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Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table

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Those who believe that the drama of medical TV shows is overplayed should read this book. It is a fascinating account of a career that observed and facilitated huge medical innovation. The effect this had on the patients whose cases are included had me in tears of sorrow and joy on more than one occasion. To anyone with an opinion on the value of national healthcare expenditure, this is a recommended read. One cannot help but be captivated by the effort to remove a recurrent myxoma from a patient’s heart, for five times over ten years. Or a “last-gasp attempt” when everyone else had given up on a six-month old baby with a rare congenital anomaly. A headstrong attitude and the refusal to admit defeat is what differentiated Westaby from the average surgeon.

Stephen Westaby - Wikipedia Stephen Westaby - Wikipedia

The heart is wondrous in its design. It beats more than 60 times per minute, 31m times a year, “contraction and relaxation… narrowing, twisting and shortening… a veritable Argentine tango”. For the unfortunate patient, any prospect of survival depends upon having an experienced trauma surgeon at hand. Few are offered that privilege.” A full-frontal and thrilling portrayal. Each story in this fascinating book brings a new nail-biting surgical adventure... A gifted surgeon, Westaby is also a natural writer... Fragile Lives succeeds on many levels: political battle cry, chronicle of bloody feats, history of modern cardiology, tribute to patients and paean to surgery.’– Daily Telegraph In general, there are three options for the classroom placement of a child with Fragile X, based on that child’s specific abilities and needs:Pioneering surgery is now threatened by the blame culture. Even proven techniques are being rationed due to the focus on cost, whatever the benefit. In a gene, the information for making a protein has two parts: the introduction, and the instructions for making the protein itself. Researchers call the introduction the promoter because of how it helps to start the process of building the protein. People with 200 or more repeats in the promoter part of the gene have a full mutation, meaning the gene might not work at all. People with a full mutation often have Fragile X syndrome. Prepare the individual for any changes in routine by explaining these changes ahead of time, possibly by using visual signs. Dr Westbury was obviously something of a marvel, and was masterful in his work. I think to do a profession such as that, you need to be of a certain character, and I know, that I certainly couldn't do it. Dr Westbury tells us of the many triumphs where his patients of all ages have gone on to live happy and fulfilling lives, but also the tragedies, where lives were lost way too soon. There was much jargon in here, and some of it went over my head, but it made for interesting reading.

Fragile X Syndrome - NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Fragile X Syndrome - NICHD - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National

Physical. Most infants and younger children with Fragile X don’t have any specific physical features of this syndrome. When these children start to go through puberty, however, many will begin to develop certain features that are typical of those with Fragile X. I don’t know what I was expecting when I requested the book, but I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I do have to say I do know a bit regarding anatomy and physiology, and I did not expect the author to dive in it so deep on it. I mean, there are even diagrams and drawings explaining bits and bobs about how the heart and circulatory system works from a Doctors point of view. This has been very enjoyable, I loved how detailed some explanations were, mostly regarding surgeries and procedures. Those were my favourite bits. It was interesting but not in a patronizing way of “I know more than you look how cool am I and all the cool things I can do”. Please note that some of these medications carry serious risks. Others may make symptoms worse at first, or they may take several weeks to become effective. Doctors may have to try different dosages or combinations of medications to find the most effective plan. Families, caregivers, and doctors need to work together to ensure that a medication is working and that the medication plan is safe. We stop life and start it again, making things better, taking calculated risks.” Although the 2017 Wellcome Prize shortlist has only just been announced, this is my early favorite for the 2018 prize (for fiction and nonfiction on a medical theme). What Henry Marsh did for brain surgery in Do No Harm, Westaby does for cardiac surgery with this vivid, compassionate set of stories culled from a long career at the forefront of artificial heart technology.

Fragile Lives, by Professor Stephen Westaby, is a memoir that is both awe inspiring and heart-rending. It tells the story of the medical career of a man raised in working class Scunthorpe who became a world class, ground-breaking cardiac surgeon before watching his life saving profession being stymied by the NHS bureaucracy that we know today. From being a working class boy from Scunthorpe to operating on some of the most high profile cases of heart surgery the world has seen, I felt like I was along with Stephen for the journey - and what a journey! Highly recommended. One of those cases where I was in a funk and just going through OverDrive app, trying to find something different to listen to, that would lift me out of the fog and de-stress me. Book Genre: Autobiography, Biography, Biography Memoir, Health, Medical, Medicine, Memoir, Nonfiction, Science

Fragile Lives | Save Mothers and Babies Fragile Lives | Save Mothers and Babies

The stakes could not be higher in this bloody, muscular and adrenaline-charged memoir from a pioneering heart surgeon... at points it made my own heart race dangerously. ‘Surgeons are meant to be objective,’ Westaby tells himself, ‘not human’. What makes this book so fascinating, and so moving, is the terrible tension between these necessary qualities.’– Sunday Times Tracing his journey from a youthful, high-spirited trainee with eccentric ideas to a polished, experienced professor and leader in his field, Westaby shows us the marvel of saving lives. Behind the blood and gore, there is always a human fighting for his life, and loved ones holding on to hope. As a doctor, one traverses both physical and emotional realms. In the operating theatre, the mind is at work, fully focused on cutting, suturing and stitching, but once out of those blood-stained walls, the undulating waves of emotion return. These cases are fascinating if poignant to read. There is an amount of medical detail included but the language used is accessible. Westaby’s confidence in his abilities and willingness to take risks not only saved many of the lives he held in his hands but also led others in his field to do the same. These world class doctors worked together, sharing techniques and outcomes for the good of their patients as well as furthering their own careers.

I admire him for taking the chances he did... not many would and like he said as well... some or most of these operations may not have happened today. The risks he and everyone took may not have gone over as well either. When a surgeon remains focused on helping as many patients as his ability will allow, some will die. But we should no longer accept substandard facilities, teams or equipment. Otherwise patients will die needlessly.” The crimson fountain hit the operating lights, sprayed the surgeons, soaked the green drapes. Someone murmured “Oh sh..! I was good with my hands (an understatement). The battle was lost…Yet I knew about life and death.” Sensory. Many children with Fragile X are bothered by certain sensations, such as bright light, loud noises, or the way certain clothing feels on their bodies. I loved this book. It's interesting, full of emotion, failure but also triumph, and you can really understand the author's passion for his profession. Of course, being on call and having such an amazing career has meant aspects of his personal life have inevitably suffered; Stephen says at one point "While I spent many hours striving to save other people’s children... I never spent enough time with my own.”

Fragile Lives by Stephen Westaby | Waterstones

We were adrenaline junkies living on a continuous high, craving action. From bleeding patients to cardiac arrests. From theatre to intensive care. From pub to party.”

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?

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