Real-Life Math
Orthopedic surgeons are busy people. Some schedule several surgeries
each day. That doesn't even include emergency cases they are called in to
help with. Many surgeons work lengthy days, performing surgeries well into
the night.
In order to keep such busy schedules, the doctors have to
be able to estimate how long each surgery will take. They do this by breaking
down the surgery into its components.
It's important to be accurate.
Surgery requires lots of planning and coordination. The anesthesiologist has
to be called in, the patient prepared and the surgery room available.
On
this day, you have four surgeries scheduled.
You start your day at
8:45 and spend 15 minutes scrubbing for each surgery, so the first operation
will start at 9. You also try to leave at least 50 minutes of extra time between
each operation for complications and so you can catch your breath.
What
time should you tell the staff to schedule the surgeries? And what time will
you finish the final surgery?
Here's the information on each surgery:
Surgery
1, repairing a severely broken leg:
Initial incision, exploration:
20 minutes
Installation of screws: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Closing of
entry incision: 15 minutes
Surgery 2, removal of bone spur on knee:
Scrubbing:
15 minutes
Initial incision: 25 minutes
Removal of spur: 45 minutes
Closing:
15 minutes
Surgery 3, repairing broken vertebrae:
Scrubbing:
15 minutes
Initial incision: 45 minutes
Installation of pins in bone:
1 hour and 45 minutes
Closing: 30 minutes
Surgery 4, reconstruction
of damaged knee:
Scrubbing: 15 minutes
Initial incision:
15 minutes
Reconstruction of ligament and tendons: 1 hour
Closing:
20 minutes