Air: all around us. Inside each of us there is air in our lungs. So technically we have air inside our chest; but, as we breathe in and out, it’s contained within our lungs. When air accumulates in the chest but outside the lungs—into what is called the pleural space—bad Read More
Category: Chest Surgeons
As a surgeon, now retired, I, like my colleagues, spent many hours wearing a mask in the operating room. By wearing one I protected my patients who had open chests or abdomens, all susceptible to infection; the mask wasn’t for my benefit. It is an established scientific fact that face Read More
In my last blog I talked about the surgical culture. Now we move to the epicenter of that culture: the operating room. It’s a unique experience: being a surgeon responsible for actions in an operating room. I wouldn’t say it was in any sense superior to other work experiences. I’m Read More
Both my father and grandfather were general surgeons in our small South Georgia town. Despite this tradition I entered medical school expecting to end up in another, unspecified, specialty. I am not entirely sure why, probably a residual carryover from adolescent rebellion. However, this mind set changed during my third Read More
My wife and I spent Christmas week in London. We planned ahead and saw quite a bit. I highly recommend visiting Churchill’s war rooms in which he and his staff managed Great Britain’s WWII activities. I did have one disappointment: the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons was Read More
How to teach. Surgeons that are either full-time or part-time academic faculty are the teachers and mentors of surgical residents. Although there is the occasional lecture and/or presentation at Grand Rounds or elsewhere, most teaching and learning takes place in a clinical setting, with patients in the hospital or in Read More
How and who to teach. I taught medical students for about 40 years. Most of that interaction took place while making rounds with them and residents and in the operating room. There were some classroom sessions but most activity was in the clinical setting oriented around actual patients. What is Read More
This guest blog was written by Mark K. Ferguson, MD. Mark and I were colleagues at the University of Chicago where Adams and Phemister performed the first transthoracic esophagectomy with reconstruction. He has led the Thoracic Surgery division for many years and is an accomplished esophageal surgeon. ~ The average Read More
Where’s my doctor? For most of my practicing life it was customary for surgeons to care and be responsible for their patients at all times. Times change. Now the above question is not unusual and is followed by, “Who are you?” What’s going on? What has happened to the patient/surgeon Read More
Conflicts: Inevitable? Patients and their families are human beings. Surgeons, to the surprise of some, are also. As such our interactions, especially during the time after an operation when feelings run high, are subject to potential conflict. Despite the best of intentions, the stress of an illness or need for Read More
