming in pain, and exclaiming the only bit of dialogue throughout the entire story: “Now why the [froop] did you do that for?!?” And then he stormed out of the operating room.
OP and everyone else involved were speechless, standing silently (“The entire room was pindrop quiet.”), not knowing what to do without a surgeon, all the while the patient’s chest was very much still open. Several very long and very nerve-racking minutes pass by when there are finally signs of movement in the other room. Yes, the surgeon resolved his bleeding knuckle problem, rescrubbed, and came back to finish the job. Very furious, but it was still a relief for everyone else.
The remainder of the operation was very, very quiet. And not the I’m hunting wabbits quiet, but dead serious quiet. OP did apologize profusely once it was all over, though there is no mention of how the surgeon reacted then and there. The two did continue to work on other surgeries together.
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
The Reddit community was very supportive. Many pointed out that it’s human to make mistakes, and even more so if it was an unexpected movement from the surgeon. At the end of the day, it wasn’t a massive gash, but rather a rip in the skin that was still problematic in an OR setting—contamination and all—but the OR has seen way worse.
Others were in a more joke-y mood, pointing out how they are scheduled to undergo surgery and reading this is anything but reassuring. Yet others were, for a very slight second, confused about the title of the post, as it led them to believe that it was the patient who clamped the surgeon. Would have definitely been an interesting story to tell at a friends’ get-together.
The post garnered nearly 20,000 upvotes (with a 93% positivity ratio), generated a discussion with over 1,100 comments and even got a handful of Reddit awards. You can read the entire post in its context on Reddit here.
Image credits: Vidal Balielo Jr. (not the actual photo)
And now, to fuel your nightmares, here are some stats during surgeries. A few years ago, this one study studied incidents in the OR, specifically when spine surgery was being done. Of the 415 total surgeries, 172 of them were problematic (that’s 41%). The primary hiccups on the job were medication-related, line and tube problems, and falls and slips. This might seem relatively minor, but complications always have a non-zero chance of happening and that can lead to anything from ulnar nerve palsy to tooth damage.
And that’s just scratching the surface, as accidents during surgery can have long-lasting effects. Victims of medical accidents in this study elaborated that, even a year after, many of them felt more distressed than those who had serious accidents or experienced bereavement. They also pointed out that they measure their pain levels, even a year after surgery, at the level of untreated post-op pain. We won’t go into the whole psychological adjustment that they had to go through, noting that they were extremely under-informed and felt a lack of empathy for the situation from the medical staff.
But medicine is always on the move forward with new medication and treatments coming out all the time, technology taking over parts of if not most of many procedures, and the level of education and skill training among medical doctors only going up from here. So, don’t worry. You’ll be fine. Hopefully.
With all of that said and done, we’d love to hear your thoughts on anything and everything you’ve read here today in the comment section below!
After reading the intense story, folks expressed their support, all the while joking about the whole situation a bit
I mean, OP said the tool was contaminated with the surgeons blood, so it clearly tore the glove and cut the skin. So the surgeon was absolutely correct in leaving if only to rescrub and put a fresh pair of gloves on but probably to throw a bandaid on too. That seems like common sense in this kind of situation, imo. Surgeon's don't want to bleed all over their patients, I would assume.
I am having a hard time buying this story. It is pretty accurate, but there are some medical inconsistencies that are making me question it's validity. First t, hemostats are not sharp, and although claiming them on someone's finger would be painful, them actually lacerating the tissue would be really hard. Second, surgical assistants aka scrub tech's would not be clamping anything, or doing anything to the patient. Their job is to hand instruments to the surgeons, and help maintain a sterile field. The surgeons that were assisting the surgery would be the ones doing the claiming and assisting. Third, if he was truly bleeding like described, then he and the patient were exposed to each other's blood, causing this to be considered a major incident, and both the surgeon and Dr would have to have their blood drawn for months. It just isn't adding up.
It's possible they were using hemostats to prep suture material to hand off to the surgeon. and Yes, scrub techs absolutely do get into to the surgical field. I have been asked to hold retractors or assist in positioning. Some of the older ones are asked to clamp depending on what. We work under the surgeon and do what they ask us. Some surgeons even have their scrub techs bovie at times. Everyone in the OR wears 2 sets of gloves. Its entirely possible that the inner glove was not compromised.
Load More Replies... Story time! When I was in third year apprenticeship to become a nurse in Germany I've spent a long time in the OR. I was good at doing these things, as well. So after two weeks the surgeon and the nurses kind of forced me (with good intentions for my knowledge etc) to assist while replacing a knee with prosthetics. Went fine, next one also.. Gets kind of repetitive. When surgeon asked for new scalpel I was already there. BUT right in the very movement of opening the sterile packaging of the new blade for the scalpel I've recognized that it pinched my finger and I yelled it out loud as fast as possible (just as I was taught) and simultaneously pulling away the package with the blade. Dumb s**t is, that the surgeon didn't seem to care or notice or whatever and he grabbed after the blade while I was pulling it already back. As it pinched me, I became unsterile immediately. Meaning the surgeon that grabbed after the blade and me also became unsterile. It didn't even take him a millisecond to get furious like the Hulk anf Grinch were his parents and threw the scheiß verdammte Scissors at me! I can not remember of they actually hit me or not, I wasn't hurt at all. But we all seriously thought for a moment that he will go on a killing spree. My trainers complimented me and reassured me that I acted 100% professional and it was solely his fault. Well I cried though lol. You want to know the funniest thing about that situation? His name. His name could literally be translate to "Meat-Man". Just googled him. That happened in end of 2009/beginning of 2010 (can't remember exactly). He was 35 at that time and I alway assumed he was in his late 40ies. Maybe that was what made him so mad lol. But after exchanging with other student nurses it came clear to me that he's a straight a*****e - in surgery and with his patients and nurses and generally everyone other than his kids.
Oh, I heard the legend of a surgeon who got mad at a tech and threw a scalpel at their head. The tech moved and it soundly thwacked into the wall behind them. You could still see the mark on the wall even though it had been painted over! I also had a Neurosurgeon using tubes (These allow easier access to vertebra with a smaller incision/ wound so healing is faster) on a spinal surgery nick the dura (the outer layer protecting the spinal cord) and have to transition to an open surgery. We had all of the equipment but needed 1 min to swap out tables. He had the audacity to try and blame us for him nicking the dura. Some surgeons are just jerks.
Load More Replies... I mean, OP said the tool was contaminated with the surgeons blood, so it clearly tore the glove and cut the skin. So the surgeon was absolutely correct in leaving if only to rescrub and put a fresh pair of gloves on but probably to throw a bandaid on too. That seems like common sense in this kind of situation, imo. Surgeon's don't want to bleed all over their patients, I would assume.
I am having a hard time buying this story. It is pretty accurate, but there are some medical inconsistencies that are making me question it's validity. First t, hemostats are not sharp, and although claiming them on someone's finger would be painful, them actually lacerating the tissue would be really hard. Second, surgical assistants aka scrub tech's would not be clamping anything, or doing anything to the patient. Their job is to hand instruments to the surgeons, and help maintain a sterile field. The surgeons that were assisting the surgery would be the ones doing the claiming and assisting. Third, if he was truly bleeding like described, then he and the patient were exposed to each other's blood, causing this to be considered a major incident, and both the surgeon and Dr would have to have their blood drawn for months. It just isn't adding up.
It's possible they were using hemostats to prep suture material to hand off to the surgeon. and Yes, scrub techs absolutely do get into to the surgical field. I have been asked to hold retractors or assist in positioning. Some of the older ones are asked to clamp depending on what. We work under the surgeon and do what they ask us. Some surgeons even have their scrub techs bovie at times. Everyone in the OR wears 2 sets of gloves. Its entirely possible that the inner glove was not compromised.
Load More Replies... Story time! When I was in third year apprenticeship to become a nurse in Germany I've spent a long time in the OR. I was good at doing these things, as well. So after two weeks the surgeon and the nurses kind of forced me (with good intentions for my knowledge etc) to assist while replacing a knee with prosthetics. Went fine, next one also.. Gets kind of repetitive. When surgeon asked for new scalpel I was already there. BUT right in the very movement of opening the sterile packaging of the new blade for the scalpel I've recognized that it pinched my finger and I yelled it out loud as fast as possible (just as I was taught) and simultaneously pulling away the package with the blade. Dumb s**t is, that the surgeon didn't seem to care or notice or whatever and he grabbed after the blade while I was pulling it already back. As it pinched me, I became unsterile immediately. Meaning the surgeon that grabbed after the blade and me also became unsterile. It didn't even take him a millisecond to get furious like the Hulk anf Grinch were his parents and threw the scheiß verdammte Scissors at me! I can not remember of they actually hit me or not, I wasn't hurt at all. But we all seriously thought for a moment that he will go on a killing spree. My trainers complimented me and reassured me that I acted 100% professional and it was solely his fault. Well I cried though lol. You want to know the funniest thing about that situation? His name. His name could literally be translate to "Meat-Man". Just googled him. That happened in end of 2009/beginning of 2010 (can't remember exactly). He was 35 at that time and I alway assumed he was in his late 40ies. Maybe that was what made him so mad lol. But after exchanging with other student nurses it came clear to me that he's a straight a*****e - in surgery and with his patients and nurses and generally everyone other than his kids.
Oh, I heard the legend of a surgeon who got mad at a tech and threw a scalpel at their head. The tech moved and it soundly thwacked into the wall behind them. You could still see the mark on the wall even though it had been painted over! I also had a Neurosurgeon using tubes (These allow easier access to vertebra with a smaller incision/ wound so healing is faster) on a spinal surgery nick the dura (the outer layer protecting the spinal cord) and have to transition to an open surgery. We had all of the equipment but needed 1 min to swap out tables. He had the audacity to try and blame us for him nicking the dura. Some surgeons are just jerks.
Load More Replies...
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