Getting a taste of medical work

As part of the AO Davos Courses, six students from the Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule Davos (SAMD) with a focus on Biology had the opportunity to visit the congress center in Davos and treat a tibia fracture on an artificial bone under the guidance of an expert from Spital Davos.

Punctually, as agreed, the six students and their teacher Alexander Fehr were waiting outside the congress center to gain insight into the world of trauma surgery. After an introduction about the two-week AO Davos Courses, the AO Foundation’s flagship event, they were given a behind-the-scenes tour. Every year, the premises are specially set up for the AO Davos Courses. Even those who had visited the building before were surprised: "It looks completely different," one student marveled.

Hands-on experience

The highlight of the visit was, however, the practical part. In a prepared training room, four workstations had been set up, and the students had to face the challenge of treating a double tibia fracture. Toolkits full of instruments were available as aids.
The students worked in teams of two. The fractures were initially fixed with a Weber clamp—a large clamp that looks like a pair of scissors—to ensure stability. Afterwards, the students drilled lace wires into the bone with as much precision as possible. But that was just the beginning: A hole had to be drilled vertically through the entire bone. The exact length was checked with a depth gauge to select the right screw size.
Nothing escaped the watchful eye of Hans-Curd Frei, Chief of Surgery/Orthopedics at Spital Davos. "If you drilled through my bone like that in the operating room, I wouldn’t be happy," he said. "We would need a plan B." Frei’s advice was often sought—for example, when screws were too long or drilled at an angle.

Precision under time pressure

The next step was to attach the "proximal lateral tibial plate" to stabilize the fracture. Drills, depth gauges, and screws were precisely selected to properly fix the plate. This process was repeated six times, and everyone was sweating.“ Things often have to happen quickly in the operating room, but you still have to work very precisely,” explained Frei. The students would have liked to work on the fractures for longer, but time was running out. Spontaneously, Hans-Curd Frei made an offer: "Anyone who is considering studying medicine is warmly invited to spend a taster day with me at the hospital." He added with a smile: "The most exciting time is during the Christmas holidays."

A long tradition

The SAMD visits of the AO Davos Courses are part of a long-standing tradition. Two SAMD classes had already visited the AO Center and the Spital Davos beforehand. During a guided tour of the AO Research Institute Davos, the students were given an insight into research. A week later, they visited the hospital to learn more about the history of osteosynthesis. In the “skills lab”, a training room, they explored the craftsmanship and finesse of surgery with Peter Däscher, Senior Project Manager Education Platforms & Implementation at the AO.