Arthur M. Lauretano, MD, MS, FACS
Author of Do The Right Thing
The overhead paging system implored, “Any available surgeon to ICU STAT” while my ASCOM phone rang, with my team leader nurse telling me, “They need you right away in the ICU.” As far away from the ICU as one could be, I ran across the hospital, trying to move as quickly as I could in OR clogs and on a torn right knee meniscus.
“Mad as a hatter.”
The term actually comes from the toxicity hat makers would develop from exposure to mercury fumes in the 1800s. So, what does this have to do with surgery? Recently Liz Kowalczyk’s “No More Surgical Caps for Surgeons?” September 1, 2016, Boston Globe discussed the anger some surgeons have had over new hospital policies regarding surgical caps worn in the operating room.
For years, most surgeons have worn a surgical cap that sits above the ears. Most are disposable, but some are custom made or personalized cloth caps. I have a Spiderman cap and a cap with musical notes all over it. The concern more recently has been the amount of hair left uncovered, and the potential risk of infection from this hair.
I love Fridays – they are the reward for the work I do earlier in the week. Fridays are my operating room day, and any surgeon will tell you that this is home – where I practice my craft, where I am most relaxed, and where I am immersed in a culture in which I flourish.
I awakened from a dream this morning, 9-11-16, and my first thought was the first responders. Let me back up for a moment to tell you about my dream.
I was in the operating room, removing a large tumor from a patient’s face, carefully dissecting and preserving the nerve that moves the patient’s facial muscles. There were all the typical bizarre dream elements: the room in which I was operating looked more like a cafeteria, with at least ten patients having surgery at the same time. One of my associates, also a head and neck surgeon, was operating on someone’s stomach. In the middle of this dream surgery, the junior resident assisting me decided to remove his glove and feel the tumor, contaminating the entire surgical field.
Sometimes, doing the right thing means simply being a good listener. Listening, though, isn’t always what comes naturally, especially for surgeons.
Surgeons are noted for their desire for immediate gratification. We’re known for wanting to fix things quickly. We want to remove the cancer, repair the hernia, and suture the wound. We have the medical skills that we’ve worked hard to acquire, and we want to use them to cure the disease.
Yet, sometimes, our medical skills aren’t enough. What you learned in medical school often is beside the point.