Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery [Paperback]

Myles Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2008

Near Misses in Cardiac Surgeryhas been written on the premise that teamwork, vigilance, standardized techniques, anticipation of the next step (or misstep), and compassion for our patients are requisites to ensure successful surgical outcomes-that decisions are more important than incisions.This book presents synopses of 40 true cases in which the patients survived, in the expectation that the reader, cast as the surgeon, will determine the cause of the problem and solve it before the patient's demise. The next section identifies the problem and how it was actually resolved by the surgical team. Each case concludes with a detailed discussion and selected references.Written to challenge the reader that the patient's fate depends upon his or her ability to make appropriate decisions quickly and under pressure, this book will provide clinical insights, not only for cardiac surgeons, fellows and residents, but for anesthesiologists, cardiologists, internists, medical students, and nurses, as well.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Myles Edwin Lee is a board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon who has practiced in Los Angeles, California, for thirty-two years. He has authored numerous scientific abstracts, articles, and book chapters in his field, including a textbook of complications in cardiac surgery. This is his first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse; 1 edition (November 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595528554
• ISBN-13: 978-0595528554
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent revision for trainee cardiac surgeons, June 13, 2009

By 

Darshan Reddy (Durban, South Africa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery (Paperback)

An extremely informative and engaging read. The author's style and rhetoric add to the atmosphere of being the primary cardiac surgeon facing a new challenge on each page, and subsequently working toward a solution in a step-wise and logical manner.

I would highly recommend this book to trainee surgeons who are revising for their final examinations and those about to embark on a career in the cardiac operating room.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sensible and helpful advice for all cardiac anesthetists, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery (Paperback)

A book which is a pure delight for the clinician. The joy of this book is that the problems are not easy and the solutions are not obvious. What this little gem of a book can do is to help anesthesiologists to mentally prepare for the next "near-misses" in cardiac anesthesia.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read, January 29, 2008

By 

Andre Philidor "Bibliophile" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Near Misses in Cardiac Surgery (Paperback)

Every surgeon, perhaps every doctor should read this book. It will scare the daylights out of lay people, and surgeons will realize their worst fears are just a narrow margin away from reality. The bain of modern medical and surgical practice to-day are the HMO's and "Managed Care". When one ruling stated the pre-op evaluation by a medical practitioner sufficed and would not permit a pre-op visit to a member of the surgical team, cardiac bypass surgery proceeded, the chest was opened, and the second team responsible for harvesting a donor vein from the leg found it was not possible as the veins had been stripped in a prior operation for varicose veins.

After retiring from my practice of orthopaedic surgery, I had a recurring nightmare. Our hospital, non-profit for its' 75 year existence, was sold to a profit-making corporation. In my dream, I was in the operating room in the midst of a total hip replacement surgery. The head of the femur had been removed, the femoral shaft reamed and prepared to receive the implants. I asked the OR nurse for the total hip components and was annoyed when she handed me implants for a total knee replacement. "NO, NO!", I said. "This is a THR. Give me the hip implants!!!" The nurse replied, "Administration says we can't have any more hip components until we use up all the surplus knee implants."

It took two to three years before this nightmare became a joke that no longer awakened me in a cold sweat. Yes, a joke, but all too close to the reality medical practitioners face to-day.

Cardiac surgeon Myles Lee, M.D. does a superb job reporting "Near Misses" in the operating room when life and death hung in the balance. I shuddered with him through every case. Well worth the read.

andre645