Doctors at Houston’s Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital have made medical and social media history by live-tweeting an open-heart surgery for the first time.
Yes, you read that correctly.
On Tuesday, Dr. Michael Macris performed a double-coronary artery bypass on a 57-year-old patient. Dr. Macris’ colleague, Dr. Paresh Patel, provided 140-character updates throughout the procedure and answered questions submitted by followers of the hospital’s @houstonhospital Twitter account.
Dr. Macris also wore a camera attached to his head, according to Texas Monthly, and Dr. Patel snapped additional photos.
The tweets, photos and video are all compiled in a Storify story created by the hospital. It’s embedded here below and very graphic — though you’ll be glad to know the patient made it through surgery.
The procedure and live-tweeting lasted about 2 hours. Dr. Patel provided updates on the type of surgery, what Dr. Macris was doing and why, and the duties and roles of other members of the surgery team. The hospital currently has just over 5,100 Twitter followers.
In one post, Dr. Patel called the live-tweeting “an educational look into a common double bypass #surgery.”
February is Hearth Month in the U.S. Heart Month is sponsored by the American Heart Association and intended to raise awareness of cardiovascular health and disease prevention. Houston’s NBC affilate reported that the hospital’s live-tweet event reached 225,000 viewers.
The Storify narrative created by the hospital is incredibly fascinating and educational. It’s also extremely graphic at times.
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