TY  - BOOK
AU  - Westaby,Stephen
TI  - Fragile lives: a heart surgeon's stories of life and death on the operating table 
SN  - 9780008196783 (pbk.) :
AV  - RD27.35 
U1  - 617.412092 23
PY  - 2018///
CY  - London
PB  - Harper
KW  - Westaby, Stephen
KW  - Heart
KW  - Surgery
KW  - Anecdotes
KW  - Heart surgeons
N1  - Originally published: 2017
N2  - This is an 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. 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. 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
ER  -