~~

An unexpected visit beyond

the Great Wall

A copy ofthe AORN Journalis a giffto the nurses at the Capital Hospital in Peking. The assistant nursing director, OR, is holding the Journal.

have traveled to many countries, but I've always wanted to visit China I since I'm an American-born Chinese

of the first generation. Also, China has been barricaded for many years from outsiders. When my mother asked me to accompany her on her return to her homeland after 35 years, I didn't hesi- tate to say yes.

In October 1980, two friends who are also operating room nurses, my mother, and I joined a Cantonese-speaking group from Chinatown in San Francisco for a 21-day tour of Mainland China.

On the evening of departure on Singa- pore Airlines, I was in a state of bliss that the day had finally arrived and that my dream was to become a reality. We spent two whirlwind days in Hong

Priscilla Choy, RN Kong shopping but knowing that the real trip was yet to come. When the day arrived, we went to the train station by bus, proceeded through customs, and f i - nally boarded the train that would take us from Hong Kong into Mainland China. Our first stop was Canton (Kuangzhou).

The train was immaculate, with deli- cate white curtains covering the win- dows. Comfortable stuffed blue chairs swiveled 360". There was a small table for tea and our box lunches we had purchased. I was amused when I saw a Chinese couple munching McDonald's hamburgers they had purchased in Hong Kong prior to departure.

We visited eight cities, and each was fascinating. Wherever we went, the

AORN Journal, July 1981, Vol34, No 1 63

One of the nine operating rooms at

Capital Hospital.

local people gathered around us and stared unabashedly at us. In time, we grew accustomed to being the center of attention. I too would be curious if I saw women parading about in colorful skirts in a country where men and women dress in drab trousers and jackets.

We wanted desperately to visit some hospitals, but when we made the re- quest to our guides, we were told that since this wasn’t a medical group, it wouldn’t be possible. Our daily schedule was so tight that it wouldn’t have per- mitted hospital visits without eliminat- ing another part of our tour.

Peking (Beijing), the capital city, was our final destination. It is the home of many historical sites including the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City, and last but not least, the Great Wall of China. All of these were highlights, but the most unexpected was yet to come.

In the lobby of the Overseas Chinese Hotel, one of the tour members eagerly approached me. She said her sister-in- law was a registered nurse in the Capi- tal Hospital of Peking and asked if we would be interested in visiting the hos- pital. I couldn’t believe my ears! There was no doubt in my mind about whether we wanted to visit the hospital. We de- termined that the next afternoon would

be best. The next day, we informed our guides

that we would not be joining the after- noon tour due to the private arrange- ment of a visit to one of their hospitals. One would think we had committed a capital offense from the reaction we re- ceived. We had handled the whole affair improperly. One does not take matters into one’s own hands in a Communist country but must go through the pro- tocol of consulting with the guides. They in turn consult with their superiors, who will decide and hand down the final decision. They must then give us a note from their headquarters stating that we were registered nurses and that it would be permissible for us to visit the hospital.

About an hour prior to the departure of our afternoon tour, we received word it would be possible for us to visit the hospital and that a note was forthcom- ing.

At the hospital, we were greeted by the nursing director, the assistant nurs- ing director, and the sister-in-law of our friend. No one spoke English or Can- tonese, nor did any of us speak their national language, Mandarin. We were assured by our friend that we would be provided with a Chinese interpreter

64 AORN Journal, July 1981, Val 34, No 1

since she would not be with us during the visit.

We were escorted to a small reception room where we were served tea while waiting for the arrival of the interpre- ter. She was slight of build, with a ready smile, and probably nervous because, as she later explained, this was the first time she was used as an interpreter. Other visitors usually had their own in- terpreters or spoke the language. Through the translator, we were able to exchange professional, cultural, and personal thoughts. Because our time was limited, we specifically requested a visit to the operatingroom. We said that if time permitted, we would visit the wards later.

The nursing director was eager for us to see her hospital. We were informed that the nurses in the operating room were eager to meet us and hoped to use our knowledge to better their own situa- tion. In the operating room, we were instructed to cover our street clothes with physician’s gowns, to exchange our shoes for oversized thongs, and to cover our hair with hats. Although other en- vironments in China were not that clean, we were impressed tha t the operating room was extremely clean.

A thyroidectomy was in progress, un-

Priscilla Choy, R N , BSN, is operating room supervisor, Chinese Hospital, San Francisco. She has a BSN from the University of Nevada, Reno.

Examining the anesthesia machine are US visitors Maryann Ragni, assistant supervisor at Mary’s Help Hospital, Daly City, Calif, and Priscilla Choy.

usual only that it was performed under acupuncture. No wonder there didn’t seem to be a need to update their anes- thesia machine, which consisted of a large portable tank with the usual paraphernalia of hoses and mask.

There were nine rooms, and every- thing from general, ophthalmologic, gynecologic, thoracic, cardiovascular, and open-heart surgeries are done there. They didn’t seem-to have a heavy caseload, averaging about 15 cases per day, but they did a tremendous outpa- tient load in their clinic-approxi- mately 2,000 cases per month.

They have a ceiling-mount micro- scope, steam sterilizer, and a heart-lung machinea l l of which appeared old but functional. There wasn’t enough time to ask all the questions we desired, to see everything, or to offer constructive comments. In the brief moments that remained, we exchanged addresses. We hope we will be able to send them some literature and teaching materials.

AORN Journal, July 1981, Vol34, No 1 65

We grouped for pictures and then gave the nurses small token gifts o f key chains, postcards, pens, and pocket calendars f rom the US. I j u s t happened to have a copy of the September AORN Journal, which I intended to read on th is trip. I gave them the Journal, ex- plaining its usefulness to operating room nurses in the US. They were interested in the advertising that had pictures o f disposable and nondisposable items. How I wished that I had brought more

copies of my o l d A O R N Journals, which were accumulating at home.

Thus ended a del ightful and memora- b le v is i t with these warm, gracious people. They expressed appreciation for our visit, significant because it was the f i rs t t ime the nurses had had visitors from America. The physicians were the ones that always had visitors. Th is was truly an East-West mee t ing that I shall long cherish. 0

ACS congress to meet in San Francisco The 67th annual clinical congress of the American College of Surgeons, the largest convention of surgeons in the world, will be held in San Francisco, Oct 11 to 16.

Coheadquarters for the congress will be the Fairmont Hotel and the San Francisco Hilton Hotel. The scientific and technical exhibitions and portions of the scientific program will take place in Brooks HalVCivic Auditorium.

The main registration area during the week of the congress will be Brooks Hall. Advance registration desks will also be located at the Fairmont, the San Francisco Hilton, and St Francis hotels on Sunday, Oct 11, only.

The congress program will include: 0 18 postgraduate courses 0 over 50 panel discussions and

symposia on general surgery and other surgical specialties

lecturers

Problems, which includes presentation of over 250 research-in-progress reports

Surgery?"

symposia on Spectacular Problems in Surgery and the Clinical Workshop through Films

0 display of more than 150 scientific exhibits and technical exhibits from approximately 250 companies

addresses by prominent guest

0 the Forum on Fundamental Surgical

0 a summary of "What's New in

0 numerous film programs including

Nurses, allied health professionals, and medical students may register to attend only those scientific sessions that will be held in the Civic Auditorium. They may also tour the scientific and technical exhibits.

Hematocrit values affected by smoking Abrupt cessation of smoking in a heavy smoker may cause alterations in plasma volume and lead to rapid changes in hematocrit values. In a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association (April 3), Maurie Markman, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, notes that a falling hematocrit value three or four days after a critically ill patient's admission is the cause for great concern. Many serious conditions can contribute to such a change. Markman says, however, that a sudden withdrawal from smoking, as in the case of a smoker placed in an intensive care unit, may contribute to changes in plasma volume.

values occurring over several days have been noted with the sudden cessation or resumption of smoking. These changes may be caused by abnormalities of venous tone in smokers and effects on plasma volume related to carbon monoxide exposure, or aberrations in levels of circulating catecholamines induced by smoking.

He said that rapid changes in hematocrit

66 AORN Journal, July 1981, Vol34, No 1