By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Columbia Elementary sixth-grade students in Stacie Hutton's classes make their diagnosis of paper patients' heart-related ailments Tuesday. Mrs. Hutton is taking a group to Columbus to watch an open-heart surgery via video conferencing. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

DEERFIELD TWP. - As part of a study in medicine, some of Columbia Elementary's gifted students have been using hand-drawn paper patients to diagnose different heart conditions and visualize emergency procedures.

Today, those fifth- and sixth- graders take their learning to a new level when they watch an open-heart surgery live via video conferencing at COSI in Columbus.

"I've never seen a live surgery before," said 10-year-old Grant Joslin. "I'm pretty eager to find out what the patient has that he needs to have the surgery."

At the Columbus science center's "surgical suite," the students will watch the three-hour procedure, and will be able to communicate with doctors in the Mount Carmel Hospital operating room.

"I've always been interested in medical things and watch them on TV," said 12-year-old Angela Sizemore as she tried to diagnose a paper patient's heart attack. "I've seen them on TV, but this will be different because we'll get to ask questions."

This is Kings' first time attending the program, which has been around for several years, according to teacher Stacie Hutton. After the morning-long surgery, the students will spend the afternoon at the center's other exhibits.

In preparation, the students spent Tuesday diagnosing the heart conditions of their classmates' hand-drawn patients, including a 3-week-old baby born three months premature with a hole in her heart. The students had to take a medical history, using the information and symptoms on the drawing to determine the heart condition.

Hutton, who wore a stethoscope during class, also prepped the students on what to expect from the open-heart surgery. Students have expressed excitement about the experience, and none seemed to be concerned about the blood they might see. "I'm not nervous because I'm not really squeamish at all," 12-year-old Daniel Powell said. "It's going to be cool."

The other three sequences of Columbia's gifted program also are going to COSI today.

Junior law and business students will be meeting with a state forensics pathologist about DNA in crime investigations. After a discussion that involves collecting evidence for trial, the students will get hands-on experience solving a crime using science.

The junior engineering students will be meeting with a Battelle research scientist who helped develop the compact disk, and then will work on car designs.

"If at least one child comes out of it absolutely fascinated and deciding that's what they want to do, then I've done my job," Hutton said.

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com