Show Notes
The Dr. Death case exposed faults in the medical system that have yet to be repaired. We conclude our special two-part episode of The Life Medical podcast by meeting a group of medicolegal advocates who were instrumental in helping to convict Christopher Duntsch, and continue to address the institutional loopholes that enabled him to inflict his neurosurgical malpractice. This expert panel also reveals unique, behind-the-scenes details of the Dr. Death saga not presented in the podcast or streaming series.
More from The Life Medical
In this latest episode of The Life Medical podcast, I spoke with the great Todd Berland, Professor of Vascular Surgery at NYU. His interviewing prowess teased out my neurosurgery origin story and predictions for the future of the field, as well as a deep dive into the passion project that is Discogen. A pilot clinical study at Columbia began this year to test the treatment our company has developed to repair spinal disc disease noninvasively.
This week, we kick off an exciting new segment, Anatomy of a Case, where doctors share their most difficult and unusual clinical challenges. We begin with Dr. Katherine Teter, a vascular surgeon at NYU, describing her first night on-call as an attending. She was asked to manage an uncontrolled hemorrhage resulting from another doctor’s procedural complication. We hear the initial details in her own words, and she leaves us with a cliffhanger before heading to the operating room . My cohost Todd Berland - clinical professor and host of the Vascular Surgery show on SiriusXM Doctor Radio - and I do not know the outcome of the case, but we make some educated guesses before Katherine joins us and reveals the outcome. It’s a gripping yarn!
Frank Veith has had a remarkable seventy-year career in vascular surgery, pioneering techniques that transformed the field from Frank Veith has had a remarkable seventy-year career in vascular surgery, pioneering techniques that transformed the field from open to endovascular procedures. His book, The Medical Jungle, details the genesis of these innovations, while candidly describing his battles with an establishment that sought to either block or take credit for his progress. His story will motivate anyone who has faced adversity to stand up - to be radical - even when it is unpopular.
Neurosurgeon Nicholas Theodore opens the episode by taking us through the decision calculus of spinal cord decompression surgery. We then inaugurate our Life Medical Book Club with two distinguished physician authors. The first is Malcolm Ogborn, whose book Sudden Leadership is subtitled A Survival Guide for Physicians. Then Michael Zema, the author of Modern Healthcare Delivery - Deliverance or Debacle, gives us a a view from the inside out of the history of the modern medical system in the United States.
Last week, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency. For perspective, we talk with Dr. Mario Ramirez, an emergency room physician whose varied career has included a stint as Acting Director of the Office of Pandemics and Emerging Threats at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We also revisit the caselog of our friend, neurosurgeon Dr. Martin Lazar, who brings us into a nail-biter of a spinal tumor case. We share his operative video, with permission, on our website and all our social channels. The picture is truly worth a thousand words, on the latest episode of The Life Medical podcast.