“I am so sorry …” My apology diffused as I stood adjacent to the IV pole, triangulated between Ms. S, her husband, and her daughter. Ms. S, who was congenitally deaf and capable of lip-reading save for my N95, nevertheless immediately…
Category: surgery
Bringing brain health awareness into the operating room
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD. “I am so ashamed. I am truly sorry to anyone I hurt or offended.” These were the first words Beverly said when I met her in the preoperative holding area bef…
The cost of cosmetic procedures resulting in short-term disabilities
In a viral video shared on Twitter in 2021, we see a line of women waiting to board a flight from Santo Domingo to Atlanta. Airline staff in safety vests stand around the women, all of whom are sitting—in wheelchairs. These women had recently undergone…
A small intern in a big hospital
I am a gopher. See my tiny paws. See them furiously digging and digging and digging. Little puffs of dirt and soil are thrown haphazardly over my little shoulders. My tiny brain was completely absorbed in the digging of that very inconsequential, very …
A surgeon’s favorite stomach surgery patient
High on my list of favorite operations was surgery on the stomach: The anatomy is neat, the re-plumbing alternatives clever, technical challenges rewarding, and, because it’s well-supplied with blood, complication-free healing is pretty predictable. Al…
The doctor as a patient: a view from the other side
I had my very first surgery ever, just last year. Despite being cut upon, it was a remarkable experience, and the staff cracked jokes at my expense, even as I was going under. In the mood for some inappropriate medical humor? Well, perhaps not in th…
Robotics, automation, and the future of remote health care
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care innovation has been occurring at an unprecedented rate. A growing focus on technology – and the ways that it can help improve patient care and the provider experience – is now at the forefront, and many…
Robotics, automation, and the future of remote health care
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care innovation has been occurring at an unprecedented rate. A growing focus on technology – and the ways that it can help improve patient care and the provider experience – is now at the forefront, and many…
Divorce as a woman surgeon
I am almost divorced. I thought about staying private about this. And I mostly have over the last nine months. But here’s the thing — this decision is one of the best ones of my entire life. I have not been at all immune to the roller coaster of emotio…
Those with the power to reform our system have little incentive to act
It is no surprise that burnout is surging along with this latest pandemic wave. Exhaustion—both physical and moral—is the ashen heart of burnout. Even as the flood of patients recedes in some areas, health care operations are hardly back to normal as m…
