The Ethics of Surgery: Conflicts and Controversies

Robert M. Sade, ed. The Ethics of Surgery: Conflicts and Controversies . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2015. ISBN-10: 0190204532, ISBN-13: 978-0190204532. $99.00. ![Graphic][1] The vast majority of the surgeons are highly ethical and do “the right thing” (M. Edwards, personal communication, 2015). But what is the right thing? One principle has been unchanged for physicians over the centuries, the message of the Hippocratic Oath: always do what is best for the patient, and the patient comes first. This was true when physicians mainly offered comfort, support, house calls, and relief of pain. But what about now? Now technology is available that can keep a moribund patient alive for prolonged periods of time, costs are considerable, and resources are finite. In addition, family members now have the disruption and suffering of hopelessly seeing an elderly loved one intubated and under circulatory support, often with a small chance of recovery. Dr Robert Sade, a thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon, has long been interested in ethical issues that apply to problems seen in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. For more than 10 years, he has edited a section on “ethical issues” in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery . This book is a selection of the articles that Dr Sade has written or coauthored in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery or The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery . This book has two goals in the … Corresponding Author: Dr Luis O. Vasconez, 3381 Breton Circle NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319, USA. E-mail: lvasconez{at}uabmc.edu [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif