Anna Hazelwood - Dr. Evelyn Horn - Week 2

The second week of immersion consisted of more clinic visits as well as an OR trip. This week I shadowed Dr. Karas, a cardiologist who works with Dr. Horn when she met with patients. Dr. Horn has done a great job at making an effort to pair me with physicians who see patients with genetic heart failure. This week I met with a particularly interesting patient with a Titin (TTN) mutation which I learned is the most common mutation to cause cardiomyopathy. Even though this patient was very active and healthy, they declined in heart health quickly, possibly due to an external malady that triggered it. However, with the proper medication, this patient has returned to normal health and lives a perfectly normal life, doing all of the things they previously were able to. From talking with Dr. Horn and Dr. Karas, I have learned that many patients with genetic mutations often live most of their life with no issues and then one unrelated illness causes them to have symptoms and worsening health.

I also spent some time in the OR this week watching a hysterectomy with India and Julia. This surgery was done using the Davinci robot, which I had never observed before. The surgeon operating the robot was located on the other end of the room and their voice was projected using a microphone into the main part of the room where the other surgeons and nurses were maintaining the patient. The surgery itself seemed relatively simple, and there were no complications. One of the residents walked us through the different parts of the uterus once it was removed, and it was very interesting to see the actual size of the organ and its components.

(photo from www.unitymedcenter.com)

Additionally, I completed my trainings required to be put on the Whole Genome Sequencing Cardiology study IRB and will hopefully begin my research project soon. The plan with Dr. Horn is that I will be correlating scarring patterns from cardiac MRI scans with genetic testing results from patients. The cardiology department strongly encourages their patients to get genetic testing done whenever they suspect a mutation may be involved. This allows the physician to have a more informed idea of the patient's condition for determining the best treatment courses and also informs the children or parents of the patient of their potential risks of developing cardiomyopathy. Knowing early that a child has a mutation will enable them to get testing done throughout their life and to know the warning signs of heart failure before it is too late.

Over all, this week has been great for learning more about how genetic heart conditions are treated and how they often present in patients. After learning of the different treatments and surveillance procedures these patients undergo yearly and sometimes monthly to ensure their heart conditions don't worsen, there is even more motivation for me to aid in finding more sustainable treatment options or cures. I am excited for this upcoming week where I plan to see some cardiac cath lab procedures and shadow some other doctor's clinics.

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