Carlos Haderspock

Assisting transplant surgeons in Austria

Carlos Haderspock had always thought about becoming a doctor. After an eight-week internship in Graz, Austria, where he assisted a team of transplant surgeons, he was certain of it.

Haderspock, 27, a junior biology major in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, spent last summer working at Landeskrankenhaus(LKH) hospital under the direction of Philipp Stiegler, M.D., an Austrian transplant surgeon.  The hands-on internship, one of the first of its kind for an NSU undergraduate student, was developed and coordinated by Mark Jaffe, D.P.M., an assistant professor in the college's Division of Math, Science, and Technology.

“Some of the procedures [Haderspock] was doing, even second-year medical students don’t get a chance to do,” Jaffe said. Before leaving for Austria, Haderspock completed the training program required of NSU researchers working with human subjects. “I made sure he was prepared and understood what was expected of him in terms of maintaining a lab manual and continuing his primary research focus.”

On his first week on the job, Haderspock followed the transplant team on an emergency call when donor organs became available from a young man killed in an accident. Timing was of critical importance, and the team jumped into an ambulance to make the four-hour trip. There, Haderspock assisted surgeons in removing vital organs donated by the family of the 25-year-old man. Following the six-hour procedure, the organs were flown by helicopter to the hospital in Graz for the benefit of waiting transplant patients.

“It motivated me more to want to become a doctor,” said Haderspock, whose goal is to become a doctor specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Since returning to the U.S., Haderspock is continuing his research under Jaffe’s supervision as part of an independent study course, BIOL4990. That research includes a comparison of university clinics here and in Austria.

Q: Describe some of the work you did with the transplant team.

A:  I was making rounds for about 20 pre-transplant and post-transplant patients. I was taking blood samples. I’d put in an intravenous drip for medication if they needed it. Dr. Stiegler, the medical transplant team, and I would discuss lab results and whether to increase or decrease a patient’s medication. If surgery was needed, I would assist the doctor. They also taught us how to [safely] treat patients with infectious viral diseases, including patients with Hepatitis C and AIDS. I was doing pretty much what everyone does during clinical rounds in their resident year.

Q: How many surgeries did you participate in?

A:   I participated in one heart transplant, three kidney transplants, and one liver transplant. Besides those, I participated in an open-heart surgery, eight pacemaker surgeries, two ICD [implantable cardioverter defibrillator] surgeries, and two plastic surgeries, including a skin grafting and a reconstructive surgery. During transplant surgery, I assisted a minimum of three surgeons plus a chief nurse. When performing ICD surgeries or pacemaker surgery, the team consisted of a chief nurse, assistant nurse, a surgeon, and me. 

Q:  You assisted surgeons in what you call an “explantation,” where the organs were removed from the body of a 25-year-old donor. This was your first stint in the operating room and your first week on the job. Describe what that was like.

A:  Each team assisted with different organs. Our team assisted in the removal of the liver, one kidney, a piece of the aorta, and the femoris vein [in the thigh]. I was actually putting my hands inside the body, lifting up the organs or the intestines and moving them to the side to make sure that the surgeon didn’t cut something he wasn’t supposed to cut. I also assisted in the suturing and suction. Also, I was constantly putting ice inside the body to keep the body temperature cold. I was there for the entire six-hour surgery with no break. It’s a very messy procedure: the blood, the smell, the liquids. It was quite shocking.

Q:  How did this internship affect your decision to pursue a career in medicine?

A:  It strengthened my will power to become a doctor. Until you see what they go through―not just the surgeries, but the hours that they work, the pain they feel if the patient dies―you can’t really say if you’re going to like this profession. Until you really stand in that world, you don’t have a sense of what it means to be a doctor. This helped me see what the real work is like and whether I would like it. You learn if you have the stomach for it.

Q:  How was this internship unique from others?

A:  This was an experience that you can only learn hands-on. Not in a book, not in pre-med. What will make me a better doctor is not only being book savvy, but having practical experience. Other internships are more research based. You don’t get to do the actual patient care. You’re not allowed to give injections or medications.

Q: What research have you done since you came back?

A:  While I was there, I kept a daily journal. I wrote to Dr. Jaffe on a weekly basis informing him of my advancements. When I got back, I wrote a research paper about a liver transplant. And I have been gathering information to prepare an overview comparison of the health-care systems in the U.S. and Austria, looking at issues such as quality, patient accessibility, and cost expenditures.

Q: What made this internship possible?

A:  I’m the first NSU student to participate in this type of internship. I would like to thank Dr. Jaffe because he’s the one who helped me set this up. Without him and without Dr. Steigler, I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off.