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Arthur M. Lauretano, MD, MS, FACS

Author of Do The Right Thing

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Recent Posts

  • This is Why I Call it The Summer of Hate
  • This is the Reason Losing A Child Affects Us All
  • This is the Amazing Power of Voice
  • This is Why Doctor’s Day Truly Means Something
  • This is Why I Hate and How It Makes Me Feel

Recent Comments

  • Steve Walker on This is the Reason Surgeons are Getting Mad as a Hatter
  • Laurie Botie on This is Why I Call it The Summer of Hate
  • Nandini on Musings on The Fragility of Life
  • Nan Caiazzo on This is the Reason Losing A Child Affects Us All
  • Arthur A Lauretano on This is the Reason Losing A Child Affects Us All

Archives

Musings on The Fragility of Life

February 27, 2017 by Arthur Lauretano, MD 5 Comments

Musings on The Fragility of Life, Arthur Lauretano, M.D., Life, Life Lessons, War, Surgery, @drlauretano

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.

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Filed Under: Blog, Life Tagged With: compassion, do the right thing, Dr. Arthur Lauretano, gratitude, life, surgeon

This is the Reason Surgeons are Getting Mad as a Hatter

February 6, 2017 by Arthur Lauretano, MD 2 Comments

This is the Reason Surgeons are Getting Mad as a Hatter by Arthur Lauretano, MD, Drarthurlauretano.com, Surgeons, @drlaurtetano

“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.

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Filed Under: Blog, Medicine Tagged With: Dr. Arthur Lauretano, medicine, surgeon, surgery

Another Friday Visit to the Pediatric Ward: Newborn Abstinence Syndrome

September 24, 2016 by Arthur Lauretano, MD 3 Comments

Another Friday Visit to the Pediatric Ward: Newborn Abstinence Syndrome, Arthur Lauretano, MD, @drlauretano

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.

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Filed Under: A Day in the Life, Blog Tagged With: addiction, compassion, do the right thing, Dr. Arthur Lauretano, Newborn Abstinence Syndrome, opioid addiction, pediatric, surgeon

This Is The Reason I Honor Our First Responders

September 11, 2016 by Arthur Lauretano, MD Leave a Comment

This Is The Reason I Honor Our First Responders, Dr Arthur Lauretano, @DrLauretano, 9/11

 

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.

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Filed Under: Blog, Do The Right Thing, Honor Tagged With: acknowledgement, compassion, do the right thing, Dr. Arthur Lauretano, personal risk, surgeon, surgery, thank you

The Right Thing to Do Means Honoring the Needs of Others

June 28, 2016 by Arthur Lauretano, MD 1 Comment

The Right Thing to Do Means Honoring the Needs of Others by Arthur Lauretano, M.D., @drlauretano

When Medical Skills Aren’t Enough

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.

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Filed Under: Blog, Do The Right Thing Tagged With: compassion, Dr. Arthur Lauretano, instant gratification, listening, medical skills, patient, surgeon

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