@houstonhospital live-tweets beating open-heart surgery

If you weren’t on Twitter on Tuesday, Feb. 21, you missed out on the live-tweet of an open-heart surgery at Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston.

Never fear, it’s not too late to catch the play-by-play account of double bypass surgery, done on a 57-year-old male with a blockage of the coronary artery, who consented to the broadcast.

The live-tweet event is archived on the hospital’s website, so you can still see it. @houstonhospital posted 80-plus tweets, more than 25 photos and more than 10 videos during the surgery, providing explanations and definitions and answering questions as the surgery proceeded.

Beware, though. As the hospital tweeted the surgery, it warned the photos and images were “graphic” and they are.

Check out the range of reactions on Twitter from those following the surgery:

freaking awesome!!“ @houstonhospital : Repairing the saphenous vein: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39y4sRNQJ4I ”

@houstonhospital I loving this # MHopenheart feed! Watching a real live surgery can be crossed off my bucket list :)

Watching live open heart surgery via twitter being broadcast by @houstonhospital not gonna lie it's really cool! Watching the heart pump now

So @houstonhospital has been live-tweeting an open heart surgery this morning. I am both fascinated and feeling quite squeamish.

@houstonhospital I'm honored and grateful for the work that you all do. Amazing job guys!! # openheart # doublebypass

@houstonhospital OMGG! You guys are like the greys team tweeting in the OR! "QUICK SOMEONE GRAB THE CRASH CART!"

Oh thank you to @houstonhospital for posting everything and to the patient for allowing the world to watch! :)