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In gripping prose, one of the world's leading cardiac surgeons lays bare both the wonder and the horror of a life spent a heartbeat away from death When Stephen Westaby witnessed a patient die on the table during open-heart surgery for the first time, he was struck by the quiet, determined way the surgeons walked away. As he soon understood, this detachment is a crucial survival strategy in a profession where death is only a heartbeat away. In Open Heart, Westaby reflects on over 11,000 surgeries, showing us why the procedures have never become routine and will never be. With astonishing compassion, he recounts harrowing and sometimes hopeful stories from his operating room: we meet a pulseless man who lives with an electric heart pump, an expecting mother who refuses surgery unless the doctors let her pregnancy reach full term, and a baby who gets a heart transplant-only to die once it's in place. For readers of Atul Gawande's Being Mortal and of Henry Marsh's Do No Harm, Open Heart offers a soul-baring account of a life spent in constant confrontation with death.
A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2019 An intimate and compelling exploration into the unique psyche of the heart surgeon, by one of the profession’s most eminent figures.
This text, published in the profession's centenary year, traces the history of cardiac surgery from ancient times to the present, detailing clinical developments with facsimilies of the original articles, consent forms from the first heart transplant, newspaper articles, and correspondence. The text follows a set pattern, describing the historical background to each new procedure, facsimilies of the original articles, bibliography of the main clinicians, and a commentary putting each development into its historical context.
A glimpse into the extraordinary world of ambulance driving from the man behind the wheel. ‘Heart-stopping, eye-opening and jaw-dropping. Sometimes painful, sometimes sad, often very, very funny’ Craig Brown
Focusing exclusively on the surgical management of aortic arch disease in adults, this concise reference provides authoritative guidance on both standard and alternative approaches from internationally recognized experts. Topics include: general principles of aortic diseases imaging techniques intraoperative management neurologic protection strategies options for aortic repair surgical treatment of specific problems complications Abundant illustrations demonstrate significant imaging study findings and depict key techniques and strategies. With its detailed descriptions and thorough explanations of a wide variety of approaches to imaging, brain protection and monitoring, and aortic reconstruction, Aortic Arch Surgery: Principles, Strategies and Outcomes gives practicing and prospective thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons access to the full armamentarium of management options. Anesthesiologists, perfusionists, neurologists, radiologists, and others who have a special interest in treating patients with thoracic aortic disease will also find this book an invaluable source of dependable information.
'Thrilling... The “dizzying” story of heart surgery is every bit as important as that of the nuclear, computer or rocket ages. And now it has been given the history it deserves' James McConnachie, Sunday Times For thousands of years the human heart remained the deepest of mysteries; both home to the soul and an organ too complex to touch, let alone operate on. Then, in the late nineteenth century, medics began going where no one had dared go before. In eleven landmark operations, Thomas Morris tells us stories of triumph, reckless bravery, swaggering arrogance, jealousy and rivalry, and incredible ingenuity, from the trail-blazing ‘blue baby’ procedure to the first human heart transplant. The Matter of the Heart gives us a view over the surgeon’s shoulder, showing us the heart’s inner workings and failings. It describes both a human story and a history of risk-taking that has ultimately saved millions of lives.
'Very funny and frank' Independent 'Reads like Scrubs: The Blog ... funny and awful in equal measure' Observer * * * * * * * The bestselling real life story of a hapless junior doctor, based on his columns written anonymously for the Telegraph. IF YOU'RE GOING to be ill, it's best to avoid the first Wednesday in August. This is the day when junior doctors graduate to their first placements and begin to face having to put into practice what they have spent the last six years learning. Starting on the evening before he begins work as a doctor, this book charts Max Pemberton's touching and funny journey through his first year in the NHS. Progressing from youthful idealism to frank bewilderment,...
Highly-illustrated and in line with current European guidelines, this handbook covers all aspects of the management of patients with valvular heart disease, providing clear advice on pathophysiology, diagnosis, investigation and treatment, including in special situations such as pregnancy or during non-cardiac surgery.
Highly Commended, BMA Medical Book Awards 2014The development of new techniques as well as the refinement of established procedures has led to great progress in cardiac surgery. Providing an ideal synopsis of the growth in this area, Cardiac Surgery: Recent Advances and Techniques systematically reviews all the new developments in cardiac surgery,
How science is opening up the mysteries of the heart, revealing the poetry in motion within the machine. Your heart is a miracle in motion, a marvel of construction unsurpassed by any human-made creation. It beats 100,000 times every day—if you were to live to 100, that would be more than 3 billion beats across your lifespan. Despite decades of effort in labs all over the world, we have not yet been able to replicate the heart’s perfect engineering. But, as Sian Harding shows us in The Exquisite Machine, new scientific developments are opening up the mysteries of the heart. And this explosion of new science—ultrafast imaging, gene editing, stem cells, artificial intelligence, and advan...