As I neared the end of my second year of general surgery residency, I had spent almost an hour comforting an anxious patient, assuring her that her bedside abscess drainage would be simple and quick. Finally, I put on my sterile gloves to begin. Before…
You’d think surgeons would be the first to know when to hang up their scalpel, but alas, they’re as stubborn as a rusted bolt. When should a surgeon put down the knife and stop pretending they’re not going blind? It’s a question…
It’s one thing to choose a career dedicated to saving lives; it’s another altogether to confront the harsh reality of death. As a third-year medical student, my trauma surgery rotation highlighted that distinction. For all the patients we s…
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of rituals and superstitions in surgery with Carmen Fong, a colorectal surgeon. Discover how these seemingly irrational…
With an expected 80 percent increase in demand for spinal surgery by 2060, particularly among older patients, the need for advanced technology driving personalized treatment is clear. Achieving optimal spine outcomes while deriving critical data that f…
Today, in the mail, I received a claim summary for medical care that my wife received. She saw an orthopedic PA for an achy knee and got a shot of a slippery substance that was supposed to be superior to steroids. “Is this stuff expensive?”…
For decades, the medical community has wrestled with the role of race in research and practice, a tug-of-war steeped in historical, social, and political entanglements. While some argue for discarding race, in doing so, we overlook the nuanced interpla…
When actress, model, and reality star Denise Richards came into my office, she had been suffering from chronic pelvic pain for years. Doctor after doctor had given her the same advice: ignore it. It’s just a hernia. By the time Richards consulted…
My deep dive into this topic started after examining a New York Times article regarding the abuse of medical technology within my specialty of vascular surgery. The knowledge this article presented, along with my love of innovation and acquisition of a…
Recently, I completed a rotation at the plastic surgery department of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Reflecting on this experience, I realized a few things. My perception of plastic surgery practice was naive and uninformed. This experience has bee…
