Surgery Live!
Watch professionals perform surgical procedures. In real life. In real-time.
Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts and UPMC have created an innovative field trip designed to stimulate the interest of high school students for careers in healthcare.
With the support of UPMC Pinnacle Foundation, Surgery Live! at Whitaker Center connects students to the operating room through interactive high-definition video conferencing technology.
In the first part of the program, a facilitator guides the students’ discussion with operating room staff, demonstrates surgical instruments used in the operation, and explains factors that cause disease and contribute to conditions that place patients on the operating table.
Next, the program then transitions live to the operating room where students see and hear the surgical teams. The surgeon explains each step of the procedures and the students can ask questions during the program. No experience compares to this interactive, live program!
Surgery Live! is also offered virtually!
Teachers can choose to have this field trip in person at the Select Digital Cinema or as a virtual experience in their classrooms. Upon registration, you will be asked if you plan to travel to Whitaker Center’s Select Medical Digital Cinema or take advantage of this exciting program from your classroom through webinar software. Both options will provide all the components of the Surgery Live! Experience
Surgery Details
All showings begin at 9:00 a.m.
Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy (or BSO with hysterectomy)
This surgery includes the removal of the patient’s uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, part of the vagina, and lymph nodes. Doctors usually perform this surgery to remove cancer in the pelvic area.
Dates Offered for BSO with Hysterectomy: Jan. 20, May 19
Colectomy
A colectomy is surgery to remove part or all of the large intestine, or colon. This treatment is done for patients with colon cancer, diverticulitis, or inflammatory bowel disease.
Dates Offered for Colectomy: Dec. 4, Feb. 5, March 5, April 16
Gallbladder Removal (Cholecystectomy)
A cholecystectomy is surgery to take out the gallbladder. This small, pear-shaped organ in the upper right part of the belly stores bile, a fluid your liver makes to digest fat. After eating, the gallbladder releases bile through the common bile duct and into the small intestine, but the gallbladder exit duct can get blocked, infected, or inflamed. When this happens, the gallbladder may not work as well or may stop working.
Dates Offered for Gallbladder Removal: Dec. 11, April 2
Gastric Sleeve (Bariatric)
Gastric sleeve surgery removes approximately 85 percent of the stomach and re-shapes the remaining portion into a tube or sleeve. The result is a much smaller stomach which leaves the patient feeling less hungry and limits the amount of food they consume.
Dates Offered for Gastric Sleeve: Nov. 11, Jan. 27
Hernia
A hernia is a common problem in which an organ or other tissue pushes through muscle or connective tissue. It often leads to an out-of-place lump that can be seen or felt.
In this minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon pushes in the herniated tissue and uses surgical mesh to strengthen the muscle.
Dates Offered for Hernia: Feb. 25, March 25, May 27 Dates Offered for Inguinal Hernia: Feb. 17, May 14
Hysterectomy, Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopy
A hysterectomy is a surgery to remove a woman’s uterus and possibly other organs such as the ovaries. After a hysterectomy, a woman cannot get their period or get pregnant. Doctors perform hysterectomies to treat health issues like endometriosis and fibroids.
Dates Offered for Hysterectomy: Nov. 5, Jan. 8, March 11, April 9, May 5, June 4
Prostatectomy/ Urology surgery
This minimally invasive technique uses a robotic system to remove the prostate. Benefits of this type of surgery, primarily used to treat prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), include less pain and blood loss, a shorter hospital stay, and a faster recovery time.
Dates Offered for Prostatectomy: Jan. 13, April 23
Watchman with Cardiologic Mapping
The Watchman is an FDA-approved device that lowers the risk of stroke in people with AFIB who are unable to take blood-thinning drugs.
The Watchman device is implanted in the heart during a minimally invasive, one-hour procedure through a small incision in the leg. Most patients can return to everyday activities the next day.
Cardiologists use a real-time 3D map to pinpoint the exact source of heart rhythm abnormalities (arrhythmias) to guide treatments.
Dates Offered for Watchman: Feb. 11, April 29
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