Stephen Westaby

El equilibrio entre la vida y la muerte es muy delicado, y el cardiocirujano camina sobre el delgado hilo que los une. En la sala de operaciones no hay lugar para las dudas. Solo hay carne, sangre y costillas; y el organo vital que hay que bombear con la mano para que recupere su latido. Un dia libre puede tener consecuencias nefastas: este trabajo tiene una curva de aprendizaje abrupta y el costo se mide en vidas. La cirugia cardiaca no es para los debiles de corazon. El profesor Stephen Westaby se arriesgo y amplio los limites de la cardiocirugia. Salvo cientos de vidas en el transcurso de una carrera de treinta y cinco años y ahora, en sus asombrosas memorias, detalla algunos de sus casos mas notables y conmovedores, como el de un bebe que sufrio multiples ataques cardiacos a los seis meses o el de un hombre cuya vida estuvo impulsada por una bateria durante ocho años. Poderoso, importante e increiblemente conmovedor, Vidas fragiles ofrece una vision excepcional del emocionante y a veces tragico mundo de la cirugia cardiaca, y nos descubre que se siente al tener la vida de alguien en tus manos.

A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2019An intimate and compelling exploration into the unique psyche of the heart surgeon, by one of the professions most eminent figures. Although Professor Stephen Westaby was born with the necessary coordination and manual dexterity, it was a head trauma sustained during university that gifted him the qualities of an exceptional heart surgeon: qualities that are frequently associated with psychopathy. His thirty-five-year career has been characterised by fearlessness and ruthless ambition; leaving empathy at the hospital door as thousands of patients put their lives in his hands. For heart surgeons, the inevitable cost of failure is death and in The Knifes Edge, Westaby reflects on the unique mindset of those who are drawn to this exhilarating and often tragic profession. We discover the pioneers who grasped opportunities and took chances to drive innovation and save lives. Often difficult, uninhibited and fearless, theirs is a field constantly threatened by the risk of public failure. Like those before him, Westaby refuses to draw the line in his search of a lifetime solution to problems of the heart. His determination is unerring a steadfastness underpinned by his unusual mind. But as we glimpse into the future of cardiac surgery, for all its remarkable scientific advancement, one question remains: within the confines of socialised medical healthcare systems, how can heart surgeons individuals often hardwired with avoidance of self-doubt, a penchant for glory and a flagrant disregard for authority truly flourish?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY PRIZETHE SUNDAY TIMES NO.2 BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE BMA PRESIDENTS AWARD 2017 An incredible memoir from one of the worlds most eminent heart surgeons, recalling some of the most remarkable and poignant cases hes worked on. Grim Reaper sits on the heart surgeons 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 someones life in your hands.