Stephen Westaby

This account of the heroic efforts to operate meaningfully within the deformed heart constitutes one of the greatest stories ever told. The surgeons were deemed psychopaths, the body count enormous. Yet with persistence and innovation those surgeons and their heart-lung machines ultimately triumphed. Professor Stephen Westaby trained with, then worked alongside, these pioneers on both sides of the Atlantic allowing him to write the most accurate, most exclusive, most insightful history of this taxing specialty.

'Never, never, never give in', Winston Churchill's famous quotation best sums up the life of Stephen Westaby, the world-leading cardiothoracic surgeon. This book chronicles the triumphs and failures of his surgical life, the lives saved and extended, the innovations (such as artificial hearts) he developed, and his research discoveries. Having spent his childhood in the backstreets of a northern steel town, he went on to become one of the world's preeminent heart surgeons. HIs drive for perfection in his profession took him to the world-renowned Harefield Hospital, the foremost heart surgery centre in Birmingham, Alabama, the newly-created Cardiothoracic Centre in Oxford, and then in 2019 in Wuhan he was the first Western doctor to learn about Covid before the virus was identified. Following on from his two earlier best-selling works, Fragile Lives and The Knife's Edge this volume is written with humour and a doctor's reverence for life and his patients. The Trauma Chronicles gives an unmissable insight into the world of one of the greatest living heart surgeons.

‘Never, never, never give in’, Winston Churchill’s famous quotation best sums up the life of Stephen Westaby, the world-leading cardiothoracic surgeon. This book chronicles the triumphs and failures of his surgical life, the lives saved and extended, the innovations (such as artificial hearts) he developed, and his research discoveries. Having spent his childhood in the backstreets of a northern steel town, he went on to become one of the world’s preeminent heart surgeons. HIs drive for perfection in his profession took him to the world-renowned Harefield Hospital, the foremost heart surgery centre in Birmingham, Alabama, the newly-created Cardiothoracic Centre in Oxford, and then in 2019 in Wuhan he was the first Western doctor to learn about Covid before the virus was identified. Following on from his two earlier best-selling works, Fragile Lives and The Knife’s Edge this volume is written with humour and a doctor’s reverence for life and his patients. The Trauma Chronicles gives an unmissable insight into the world of one of the greatest living heart surgeons.

A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2019 An intimate and compelling exploration into the unique psyche of the heart surgeon, by one of the profession�s most eminent figures.

Elämän ja kuoleman välinen tasapaino on hyvin hauras, ja sydänkirurgi työskentelee tällä rajalla. Professori Stephen Westaby on haastanut sydänleikkauksen rajoja ja pelastanut satoja ihmishenkiä kolmenkymmenentäviisi vuotta kestäneen uransa aikana. Teos tarjoaa koskettavan ja traagisenkin näkökulman sydänkirurgin arkeen ja siihen, miltä tuntuu vastata jonkun elämästä.

Grim Reaper sits on the heart surgeon's shoulder. A slip of the hand and life ebbs away. The balance between life and death is so delicate, and the heart surgeon walks that rope between the two. In the operating room there is no time for doubt. It is flesh, blood, rib-retractors and pumping the vital organ with your bare hand to squeeze the life back into it. An off-day can have dire consequences - this job has a steep learning curve, and the cost is measured in human life. Cardiac surgery is not for the faint of heart. Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of heart surgery. He saved hundreds of lives over the course of a thirty-five year career and now, in his astounding memoir, Westaby details some of his most remarkable and poignant cases - such as the baby who had suffered multiple heart attacks by six months old, a woman who lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was powered by a battery for eight years. A powerful, important and incredibly moving book, Fragile Lives offers an exceptional insight into the exhilarating and sometimes tragic world of heart surgery, and how it feels to hold someone's life in your hands.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY PRIZETHE SUNDAY TIMES NO.2 BESTSELLERWINNER OF THE BMA PRESIDENT'S AWARD 2017An incredible memoir from one of the world's most eminent heart surgeons, recalling some of the most remarkable and poignant cases he's worked on.

This text, published in the profession's centenary year, traces the history of cardiac surgery from ancient times to the present, detailing clinical developments with facsimilies of the original articles, consent forms from the first heart transplant, newspaper articles, and correspondence. The text follows a set pattern, describing the historical background to each new procedure, facsimilies of the original articles, bibliography of the main clinicians, and a commentary putting each development into its historical context.