Practical Session 1 - Group 3

We have devoted part of the 4-hour session to explaining in more detail what we expect from you in the team work (which is mandatory) as well in the individual essay (which is optional) of our subject.

"Something the Lord Made"

The movie "Something the Lord Made" traces the work of Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas in the 1930s at Vanderbilt University and their subsequent move in the 1940s to Johns Hopkins where together with Helen Taussig they carried out pioneering work in establishing a surgical treatment for Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a congenital heart malformation also known as Blue Baby Syndrome (to see the main features of Fallot's tetralogy, please, refer to the Keys of the Practical Session in the post corresponding to Group 2). The dramatization of the lifelong partnership between Blalock and Thomas allows to get insight into the way in which research and experimental approaches are used to tackle clinical challenges.

Surgical treatment of Tetralogy of Fallot

Due to the progressive improvement in cardiovascular surgery taken place over the past decades, the "Blalock-Taussig shunt" procedure is no longer used nowadays for the surgical repair of TOF. 
 

The following video shows the preparations for surgery and explains the surgical repairs that are performed today to treat this congenital heart malformation. 

"Well done"

Your are encouraged to actively participate during the practical sessions as well as during the lectures. Those of you that have replied to the questions formulated, shared their opinions and contributed to discussions by explaining their views and perspectives in a reasoned and constructive way have already started to score positively. Well done!!! Continue like this!!! We look forward for the rest to also join the vivid discussions!