Observing other surgeons

ByUday Devgan, MD

Visiting colleagues in surgery in Shreveport, La.

One of the best ways to fine-tune your surgical skills is to observe other surgeons operating. In my travels, I often get to visit surgeons in their element, and invariably, I learn a lot.

I had the opportunity to visit Christopher Shelby, MD, and David Bryan, MD, in Shreveport, La., to watch cataract surgeries performed by Dr. Shelby. The mark of an excellent surgeon is elegance with no wasted movements, resulting in a procedure that looks effortless and smooth. Dr. Shelby is an excellent surgeon, and he also has the ability to keep the patient relaxed and to entertain the visiting doctors while operating — he would be a natural for live surgery events at the major meetings.

Having done multiple of these live surgery events, I can tell you that it is a true challenge: You must do a beautiful surgery while interacting with the audience and moderator through one ear piece while the video director gives positioning instructions in the other ear piece. And the patient's best interest must be kept in mind, and you may have to operate at an odd angle or position in order to accommodate the multiple camera angles. And remember that there are a thousand of your colleagues critiquing your every move.

While I came to watch the surgical techniques, I learned more by observing the bedside manner of the surgeons and the staff members. During the surgeries, everyone was very warm and welcoming to the patients, resulting in a naturally calm mood. At the end of every surgery, Dr. Shelby caressed the patient's forehead, leaned toward the patient, and said that everything went well and that visual recovery would be excellent. The patients certainly benefit from the high level of care provided, but the LSU residents who rotate through this operating room may be the biggest beneficiaries. They have excellent role models in Dr. Bryan and Dr. Shelby, from whom they learn the latest techniques as well as the subtleties of bedside manner. On this date, Wyche Coleman, MD, and Laura Mendiola, MD, were the senior residents from LSU who will soon be in private practice, where they'll deliver the same high level of care that they learned.