The Knife’s Edge: The Heart and Mind of a Cardiac Surgeon

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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 Your adventures are amazing – I love reading about them! Sorry you didn’t get to make the whole trip, but glad it was due to things out of your control rather than something bad happening to one of you. Will’s pictures are incredible, his photographs look like professional pics 🙂 Not sure where to reserve a spot? It all depends on which hiking route you plan to take. You can access the Helon Taylor and Chimney Pond trails from the Roaring Brook Campground, the Abol Trail from the Abol Campground, and the Hunt Trail from the Katahdin Stream Campground.

The Knife’s Edge: The Heart and Mind of a Cardiac Surgeon by The Knife’s Edge: The Heart and Mind of a Cardiac Surgeon by

Some jarring reading, what strength it must take to be a heart surgeon dealing with emergencies, dying patients including children. Knifes Edge covers lots of important and interesting topics, notably the authors examination of how the traits of a heart surgeon are akin to psychopathy - a fascinating subject. Later in the book the author touches on more personal subjects, such as his own experiences caring for his ageing mother and as a patient himself at a nearby private hospital (the reason for not using “our” hospital is discussed, and frankly justified).

Mount Katahdin and the Knife Edge Trail

The letter H can be useful to create some two-letter words but there are some longer, high scoring words too. Here are some examples. Both sides of the Edge have a sheer vertical drop with tons of exposure. Many climbers will just grab the top of the ridge and smear their feet below, but even that is a little sketchy: if you miss a hold, you’re looking at a good 2,000 foot drop! You can use knife-edge to refer to something that is very exciting or tense because you do not know what is going to happen next. This week we are looking at two words which may be confused by learners of English: produce and product. Improve your English with Collins. So basically this book was the next one in my medical literature chronicles spree, and I was finally reading about a heart surgeon, which I had anticipated with lots of excitement.

KNIFE EDGE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary KNIFE EDGE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

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 Westaby argues that self-doubt is not good for surgeons. But then, as Westaby repeatedly points out, heart surgery is not for sissies, even if the NHS is encouraging a less macho approach—or, as he prefers to call it—“touchy-feely stuff.” After all, for a cardiac surgeon, empathy is “a huge mistake.” As per the author, the best of them (naturally including himself) should see their work as “an emotionless, technical exercise, comparable with lifting the bonnet of an automobile and repairing the engine.” Westaby’s machismo will not be to everyone’s taste, especially given his liberal use of cuss words and his habit of prefacing the job titles of female colleagues with the word “lady”—as in “lady radiographer” or “lady professor.” Steve Westaby is a celebrated world-famous heart surgeon who is renowned for being the first surgeon in history to fit a patient with a new type of artificial heart. During his 35 year career as a surgeon he worked at several of the UK’s top hospitals and performed over 11,000 heart operations. He won The Midlander of the Year Award (2002) and a Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement (2004). In 2004 Steve Westaby was featured in the BBC documentary Your Life in Their Hands which is a long-running series on the subject of surgery. Manual Dexterity, ambidexterity, and ability to draw (These three qualities are the ones which the author believes that made him a great Cardiac Surgeon as he calls himself as 'never been a straight-A student')

on a ˈknife-edge

To be honest, as someone who was considering UK as a good choice for a country to do my residency in, he made me question the whole system and whether it's really worth going to work there. Now I wonder if things changed towards better since the time Stephen Westaby retired from medicine. Depending on the season and time of day, there can be quite a crowd at the summit of Mount Katahdin, all eager to take photos with the 5,267-foot summit sign. It’s possible you’ll even meet folks completing the incredible 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail thru-hike, as Mount Katahdin is the final destination on that route after the Hundred-Mile Wilderness. i will probably never get to hike the way you do, so thank you for sharing this entire journey!!! sooo amazing! Hmm I think moving is always pushing out of my comfort zone, so a couple months ago! Two memoirs by NHS doctors in a row, though very different people, agree on one thing: the NHS is not doing too well these days.

Knife Edge Trail in Hiking Mount Katahdin and the Infamous Knife Edge Trail in

Breaking above the tree line on the Helon Taylor Trail brings some tougher climbing but also beautiful views. Connecting the Helon Taylor Trail to the Knife Edge Trail, Pamola Peak is a great spot for taking a break on a nice day. Inching across a mile of loose boulders in pursuit of a beautiful summit is an experience worth having.Good communication skills especially with patients, Doctors from other departments like Physicians, Anaesthetists, and other members of the Surgical team A moral and practical conundrum. A little baby is dying but would fully recover if her heart valves were replaced. There is no bed for her. A child is brought in with a crushed skull and brain dead and will not be ventilated so there will be a bed for the baby whose operation has been put off twice already. There's so much things happened behind closed door that we didn't know or will never know unless it is told. Same goes to the operation theatre. And the NHS itself. So many political, money thingy and selfishness involved that stained the quality of the healthcare workers there. The Knife's Edge did open my eyes to the broken system, a system I haven't had to use really in the past 10+ years and so I'm grateful for the insight, however some education about what we could do as a reader or some insight into what's being done to turn the system around. As a now-motivated reader I would have immediately done something on putting this book down to throw my support behind it. The traverse across Knife Edge is relatively tough and requires focus and agility. Some spots are as narrow as four feet, with 2,000-foot drops on either side. Proper equipment, weather preparedness, and good decision-making are necessities.

The Knife’s Edge: The Heart and Mind of a Cardiac Surgeon The Knife’s Edge: The Heart and Mind of a Cardiac Surgeon

I can definitely see why Mr. Westaby was one of the most significant figures in the pioneering history of cardiosurgery. He didn't even need to exagerrate or overstate his long impressive career, ambitious discoveries, or essential contributions he made to the fairly new medical field at a time. It's interesting that people who are both passionate and good at their jobs in all stages of their careers feel forced out of the NHS. Coming from a lower socioeconomic strata he struggled to mix with public school students and played a lot of games to fit in. It was an injury to his head during one such game that his frontal lobe got damaged and all his inhibitions went away making him bold, daring, aggressive-- all traits required for a good surgeon. This is a remarkable story of a good outcome of a bad accident.

on a knife-edge

That is amazing Heather and the photos are gorgeous. I will admit though that just looking at your photos of Knife Edge and you scooting across gave me the heebie jeebies!! To be on a knife-edge means to be in a situation in which nobody knows what is going to happen next, or in which one thing is just as likely to happen as another. His stories as a failed good father, fears when he himself becomes a patient and the anger at the limitation of the NHS as a health provider are interesting to read. As a library, NLM provides access to scientific literature. Inclusion in an NLM database does not imply endorsement of, or agreement with, Peak (14,131 feet) has a sketchy ridgeline known as the Knife Edge that is a formidable mental opponent. Will and I decided to finally hit it up on Fourth of July […]