Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

Content 

What is the most effective treatment for a patient suffering from Coronary Artery Disease?

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Undergo an Angioplasty procedure by placing a stent in the narrowed artery to widen it

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1. Short term procedure in the sense that it can be done immediately unlike dieting and exercising (which could take months). An angioplasty procedure takes 1-2 hours and is painless because the patient is given a sedative.
2. Effective because it pushes the plaque away and widens the lumen of the artery with a balloon. Opposite of atherosclerosis which narrows the artery because of plaque.
3. Not open-heart surgery. The procedure is also not even surgery. It's a tube going through blood vessels all the way to the heart. No need to cut bones.

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1. Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty: How Important is Stand-By Surgery?
2. Angioplasty Versus Bypass Surgery for Coronary Artery Disease
3. Laparoscopic nephrectomy, ex vivo angioplasty, and renal autotransplant for a renal artery aneurysm: a case report.
4. Aortic Stenosis

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Undergoing an Angioplasty procedure to treat Coronary Artery disease is very effective because it is much faster than dieting, artificially reverses the process of atherosclerosis, and has less risks than open heart surgery.

Robotic Surgeries

Article Title: First in California: Using robotic assisted stenting
Info: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131220143033.htm

Wah, wah, wah! Cool, cool cool. Robots used for surgeries? Been at use for a while, but they used it for actual stenting. Well, I'm sure they've done it already, but this is the first time they've done it in California. A cardiology team at UC San Diego have been the first to use a surgical robot to place a stent in a patient with Coronary Artery Disease. The robot acts like an extra hand and holds the devices in place. Really helpful, saves money, and lowers the margin of error!

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours
For Independent Component 2, I plan to do more mentorship. I plan to meet with my mentor more often and since I have a clear topic (that I'm fond of), I can ask more focussed questions and research more in depth.


Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence
I will take pictures and plan to do (seldom) posts about articles of research that I found interesting.


Explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth
The more I talk to my mentor and the more I research gives me an appreciation of what I'm actually working on. Senior Project is more than a grade to me. With that mindset, the more I talk to my mentor and others, the better I'll understand my topic; so I'm able to teach other what I learned during my 2-hour presentation.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I'm most proud of the ability of my classmates to answer the questions from the Activity (What is LDL Cholesterol? What does it do to the body?) Their ability to answer the questions makes me hopeful that I explained my senior topic clearly.


What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation?
I'd give myself a P+. I understood and conveyed my research clearly. My activity went smoothly and was successful to the point that the audience were able to answer the questions. (Which if I can attest, is considerably complicated because the body is complex)


What worked for you in your Lesson 2?
The research and information part was surprisingly fun. While I was making the PowerPoint, I had to think of a way to convey the complicated process of atherosclerosis into layman's terms. This helps me understand it even better. What's better learning than teaching?


If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?
I would most definitely have liked to have thought of a better activity.While my case studies activity got the information across, actually doing something with your hands could be more engaging. That's what I've learned from the past two weeks and even last year's senior presentation; hand-on projects are much more fun and you appreciate it more!


What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

Very likely jumping from nutrition changes to surgical procedures such as angioplasty.

Independent Component 1

Literal

1. I, Alfonso Esquivel, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work
2. My mentor, Dr. Francisco Fuscaldo, equipment technicians, and nurses helped me complete Independent Component 1.
3. Independent Component Log 1
4. I spent most of my time at AEON Medical Supplies. My mentor goes there often to meet with the boss. That is when I usually talk to him. Other than that, I would interact with technicians and the equipment stored at the warehouse.If I had time I would research about the equipment and how it could tie into my senior topic and ultimately my Essential Question.

Interpretive

CPAP Machine

Oxygen Concentrators

Oxygen Tanks

Applied

1. My mentor showed me many medical supplies. One of the most prominent equipment that was referenced back to many times were oxygen tanks. While I wasn't directly learning about CAD, the constant reference for oxygen helped me understand my foundation better. Necrosis of heart tissues can undeniably occur during myocardial infarction. Even a few seconds of oxygen loss in your heart can permanently damage the tissues in the heart reinforcing the importance of oxygen.