Watching a surgeon expertly slice open a human chest is not for the faint of heart, but plenty of interested Moraine Valley Community College students viewed a livestreamed coronary artery bypass surgery on campus Nov. 5.
Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn and the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry regularly collaborate to offer high school and college students the opportunity to watch and learn from a livestreamed open-heart surgery – “Live From the Heart.” Prior to and during the procedure, some of the surgeons, nurses, physician’s assistants and other operating room personnel explain their roles and answer questions typed in by viewers so everyone can understand what is happening.
Once a semester, Moraine Valley offers this viewing to Nursing and Health Sciences program students, but anyone on campus interested in this unique experience can attend.
“This event provides students planning to enter health care professions the ability to see what happens during open-heart surgery, what health care professionals are involved, what their roles are and what the patient experiences,” said Anna Jannak, Moraine Valley assistant professor and co-coordinator, Medical Assistant Program. “One student told me she never heard of a perfusionist, the professional responsible for the heart/lung machine that keeps the patient alive during the procedure. She said after ‘talking’ to the perfusionist virtually during the event (typing in questions), she is looking into that field. It’s so exciting to see students find a passion for a career.”
While the procedure played on a large screen in a campus classroom, Jannak described happenings in the operating room, answered student questions and noted the importance of the team effort required for a successful major medical procedure.
“This viewing inspired my whole career to another level. I was in complete awe seeing how everyone came together as a team and did their part performing this surgery. The whole room was just filled with so many intelligent individuals,” said nursing student Jasmin Fregoso, of Summit. “Seeing this made me want to be a part of something like that one day.”
“Seeing the heart beating up close was something I’ll never forget. One of the biggest surprises for me was watching the surgical team remove the great saphenous vein and use it in the heart. I always assumed a vein taken out of the body would die instantly but learning that it can be used for grafting was impressive,” said medical assisting student Nicole Langton, of Tinley Park. “The experience made me start thinking about possibly working in cardiology in the future.”
The next “Live From the Heart” virtual event is scheduled to be streamed on campus April 8, 2026.
For news media inquiries, contact Maura Vizza, Moraine Valley communications specialist and sports information coordinator, at (708) 974-5742 or Vizzam@morainevalley.edu.
