I have a major issue with MAC. To be more specific, I have a major issue with how we communicate the concept of MAC to our patients, anesthesia care team members, and proceduralist colleagues. MAC stands for “monitored anesthesia care,” and…
Category: surgery
Maternity leave in a post-COVID world
I am a female surgical resident. I signed up for this. I chose four years of medical school, five years of residency, two years of research, a year of fellowship, and finally attending surgeon life. I’d choose it again. And I want this road to be hard….
We need to stop seeing patients as dollar signs
I am a newly minted surgical specialist, less than one year into practice. Residency was no walk in the park, but the clinical experience, along with hours of studying, reading papers, and reviewing practice guidelines, undoubtedly gave me the tools to…
Health care delivery after COVID-19: Move more procedures to the outpatient setting
The United States has some of the most advanced medical technology in the world, yet COVID-19 has exposed significant deficiencies in our health care system. As nothing will be the same after coronavirus, our health care system must also change as we m…
The safe return to elective surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital for the economic viability of health systems
A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. It is the ultimate irony that health care professionals on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic are among the highest risk, not only for exposure to the deadly v…
Amid COVID, first do no harm
I am a surgeon, mother, daughter, researcher, and ethicist. These multiple roles dancing together to a more discordant tune amid this unprecedented time. The “daughter” has managed to convince her ageing parents that they really ought to no…
COVID: an impending case of the stripes
Elise loves this book. The protagonist is a girl who, due to a desire to fit in with her friends, denies her love of lima beans. Camilla awakens with stripes on her skin, and no one can explain it. The doctors are called in, then the specialists. The s…
Can patients see my smile behind all of this PPE?
I walk into my fifth operating room of the morning. “Good morning, Mr. Jacobs. My name is Dr. Michaelis. I will be the anesthesiologist helping to safely get your breathing tube in as we get your surgery started today.” He nods and closes his eyes. Th…
Please make the tragic death of this physician mean something
I hugged her for the last time on March 15, waving goodbye as she drove away from my apartment complex. On April 15, I got a call that my friend was dead. She had unceremoniously taken her own life, unable to overcome the crippling feeling of hopelessn…
How COVID-19 changed our fellowship interview process for the better
The COVID-19 pandemic is fundamentally changing medical practice across the country by allowing telemedicine reimbursement, where it was previously limited, and by leveraging video conferencing technology to conduct business and educational meetings in…
