What’s Up With That?

By RACHEL HERGETT Chronicle Staff Writer

Anatomy lesson n no scrubbing required

Montana hip replacements go live this week when Bozeman orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daniel Gannon and his team broadcast a hip-replacement surgery around the world via the Internet.

At 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Gannon will, via a “direct anterior approach,” implant a “Tri-Lock Bone Preservation Stem” as part of a “total hip arthroplasty” at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.

But you can watch from the comfort of your home on www.or-live.com.

There is a bit of promotion involved with this broadcast. Gannon was one of six United States surgeons to work on the design team for the DePuy Tri-Lock system, which is “less invasive when compared to more traditional systems,” Gannon said in an OR-Live release.

One benefit of this new surgical approach is that it cuts recovery time nearly in half.

Hospital spokeswoman Connie Martin said Bozeman Deaconess is excited to be the stage for an OR-Live surgery, beamed ’round the world.

“There’s not that many people that are approached to do OR-Live,” Martin said.

To view the surgery, visit www.or-live.com.

Better than it sounds

Apparently, when people move to Bozeman from other regions of the country, especially those involved in construction, they are shocked at the lack of roach coaches here.

“Nobody here knows what a roach coach is,” lamented Lori Stratford, co-owner of Bozeman’s newest mobile eatery.

As unpleasant as they sound, roach coaches are simply movable feasts, trailers with grills and griddles cooking up meals on the fly and then moving on. And within the next couple weeks, Bozeman will have a new one known as Oh! Suzannah roaming the streets.

Partners Stratford and Chris Oschmann had their roach coach custom made, complete with a logo of a bright green truck with a heart in its bed and a horn that plays, what else n “Oh! Suzannah.”

Oh! Suzannah will have a semi-regular route, depending on the location of large construction projects, according to Stratford. She plans to hit construction sites at Bozeman High School, the downtown parking garage and the regional park each day.

She may also target car dealerships and parks n anywhere with large numbers of people.

Once up and running, Stratford said, Oh! Suzannah will also be serving meals at local and regional events and fairs.

But what about the food? The roach coach will serve two hot items each day as well as a number of staples, that Stratford assures are worth it, even if it’s not her area of expertise.

“She’s the cook,” she said of Oschmann. “I’m the brains.”

Taking care of our own

Each year, during this season of giving, donations to food banks and aid organizations increase. But when thinking about helping out the humans among us, don’t forget those faithful companions who have no control over the world’s economic woes n the dogs.

“In times of economic hardship, caring for a family can be a big struggle (and) adding pets to that mix can be even more challenging,” Dr. Jon Stiles, owner of 360° Pet Medical on East Main Street, said in a press release. “We wanted to find a way to make sure no family would be faced with the burden of having to make large food purchases for their pets this season.”

During the month of November, 360° Pet Medical has been collecting pet food in what it hopes will become an annual Pounds 4 Hounds drive.

“We probably have close to 600 pounds so far,” said Beth Kringlie, patient care coordinator.

With a 500-pound matching donation from Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a pet food supplier, the total has exceeded 1,000 pounds. According to Kringlie, one 40-pound bag of food can feed a large dog, say a great Dane, for a month. She guesstimated donations could feed roughly 300 animals for that period of time.

Donations will be distributed on a case-by-case basis at 360°’s office and through the Heart of the Valley shelter, she said.

Drop off pet food n and yes, 360° is accepting donations for feline friends - at 1104 E. Main St. through the end of November.

Rachel Hergett may be reached at rhergett@dailychronicle.com or 582-2603

Reader Comments