The Surgery Handbook: A Guide to Understanding Your Operation [Paperback]

Paul Ruggieri MD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1999

Written clearly and concisely for the lay audience, The Surgery Handbook covers such topics as pre-surgery anxiety, selecting a surgeon, questions to ask before your operation, types of surgery, aneesthesia, pain management, pre-operative tests, and recovery at home.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Ruggieri, a surgeon, has listened to the complaints and questions raised by his patients; hence, this aid to patients and potential patients seeking understanding of what can be a frightening and even devastating situation. Ruggieri introduces the patient and the patient's family to the basics of what surgeons and surgery do. He advises on how to choose a surgeon, how to get a second opinion, and what the anesthesiologist and other health-care workers do; and he discusses risks and the meaning of that much abused term. Leaving the details of specific operations to be learned in the actual event of surgical preparation, he guides prospective patients through a hospital's surgical routine, the hospital discharge procedure, and recovery at home. He isn't all rosy reassurance, though, for he maintains that 50 percent of surgical patients' pain is undertreated. Throughout, he emphasizes that a patient consulting with physicians and hospital staff should have another person at hand to help take notes and ask questions. William Beatty

About the Author

Paul Ruggieri, MD, is chief of the department of surgery at St. Anne’s Hospital, Fall River, Massachusetts. He specializes in thyroid and minimally invasive surgery.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Addicus Books; 1 edition (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886039380
• ISBN-13: 978-1886039384
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,580,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Ruggieri MD was born to middle class Italian parents and worked several jobs (such as postal worker and ironworker) prior to attending medical school. He attended Georgetown School of Medicine and in general surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, MO. After surgical training, Dr. Ruggieri spent three years on active duty in the US Army as a general surgeon. He has been in private surgical for 20 years. Dr. Ruggieri has held a teaching position at Harvard Medical School in the past and department chair positions while in private practice. He has published several patient care oriented books on colorectal cancer, thyroid disease, and understanding your upcoming operation.

Visit Dr. Ruggieri at www.paulruggieri.com