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Michael E. DeBakey
Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, pioneer heart surgeon and medical device innovator, died July 11, 2008, in Houston, about 2 months shy of his 100th birthday on Sept. 7. In his lifetime, Dr. DeBakey was renowned for his immense contributions to…
Applying Education Theory to Vascular Training
Citing a revolution in the way surgeons learn their craft, Dr. Erica L. Mitchell and Dr. Sonal Arora present an analysis of vascular training to identify key learning points and needs as residents move from novice to expert. Their report…
Veith’s Viewpoint: Vascular Surgery and Creativity
Vascular surgery is an exciting field. It also faces enormous challenges. These include a difficult economic climate and intense competition from other specialties, both interventional and surgical. Vascular surgery has certain assets, such as its commitment only to the management…
Dealing With the Disruptive Surgeon
“Get this thing out of my operating room! The colon stapling device exploded into pieces when I hurled it against the operating room wall.” Most would assume that this must be a quote from an earlier era, when surgical icons…
Veith’s Viewpoint: Extend and Fix the Sunshine Act, or End It
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has the laudable goals of extending health care insurance coverage and reducing overall health care costs. However, hidden in the over 2,400 pages of this bill are a number of provisions, many as yet unrecognized,…
Veith’s Viewpoint: The Vascular Disease Paradox
Vascular patients who most need treatment are often difficult and risky to treat by open operation or an endovascular intervention. In contrast, patients who least need invasive treatment or need it not at all usually have lesions that are easy…
February Fix-Up
Welcome to the February online edition of Vascular Specialist. We all had hoped for more but had to settle for another temporary fix to the SGR, this time for 10 months until December 31, 2012. Our SGR story gives the…
Einstein’s Aneurysm: Of Cellophane and Rudolph Nissen
In December 1948, Dr. Rudolph Nissen, later famed for his esophageal surgery technique called fundoplication, operated on Albert Einstein, at the Jewish Hospital in Brooklyn, New York to remove intestinal cysts. Einstein was simultaneously diagnosed with a large intact aneurysm…
‘Our What’s In It For Me’ Society
These are hard times for the United States. Our economy is floundering. Unemployment is high. Bankers and financiers seem to be getting away with immoral and even illegal actions. People are disgruntled and dissatisfied. Our government seems to be unable…
A Thoughtful December
Welcome to our December Online issue. I hope you all have a happy holiday season and as prosperous a new year as Congress will allow. Dr. Andros We have some very interesting articles this month. In particular, I call your…