Category: surgery

5 tips on choosing the right medical specialty for you

As a practicing surgeon that has one foot in the world of teaching and the other in corporate health care delivery, I enjoy speaking to students and residents about the future. We often discuss topics like the shift from volume to value, consolidation,…

5 tips on choosing the right medical specialty for you

As a practicing surgeon that has one foot in the world of teaching and the other in corporate health care delivery, I enjoy speaking to students and residents about the future. We often discuss topics like the shift from volume to value, consolidation,…

5 tips on choosing the right medical specialty for you

As a practicing surgeon that has one foot in the world of teaching and the other in corporate health care delivery, I enjoy speaking to students and residents about the future. We often discuss topics like the shift from volume to value, consolidation,…

There is a global anesthesia crisis

A guest column by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, exclusive to KevinMD.com. There is a global anesthesia crisis: too few people trained to give anesthetics for surgery and obstetrics worldwide. The Lancet launched a commission to look at the…

A paradoxical fix to physician burnout: more patients, less supervision

Most physicians recall the rigors of their residency training through a mixed lens. In prior generations, a single-duty shift could stretch to 36 or more consecutive hours, but the exhaustion was buoyed by the camaraderie of sleepless on-call nights in…

An orthopedic surgeon goes to a bar. Here’s what happened next.

I went to a bar last night — and I looked good: red coat, black dress, knee-high suede boots.  I was feeling pretty good. I met my best friend at this bar — he lives elsewhere now — but this is his favorite spot in the world.  Like No…

An orthopedic surgeon goes to a bar. Here’s what happened next.

I went to a bar last night — and I looked good: red coat, black dress, knee-high suede boots.  I was feeling pretty good. I met my best friend at this bar — he lives elsewhere now — but this is his favorite spot in the world.  Like No…

Patient demand doesn’t justify medical excess

We live in an era where plastic surgery is routine.   Indeed, in many parts of the country, plastic surgery is an expected rite of passage.   Years ago, facelifts and “tummy tucks” were done on those in middle age who were trying to experie…

I’m a surgeon and I don’t depend on narcotics

I recently had a conversation with a new patient who was referred for surgery. As it happens, she discussed me with people she knew before her appointment. I like patients to look me up, talk to friends, find out who I am, and come with an expectation …

Are teenagers more vulnerable to the effects of opioids?

The younger you are when you are exposed to opioids, the higher the likelihood of addiction later in life. The prefrontal cortex is not fully formed until the age of 25. This means that alterations in the “feel-good” neurotransmitters, specifically dop…