This is So Cool

Ladybugs in the
Sterile Field

I was with a urogynecologist and we were doing a bunch of bladder procedures.

Most of the patients we were operating on had urinary incontinence, which you can guess is pretty common as people get older. The thing is, it's still considered surgery, so it had to be done in a sterile room because the risk of UTIs is so high. So, we're in this sterile room about to start the procedure, and we've already talked at length about how a non-sterile room is disastrous for the risks of UTI or bladder inflammation and such. We’re doing this procedure and see this bug fly by in front of us and literally land on the patient in our sterile field. The irony is not lost, because we had just finished this conversation of how important sterility is. There’s like 10 seconds of silence as we all watch the ladybug, and the surgeon quietly goes “Sam, get rid of the ladybug.” Because the patient's not sedated, she heard about the ladybug. She was an old farmer lady and goes, “No, no, no! Don't kill the ladybug. Let me take it outside.” So, I ended up using one of the nurse’s patient education sheets and a disposable cup to kind of catch the ladybug. After getting her surgery, the patient literally walked out of the hospital with the ladybug.  

[Interviewer in literal tears from laughing] That's so funny. Oh my God, that's so funny. 
What’s your take-away from this experience? 

The ladybug represents in this story the uncertainty of medicine. You know, after all the textbooks, after all the knowledge, there will always be unpredictable things.