The heart, if not the most interesting, is one of the most interesting parts of the human being. Charles Morris takes the reader for a ride in The Surgeons: Life and Death in a Top Heart Center to see how a team of professional surgeons can alter the heart to save a dying life and the many experiences of being in a top heart center.
Morris’s experience with the surgeons at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital in
As mentioned above, the care given to the patients can be matched only by a few others. Morris gives readers accounts of this care throughout the book but two deserve attention. Craig Smith, the head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, regularly visits his patients in the hospital. He pays attention to their needs and questions with strict attention in order to further improve their quality of life. Also he is always self-critical and this earns him the respect of his staff. This kind of self-criticisms is seen in the other account given by Morris. The other account of care does not involve the surgeons talking to patients but rather to one another. Every month the surgical staff and a few others hold a meeting to review and analyze their previous cases. Here the presenting surgeons are supercritical of themselves. It makes sense that such devotion to prefect the art produces not only great surgeons but great people also.
Mehmet Oz, one of the senior surgeons, shares with Morris a thought provoking experience. Oz is famous for being on Oprah and writing many successful books. One question asked often is, “what would you do if you had to choose between two patients where one is a criminal and the other innocent but the criminal is more injured compared to the civilian?” Oz responded with a past experience. One time when he was working in the ER the police came in with a pregnant woman and a severely injured man. He was informed that the man had killed a cop and shot the woman who was a bystander. Oz wanted, “the man to die.” With his staff waiting for his decision, Oz finally decided to treat the man first since he was injured more. The next day the Police told Oz that it was the women who had killed the cop and the man was the bystander who happened to be shot. This experience taught Oz to not let personal judgments interfere with the needs of the patient.
This book has taught me so much about being a surgeon and the intense requirements that come with it. Charles Morris is great with explaining technical terms and procedures for the lay man while advancing the story. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to understand what it is to be in a top heart center.
I have always been fascinated with learning about the heart and heart surgeons. When I was only ten years old and in fifth grade, my forty-seven year old suffered an extremely severe heart attack. He had experienced chest pains and shortness of breath for about three days, but brushed it off as being stress. Three days after the pains began, however, he woke up in the middle of the night, unable to breathe. My mom frantically called our doctor and rushed him to the emergency room. That night, we learned my dad had suffered what was called a silent attack. The heart attack occurred the first day he began feeling chest pains, but symptoms only became apparent three days after, when the damage was already done. My dad’s main artery was ninety percent blocked and two others were almost sixty percent blocked. He was immediately sent in for surgery and had a triple bypass. Ever since my dad’s heart attack, I have always wanted to learn more about the heart and the surgeons who saved my dad’s life. I look forward to reading this book and understanding more about what it’s like to be in a top heart center.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is intent on becoming a cardiosurgeon, I can only enjoy a book about the entirety of the profession. I have always realized that there was much more to being a heart surgeon than just book smarts and a college degree, and, according to the review, this book seems to get into the grit, discipline, and strength needed to be a heart surgeon. Ever since I was in the first grade, I knew I wanted to be a in the medical feild. In the fifth grade, I determined to be a surgeon, and last year, I decided that I could do the most help by operating on the heart. I look forward to reading this book and finding out what it is really like to be a surgeon in all of the profession's gravity.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost thank you all very much for the positive feed backs. I am sorry that your father went through such an ordeal Asheeka and I am very glad that he got the bypass done. Your father was a strong man to have endured for three days. Unfortunately many Americans today are not as fortunate as your father and suffer severely when such an attack as your father’s occurs. I strongly believe that not only Americans but everyone should be well informed of the available precautions to avoid a heart attack. For example, eat healthy! Nico I always thought you wanted to be a neurosurgeon. This is very exciting news and yes I totally agree with you that it takes much more than just books smart and a college degree to be surgeon, especially a cardiac one. It takes commitment and, above all, the great desire to help others. I’m looking forward to discussing with you about this.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this book initially caught my attention because of my own interest in practicing medicine. I recently read “Another Day in the Frontal Lobe” by Katrina Firlik, a practicing female neurosurgeon’s glimpse into the high-pressure, competitive, and male-dominated specialty of neurosurgery. I thoroughly enjoy reading about real-life medical experiences and memorable cases, especially when the book’s author is a practicing physician or surgeon. Your summary of this book has sparked my interest and I will definitely make time to read this one! It could potentially influence me in my decision about which specialty of medicine I would like to practice.
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