February 18th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Book Reviews
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I received a free copy of the book, Genius on the Edge: The Bizarre Double Life of Dr. William Stewart Halsted by Gerald Imber, MD, a week ago. I have enjoyed reading it. The book is the biography of Dr Halsted, but also gives you a glimpse into the life of many other great medical figures: William Osler, William Henry Welch, Harvey Cushing, etc. (photo credit)
In many ways it is a history of medicine/surgery in America. Halsted was very influential in bringing aseptic techniques to surgery and introduced the residency training system. He used his knowledge of anatomy to improve surgical technique. He performed the first successful hernia repair and radical mastectomy for breast cancer.
Early in his career Halsted became addicted to cocaine while experimenting with the drug for use as a local anesthetic. Treatment at the time, involved substituting morphine for cocaine. Halsted spent 40 years of his life struggling with his addiction to both cocaine and morphine. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
February 11th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, True Stories
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“Mrs. C**, how are you doing?”
She left the wheel chair in the waiting room, smiling “I’ll show you.”
She dances nimbly down the hallway to the exam room, having lost her forty pound apron a week ago. Her laughter is infectious.
“Let’s get rid of these drains.”
**Not her real name.
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
February 4th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
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The umbilicus is perhaps the only scar that all of us want. The umbilicus forms after birth as a result of the placental cord being transected as the infant is “detached” from his/her mother. As the stump of the cord necroses, the scab falls away as the base heals leaving a scar: the umbilicus.
The umbilicus has been described as a depressed scar surrounded by a natural skin fold that measures 1.5 to 2 cm in diameter and lies anatomically within the midline at the level of superior iliac crest.
Neoumbilicoplasty in simple terms is the creation or reconstruction of a new umbilicus to replace the missing or deformed umbilicus. (absence of defined umbilicus, photo credit) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
January 28th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
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It has been a while since I’ve had a patient with postoperative alcohol withdrawal. I can still recall my first exposure to this problem as a 3rd year medical student at the Veteran’s Hospital. It was my first clinical rotation – surgery service at the VA.
Browsing the CME articles on the JAMA website, I came across the article (full reference below): Improved Outcomes in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer Using a Standardized Care Protocol for Postoperative Alcohol Withdrawal. For me it was a nice review of the problem with updates on current drug use/protocol.
Their protocol is based on three distinct clusters of symptoms characterize alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Central nervous system excitation usually occurs within 12 to 48 hours after the last drink. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
January 19th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion
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A few years ago I wrote about the “Suitability” of a patient for plastic surgery. I was reminded of this topic by two cases in the recent lay media:
The first involves Heidi Montag, 23, who in November had multiple surgical procedures and is being compared to Joan Rivers.
According to People, Montag even kept her family in the dark about her intended transformation to become her “best me.” Telling only her husband Spencer Pratt, Montag had a nose job revision, chin reduction, mini brow lift, Botox in her forehead and frown area, fat injections in her cheeks, nasolabial folds and lips, neck liposuction, ear pinning, liposuction on her waist, hips, inner and outer thighs, buttock augmentation and breast augmentation revision. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
I received a free copy of the book, Genius on the Edge: The Bizarre Double Life of Dr. William Stewart Halsted by Gerald Imber, MD, a week ago. I have enjoyed reading it. The book is the biography of Dr Halsted, but also gives you a glimpse into the life of many other great medical figures: William Osler, William Henry Welch, Harvey Cushing, etc. (photo credit)
