Internship Experience: Laparoscopic Surgery

Written by Nidhi Kulkarni

This summer, my experiences in the medical field expanded on another level as I took up an internship at the DHI (Digestive Health Institution). At DHI, I have networked with students who have versatile experiences in this field. From high school students to physicians, this institute has helped me learn about the infinite opportunities that medicine, and STEM in general, provide. Surgeons and physicians who work there have given us lectures about the procedures they perform on patients with digestive health issues.

Specifically, they talked about performing laparoscopic surgery, which is a minimally invasive procedure used to examine organs in the abdomen. This surgery uses a lined tube with a video camera attached to one end, and is usually done through the means of robotic equipment.

An example of where this robotic procedure would be used is to repair a hiatal hernia. A hiatal hernia is a condition in which a part of the stomach bulges into the chest cavity. The part of the esophagus connected to the stomach slides up into the chest and then slides down, and in some rare cases, the upper part of the stomach slides up with the esophagus. Surgeons create 5-10mm incisions in the abdominal wall and insert tubes to provide access for surgical equipment. Then, a laparoscope is inserted through one of the tubes to provide a magnified view of the abdomen. As the surgery proceeds, the surgeon pulls the herniated stomach back into its proper position and places sutures around the hiatus to make the opening smaller. For patients also suffering from acid reflux, a Nissen fundoplication is performed, where the surgeon wraps the stomach around the lower sphincter of the esophagus. This creates a valve mechanism that prevents acid reflux.

DHI has significantly enhanced my understanding of laparoscopic surgical procedures by providing extensive video footage of surgeries, allowing me to edit and focus on the most crucial segments. DHI offers not only video editing but also countless opportunities to shadow surgeons in the OR. Overall, my experience at DHI has been eye-opening to the numerous different opportunities STEM has to offer.

Written by Nidhi Kulkarni from MEDILOQUY