The Little Beating Hearts

I listened to a baby's heart for the first time today. The bell of my stethoscope was humongous on the baby's small chest. I could hear the pounding and rapid heart rate of our six-month year old patient. I could also hear an amplified inspiratory stridor, every time he took a deep breath in. As I listened to the heart, the beeping monitors over his head registered his heart rate, pulse, and oxygen saturation.

Later on, I got to see a beating heart of a baby that had just undergone cardiac surgery to repair a congenital abnormality that required reconstructing the vasculature of the heart. The little heart was pounding.

Today was our first day of pediatric preceptorship. I spent my day at the Children's Hospital in Oakland in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Within the PICU, there was a number of young patients of all ages with a spectrum of medical conditions. In our shift, we saw everything from newborns with congenital abnormalities to young children with lung problems to teenage victims of trauma.

"Pediatrics is about observation and integration," our preceptor said. For this reason, we first observe our patients before moving towards any examination. We started by standing at the foot of our first baby's crib and watched him breathe, observing him and noting any abnormal physical findings.

The 23-bed PICU was a bustling area. Some patients were asleep or sedated, while others were being attended to by family members or health care workers. In a corner bed, family members read letters aloud to a young girl, who was unresponsive.

The site of children in hospital beds attached to tubes and monitors was surreal. I am not used to seeing children in the hospital and it was difficult to take the entire site in. Listening to the cries of patients and watching family members circle over their loved one's bed was heart wrenching. I can not even imagine how families cope with critically ill children.

Today's shift in the PICU was an eye-opening experience. I look forward to our return visits to the PICU.