Welcome back! This week, we got to see more admitted patients with Dr. Bogantes. One of the cases that sticks out to me was a little boy in the continuous monitoring unit. He has a severe case of epilepsy that requires him to be monitored with an EEG machines 24/7. It is the only machine in the unit, and has a laundry list of requirements that a patient must met in order to be eligible to be put on it. Every day, we would stop by to not only check on the patient, but for Bogantes to check on the results of the EEG and see if anything had changed and how treatment was progressing. Since EEG is the focus of my project, it was interesting to see all the different ways it can be applies and the different types of machines (and their associated challenges).
Speaking of EEG, I was fortunate enough to get to spend Friday in the EEG tech room. I shadowed several different techs as they used the stationary EEG machines to test the patients of all ages. It was really beneficial to get lots of different perspectives and see how it runs on a daily basis. The most unique case of the day was getting to see the mobile EEG machine in action in the NICU unit. We went up to see a 27 day old patient in order to check his progress with an EEG. It was a heartbreaking to see the NICU full of these little tiny humans who are trying to survive with all of the tubes and wires surrounding them. And yet, at the same time, it was rewarding to see all of the hard working staff (the tech I was shadowing included), doing everything they could to keep them alive and comfortable. This was the first time I’d actually gotten to see the focus of my project being used, as opposed to asking questions or hearing second hand from the techs. I know that it will prove invaluable to my project.
As for the project, I’ve been working on ideating on different solutions as well as doing an IP study, so that if I were to actually make this device in a startup, I would know if I’d have the freedom to operate and how to go about proving that I could patent it. More on this in the coming weeks so I’ll start prototyping, as well as looking into the different ways that a device like this would be billed, and the regulatory pathway for it, just in case Alex Medical Solutions Inc. ever takes off.
Fake start up companies aside, this weekend was jammed packed with adventure. We were in Monteverde and kicked it off with zip lining over the Cloud Forest. It was so cool to be that high up and as someone who had never been zip lining before, I was shocked at how fast I went. Afterwards, we walked on the Hanging Bridges tour, which was a walk through and over the forest with suspension bridges. I loved being able to spend more time looking at the forest at a different level. That evening, after seeing a killer sunset from our hotel, we went out to a local bar and played pool.
Sunday was another packed day, as after the included hotel breakfast (yum!), we went hiking in a different section of the Cloud Forest. The viewpoint was just a wall of white from the clouds, and gave the whole experience a layer of mystery. Fortunately, it also meant that it was nice and cool during the hike. We also took a trail to a waterfall and saw a Owl Butterfly up close.
I’m looking forward to prototyping as well as our beach plans for this weekend. Until then, be sure to keep up with the rest of the Costa Rica crew by checking out Apple, Rei, and Connor’s blogs!