“Man was born to work hard.” - Michael E. Debakey MD

One of my all time favorite Jesus’ parables is the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. It talks about about a man who before going on a trip called his 3 servants and entrusted property to them. The first two doubled what they were given whereas the last one, unhappy with the amount he received, just buried the money. The man, on his return, was unhappy with this last servant.

On Friday, Michael E. Debakey died at the age of 99 and he more than doubled the “talents” he received. In a career spanning over 70 years, he single-handedly changed the face of cardiac surgery. He did so much with his life, reading about him makes you want to get up and invent something.

What a life!

In a world today where people are unhappy with their lives and never want to take personal responsibility, a life like Debakey’s is really a beacon of hope and example.

Debakey Classification, the carotid endarterectomy, the roller pump, Boris Yeltsin, the Debakey VAD and so on.

May he rest in peace and my condolences to his family and all his loved ones.

We obtained this video from the bronchoscopy of a 7-year-old boy who aspirated a piece of meat.

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My dad died recently from heart failure and I am still devastated. He was 71. His past medical history was significant for two strokes in the last 6 years, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. He was also legally blind. When he was diagnosed with heart failure, he realized the severity of the battle in front of him and decided it was not worth the fight. He made his peace with God and himself and over a six-month period, he bid everyone farewell. Everyone but me.

Why? Because he knew with my western training, I do not accept death. He knew I would rush down and have him poked and prodded for a few more months, maybe years. But, what dignity would those years have? How would we remember him when he finally did die?

On the night he died, he was surrounded by family. They were singing and praying. My brother said, ” ..he fell asleep.” When I went to see his body in the morgue, he had the most peaceful and content look I have ever seen on any face!

His death has made me question some of the things we doctors do. How many times do we prolong life only to subject patients to a life devoid of any dignity whatsoever - a trach, decubitus ulcers, feeding tubes, pneumonias, and the list goes on. Quality of life needs to factor into our day-to-day heroics. The problem is often the family members who refuse to respect the wishes of a parent or grandparent and physicians who want to be seen as the hero who saved the day. It is particularly rampant in academic centers where the need to teach and learn sometimes clouds judgment. It may be the young, new attending who wants to prove himself.

Death may be a very dignified way out and those who accept it should have their wishes respected.

Dad, R.I.P.

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In yesterday’s edition of the WSJ, Jonathan Kellerman, a noted author and clinical psychologist wrote an opinion piece entitled the “Health Insurance Mafia.”

I thought this article was somewhat simplistic but all the same interesting because it shows a way out of the Healthcare mess. It points to the fact that the route out of all this might be through Health Savings Accounts.

Please click here to read this article.

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It’s been a while since I posted. However, it is better late than never so, here we go. I shot this interesting clip in the OR of the heart fibrillating.

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