heart surgery might become an everyday occurrence for me, but for the patient and their relatives it is once in a lifetime, and absolutely terrifying. Treat them kindly. Most Interesting Part of the Book Like many UK readers, I read Henry Marsh's remarkable "Do No Harm". That book is a wondrous eye-opener; "Fragile Lives" is a gut-wrenching adrenaline rush, written by another member of the retired-eminent-surgeon club, Stephen Westaby.

MURDER ON THE CLIFF an addictive cozy crime mystery full of

I did have an issue with Dr Westbury though, as skilful as he may be, is that is his overall attitude towards the female species was baffling. He referred to a patient as "blonde and pretty", and another patient as "stunningly beautiful" and yet another female patient had apparently had her bum peeking out of the hospital gown because it wasn't done up properly. Dr Westbury just reeked of misogyny and he seemed to be rather egotistical in his manner, which didn't sit too kindly with me.The details in Fragile Lives are extremely in depth, especially with regards to the surgeries and various diseases/injuries that are discussed in the book. While it was descriptive, it was not by any means difficult to follow. It was very interesting to read about the anatomy of the heart and the various pathologies Westaby writes about. The number of cells that have the mutation. Because not every cell in the body is exactly the same, some cells might have the FMR1 mutation while others do not. This situation is called mosaicism. If the mutation is in most of the body’s cells, the person will probably have symptoms of Fragile X syndrome. If the mutation is in only some of the cells, the person might not have any symptoms at all or only mild symptoms. Chroniclers such as Westaby and Wharton are much needed to remind us of the ethical dilemmas that have yet to be resolved, the value of vocation and why, for all its flaws, the NHS is a public service that must not be allowed to die. The first few chapters cover Westaby’s childhood, inspiration and medical training. Born in the post-war baby boom years he decided young that he wished to be a heart surgeon after watching a television programme, ‘Your Life in Their Hands’, in which American surgeons were able to close a hole in a patient’s heart thanks to the newly created heart-lung machine. Westaby gained entrance to a local grammar school and from there worked towards his dream of medical school. As a teenager he took menial jobs at a hospital, learning as much as he could through observation. His years of medical training at Charing Cross and the Royal Brompton in London brought him to his first surgeries, where he learned that a certain arrogance is necessary for a successful outcome. A surgeon must believe in their own abilities if they are to innovate and thereby save more lives. When a patient is cut open on an operating table the surgeons cannot know exactly what problems they will be required to deal with. We are committed to improving maternal care for Pakistan and Kenya’s poorest mothers and their babies, as well as supporting the nutritional health of women and girls. We’re achieving this through offering a higher standard of medical care and nutrition, as well as working alongside local midwives and doctors to support them in caring for new mothers and their babies. We also offer education and support to mothers, empowering them to give their babies the best possible start to life.

Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Listen Free to Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of

It's amazing how far medicine has come in just a few generations. Who would have thought artificial hearts can and do work. The ability for a truly rested heart to regenerate is eye-opening and makes you wonder why we can't be doing this for more people. I started it Monday morning, and by Monday night I was a ball of emotions upon finishing it. Every chapter is a case story, and every case is heartbreaking yet life-affirming, if that makes sense. I found myself close to tears on more than one occasion on Monday, knowing that these are real people and they were meeting Westaby at possibly the worst moment of their lives. Javic 2000: The First Lifetime-Use Patient". Jarvik Heart, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010 . Retrieved 4 January 2008.People with Fragile X do not all have the same signs and symptoms, but they do have some things in common. Symptoms are often milder in females than in males. We’re here for the patients, not for ourselves. We may suffer for that but we’ll rarely regret it. Who would I recommend this book to?