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…
Category: surgery
Why surgeons are superstitious [PODCAST]
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…
Spinal revolution: Navigating a digital future in surgical precision
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…
Why I won’t let my wife see her EOBs anymore
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?”…
Medicine’s struggle with genetic and social realities
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…
Ignored and misdiagnosed: the truth about hernias in women
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…
Big business and surgery: Who belongs in your operating room
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…
Building the future of African plastic surgery: Igniting passion in medical students
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…
From house calls to the OR: a surgeon’s journey and unexpected lessons
Clueless at the time, when I applied to medical school, I imagined myself one day making house calls, good ol’ Doc Schwab, paid in chickens and pies, smiles, and blackberry jam. There I’d be, delivering babies on kitchen tables, patching up…
From house calls to the OR: a surgeon’s journey and unexpected lessons
Clueless at the time, when I applied to medical school, I imagined myself one day making house calls, good ol’ Doc Schwab, paid in chickens and pies, smiles, and blackberry jam. There I’d be, delivering babies on kitchen tables, patching up…
