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

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The bureaucracy/politics of the medical system baffled me on more than one occasion. I shared Westaby's frustrations with it all and wanted to shake these people till common sense popped in their heads. (As my one friend said before... "This is why some people are frustrated with and/or hate the Health profession") 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.”

Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life [PDF] [EPUB] Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life

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 Good nutrition for both mothers and babies can make a world of difference. If a mother is well nourished, she will be healthy and strong for her baby, better able to breastfeed and more likely to survive pregnancy-related complications. For babies, good nutrition from birth means they will grow stronger and more resilient, with each day of life. When Kawita became pregnant with their second child, Uttam worried they wouldn’t be able to afford the birth but then they heard about Penny Appeal’s new Health Centre. Kawita gave birth at our centre to a healthy baby, and both mother and child are dong wonderfully. 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:I read this pretty much in one sitting - an incredibly emotional, informative and really very addictive memoir here from Stephen Westaby, I now know more about the human heart than I ever could imagine that I would. This one stood out to me, the fact Westaby was from the UK peaked my interest too. I hadn't listened to someone from that profession who lived outside the USA and it had me very curious. I started listening to it the same night on the way to work.

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

Pregnant women who have an FMR1 premutation or full mutation may pass that mutated gene on to their children. A prenatal test allows healthcare providers to detect the mutated gene in the developing fetus. This important information helps families and providers to prepare for Fragile X syndrome and to intervene as early as possible. It is raw medicine, meaning sometimes it goes really well and everything is amazing, but some others it does not. And I think it was really important to deliver that message as well. Because it is a history of a human being, and only success would have made it boring, dull, and not realistic at all. And well, if it was only failure, he would not have become the eminence he is at the moment in hin field.

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.

Fragile Lives by Stephen Westaby; Emergency Admissions by Kit

Fragile Lives is a memoir written by Stephen Westaby, one of the most well known cardiac surgeons and hugely prolific in his chosen field. A trailblazer from very early on in his career, he continued to pave the way for the use of new and unknown cardiac treatments and apparatus. 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. 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. In medicine, life and death are constantly intersecting. Live are fragile. While doctors strive to save every life, there are still times when even their best efforts fall short. It is in times like these that it is so tempting to descend into a maelstrom of despondency. Yet, it is also in times like these that strength must prevail, and one must carry on in spite of regret and failure.The size of the mutation. Some people have a smaller mutation (a lower number of repeats) in their FMR1 gene, while others have big mutations (a large number of repeats) in the gene. If the mutation is small, the body may be able to make some of the protein. Having the protein available makes the symptoms milder. He covers mostly his professional career and gives very little insight into his personal life. The book is written in such an empathic manner that one could rejoice with the author when a patient is saved. A very detailed account of every case but the author mostly focuses on the surgical procedure. I like the author's approach as a surgeon, he was empathic and at the same time with very tough nerves. This book is a little technical and you can get through it if you have a basic idea of the anatomy and physiology of the heart and lungs. You must provide the right equipment to prevent falls and ensure those using it have the right skills and experience to work safely.. Westaby’s mantra is: “Move on, learn, try harder.” Innovation, he argues, is the goal, not outcomes. Since 2013, performance has been measured in “surgeon-specific mortality data”. As a result, he believes that cardiac surgery is too risky today for young students. They are “downtrodden, defensive, uncertain of themselves”. This is an incredible compilation. I'm not sure why, but with medicine, despite the fact that you lose more patients than you can save, it's those few survivors that give you the ability to persevere. They make it all matter. It doesn't matter how smart you are, you just need to be smart enough to care more than others, to be more passionate than others. It's tragic that a healthcare system is in the hands of political leaders who usually don't know enough about the preciousness of human life. Its not just the NHS, its a lot of countries' healthcare systems. Its tragic because lives are lost when support was needed.

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The promoter part of the FMR1 gene includes many repeats—repeated instances of a specific DNA sequence called the CGG sequence. The FMR1 gene usually has between 6 and 40 repeats in the promoter; the average is 30 repeats. Masterfully written and when Open Heart is recited, it rolls off the tongue like prose in its melliferous rhythm narrated by one of the world's leading heart surgeons. If you happen to favor Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal or legendary Henry Marsh’s Do No Harm you have found a read on the same level with added gore and "blut” pooling. Control: Work on or near fragile surfaces requires a combination of stagings, guard rails, fall restraint, fall arrest and safety nets slung beneath and close to the roof.Like Henry Marsh, Westaby has become disgruntled with an NHS bogged down in bureaucracy. It's only briefly mentioned at the end, but you can sense his frustration with the system in some of the cases. Who thinks it makes sense to send senior surgeons on courses to learn CPR? And the death list! Some government idiot decided to name and shame surgeons who have deaths on their operating tables. Seriously ill people will die sometimes. This just deters surgeons from taking risks, risks that could save lives. Most people given a chance of a slow and painful death or a risky surgery, would rather have the surgery. Instead they are filled with drugs and sent home to die.