[Leica] Long surgeries, mistakes etc.

[Edward Caliguri <caliguri@rcn.com>]

Well- there are many 12 hour plus surgeries. Speed may or may not be a
factor, so much as fatigue - a surgeon cannot start a surgery and not finish
it. Maybe people expect too much from one individual sometimes.  A surgeon
doesn't get the next day off just because he has worked a long day before.
Complicated procedures such as cardiothoracic surgeries, bypass, lung
resections, etc. are technically demanding and physically fatiguing.  The
demand for these procedures is very high and there are only so many people
to do them with only so many available OR slots.  There are many checks and
balances in the system, but still human error can occur.  When it does
happen, the results are often tragic, but considering the amount of
procedures overall, it is surprising it is not worse. But it happens.
    Simon - Really now,  I could not equate the burns sustained from a tea
bag to be an adequate comparison. Kit has a great point - I have heard of,
and seen, occurrences she mentions (in humans and animals - wound
dehiscence, complications following the procedures etc.) and I am willing to
bet that they occur near the end of these long procedures Still, many could
be avoided, and unfortunately she is right in saying insurance, liability
etc. may all play a role. This is a HUGE area ripe for reform .
    Additionally, surgeon 'self esteem and self importance' - In my opinion
they are trained (and in some ways must be) to believe they are always right
in order to confidently make an ultimate life saving decision,  may also
play a small role here as well. How many times have you, a loved one, or a
pet has gone 'under the knife', asked beforehand if the surgeon YOU chose -
maybe the best in the field - will do all the work him/her self? Well - I
can say for sure that there are times where a resident in training will do
all the work, while your world renowned surgeon sits by, commenting once in
a while. This is not to mention some of the 'comments' made about a
patient's physique or something else by staff once the patient has gone
under (usually in less serious cases).
    As in any profession, there are the great and not-so-great. It just
happens that here, it IS a matter of life and death. I am sure other docs in
the forum could chime in on this, but it would make for a long off topic
discussion.
    Thanks for reading this!
        Ed

> Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 19:27:25 +0100
> From: "animal" <s.jessurun95@chello.nl>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] OR photography and what can really happen
> Message-ID: <00c301c2de8d$e0575510$388a8418@symkeehx5nw8g8>
> References: <NDEIJCBGJPIEPDFEENCMOEDGCKAA.kitmc@acmefoto.com>
> 
> Kit
> Well if your minimum speed is 300 feet a second that is not true.
> And i would think that with an open Thorax you are in a hurry to.
> Speed is life.
> simon

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