Week 2

Summer immersion week two began with a project assigned to me by Dr. Tewari. Like I mentioned last week, my mentor carries out outcomes research for patients that underwent robotic prostatectomy, which involves asking patients about sexual function recovery, urinary continence, and PSA levels. Total reconstruction with preservation of the puboprostatic musculoligamentous complex and preservation of the striated sphincter has been employed to curtail urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy. The outcomes research is to statistically determine how long it takes for patients to attain proper urinary function (continence rate).
Also, in my second week I had flu and my access to the operation room was limited. I spent most of my time on the project assigned to me by Dr. Tewari, and I worked on preparing three prostate cancer related articles in the European Journal of Urology for the journal club. I was exposed to the surgical pathology laboratory, where excised prostate and other tissues are sent from the OR. It takes about 20 minutes for tissues sent from the OR to get to the pathology labs, where they are inked and studied. As I mentioned in my last blog, it was fascinating to know that clinicians utilize multiphoton microscopy. Upon visiting surgical pathology, we obtained sample from a just concluded prostatectomy and proceeded to the multiphoton microscopy core facility for observation.Week 2 ended with a phone call to the occupational health safety (OHS) about my flu, and I was directed to stay away from the office and take lots of fluid/electrolyte. I look forward to Week 3 [my mentor is on vacation] as I plan to discover what goes on in other OR outside urology.