When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from NeurosurgeryThe story of one man's evolution from naive and ambitious young intern to world-class neurosurgeon. With poignant insight and humor, Frank Vertosick Jr., MD, describes some of the greatest challenges of his career, including a six-week-old infant with a tumor in her brain, a young man struck down in his prime by paraplegia, and a minister with a .22-caliber bullet lodged in his skull. Told through intimate portraits of Vertosick’s patients and unsparing yet fascinatingly detailed descriptions of surgical procedures, When the Air Hits Your Brain—the culmination of decades spent struggling to learn an unforgiving craft—illuminates both the mysteries of the mind and the realities of the operating room. |
Contents
Thanks for Everything | |
The Museum of Pain | |
Ailments Untreatable | |
Surgical Psychopaths | |
If It Was Easy Everyone Would Do | |
A Bit of Hard Cheese | |
Rebecca | |
Nightmares Past and Future | |
The Wheel of Life | |
Belonging | |
Postscript | |
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Andy Andy’s anesthesiologist aneurysm angiogram artery asked baby began Billy Billy’s biopsy bleeding blood pressure bone boss brain stem brain surgeon brain tumor called cancer cardiac cardiac surgery Carl cells cerebellum chest chief resident clinical clot craniotomy CT scan Decadron didn’t disc disease drugs dura epinephrine Eric exit eyes face feel Filipiano fingers floor fluid fucking Gary Gary’s going hand he’s head heart hemorrhage hospital hydrocephalus infant intern living looked lung medicine meningioma minutes months morning myelogram neck nerves neurologists neurology neurosurgery neurosurgical never night nurse operating room pain parents patient plastic pulled Rebecca removed rotation Sarah scalp scrub Shirley’s shit skull spinal cord spine staff surgeon stopped surgery surgical tell temporary clip tissue tracheostomy transplant trauma tube ventilator vertebral artery Vertosick ward weeks What’s woman wound Yeah