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Fragile Lives: A Heart Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table Kindle Edition
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY PRIZE
THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.2 BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE BMA PRESIDENT’S AWARD 2017
An incredible memoir from one of the world’s most eminent heart surgeons, recalling some of the most remarkable and poignant cases he’s worked on.
Grim Reaper sits on the heart surgeon’s shoulder. A slip of the hand and life ebbs away.
The balance between life and death is so delicate, and the heart surgeon walks that rope between the two. In the operating room there is no time for doubt. It is flesh, blood, rib-retractors and pumping the vital organ with your bare hand to squeeze the life back into it. An off-day can have dire consequences – this job has a steep learning curve, and the cost is measured in human life. Cardiac surgery is not for the faint of heart.
Professor Stephen Westaby took chances and pushed the boundaries of heart surgery. He saved hundreds of lives over the course of a thirty-five year career and now, in his astounding memoir, Westaby details some of his most remarkable and poignant cases – such as the baby who had suffered multiple heart attacks by six months old, a woman who lived the nightmare of locked-in syndrome, and a man whose life was powered by a battery for eight years.
A powerful, important and incredibly moving book, Fragile Lives offers an exceptional insight into the exhilarating and sometimes tragic world of heart surgery, and how it feels to hold someone’s life in your hands.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperCollins
- Publication date9 Feb. 2017
- File size2.4 MB

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Review
Raw and moving the writing is thrilling. Fragile Lives is a frank and absorbing memoir by a man who has done about as much good to his fellow human beings as it is possible to do in one lifetime. The Times, Book of the Week
With his battle cry of bugger protocol and his renaming of medical directors as the Stasi , Westaby comes across as the bloke you d want on your side in the fight to stay alive. Guardian Books of the Year
The stakes could not be higher in this bloody, muscular and adrenaline-charged memoir from a pioneering heart surgeon at points it made my own heart race dangerously. Surgeons are meant to be objective, Westaby tells himself, not human . What makes this book so fascinating, and so moving, is the terrible tension between these necessary qualities. Sunday Times
A full-frontal and thrilling portrayal. Each story in this fascinating book brings a new nail-biting surgical adventure A gifted surgeon, Westaby is also a natural writer Fragile Lives succeeds on many levels: political battle cry, chronicle of bloody feats, history of modern cardiology, tribute to patients and paean to surgery. Daily Telegraph
Westaby is everything you would hope from a maverick surgical genius: authoritative, engaged, passionate and opinionated. His book, annoyingly well written for someone who has penned only medical papers and handbooks, reads like a thriller, except with rather more corpses. You race to each chapter s end to see if his certain-to-die patient survives. The Times
The book is a cracking example of a thriving sub-genre of autobiography, the medical memoir. Anyone who enjoyed the 2014 bestseller Do No Harm by the brain surgeon Henry Marsh, a friend of Westaby s, will relish Fragile Lives, too. Each story is gripping, written in a vivid, almost brutal way that matches the blood and gore of cardiac surgery. Financial Times
--Financial TimesAbout the Author
Steve Westaby is a celebrated world-famous heart surgeon who is renowned for being the first surgeon in history to fit a patient with a new type of artificial heart. During his 35 year career as a surgeon he worked at several of the UK s top hospitals and performed over 11,000 heart operations. He won The Midlander of the Year Award (2002) and a Ray C. Fish Award for Scientific Achievement (2004). In 2004 Steve Westaby was featured in the BBC documentary Your Life in Their Hands which is a long-running series on the subject of surgery.
Product details
- ASIN : B01M0614IK
- Publisher : HarperCollins
- Accessibility : Learn more
- Publication date : 9 Feb. 2017
- Edition : First Edition
- Language : English
- File size : 2.4 MB
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 353 pages
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008196776
- Page Flip : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: 140,937 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 2 in Transplantation Surgery
- 82 in Internal Medicine
- 93 in Medical Biographies
- Customer reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book a fascinating read that provides real insight into the life of a cardiac surgeon, with interesting accounts of pioneering heart surgery. The writing is compelling, with a glossary explaining medical terms, and customers describe it as gripping with both humor and emotional content. The technical details receive mixed reactions, with some finding it down-to-earth while others find it rather technical.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book fascinating and brilliant, describing it as a jaw-dropping read that they devoured.
"...a profound resolve to cardiac surgery in both a clinical, academic, managerial and professional capacity...." Read more
"...So, a lovely book, facintating reading - methinks he would have made a lovely wonderful but erracible colleague who cared deeply for his patients...." Read more
"...Overall, this was a very good book about the professional life of a leading cardiac surgeon, but could have been even better if the stories had been..." Read more
"I don’t normally do reviews but this book was truly incredible...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's insight into cardiac surgery, particularly its interesting accounts of pioneering procedures and the cardiologist's genuine care for patients.
"...But subsequent chapters become case reports on interesting, saddening, tragic and surprisingly hopeful cases, e.g. the boy and mother in the desert..." Read more
"...and there is an abundance of evidence of incredible humanity and compassion...." Read more
"...this was a very good book about the professional life of a leading cardiac surgeon, but could have been even better if the stories had been..." Read more
"...of cardiac surgery and the developments of technology which can save countless lives...." Read more
Customers find the writing of the book compelling and easy to read, with helpful glossaries explaining medical terms, and one customer notes it reads like a thriller with twists and turns.
"...But subsequent chapters become case reports on interesting, saddening, tragic and surprisingly hopeful cases, e.g. the boy and mother in the desert..." Read more
"...How times change.. That said he writes beautifully, is not afraid to laugh at his own arrogance and acknowledge when he was testy and..." Read more
"...terms were explained near first use - and there was a glossary if you needed further help..." Read more
"...allowed me to have my little sister, who is still with us today, a beautiful, smiling, almost 30 year old who loves her life...." Read more
Customers enjoy the stories in the book, which feature both successes and drama, with one customer highlighting the human drama of heart surgery and another noting how the author never gives up on hopeless cases.
"...become case reports on interesting, saddening, tragic and surprisingly hopeful cases, e.g. the boy and mother in the desert is tragic, the boy in..." Read more
"...What a great man he is, a man who never gives up on hopeless cases, a true pioneer, people person, I only speak as I find!!!..." Read more
"...But what shines through is the author's empathy, struggle to do the right thing, and determination to save and improve lives...." Read more
"...It was amazing to read about all the technical details and human drama of heart surgery...." Read more
Customers find the pacing of the book gripping and moving, with one customer noting it grabbed them from page one.
"...The real life stories are gripping and although some inevitable sad outcomes, demonstrates the evolution of cardiac surgery and the developments of..." Read more
"...It took my breath away...." Read more
"...Had me laughing as well as stunned and gripped throughout. I’m a nurse and can relate to his frustrations with regards to the nhs...." Read more
"...But why wouldn't you want to? This is a fascinating read; by turns, exciting, agonizing, exhilarating, frustrating and heart breaking...." Read more
Customers appreciate the emotional content of the book, describing it as heart breaking and sad.
"...But subsequent chapters become case reports on interesting, saddening, tragic and surprisingly hopeful cases, e.g. the boy and mother in the desert..." Read more
"...This book made me smile and laugh and cry and feel a little bit more knowledgeable about cardiothoracics." Read more
"...read; by turns, exciting, agonizing, exhilarating, frustrating and heart breaking...." Read more
"I enjoyed this book even though it was quite sad in places." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor, finding it entertaining with moments of laughter and tears.
"...me to have my little sister, who is still with us today, a beautiful, smiling, almost 30 year old who loves her life...." Read more
"...author describes battling bureaucracy and obdurate colleagues, amusing anecdotes and wry asides..." Read more
"As a former nurse I totally lapped up this wonderful book written with humour and compassion but also very informative about cardiac surgery...." Read more
"...the stories of patient journeys both heartbreakingly sad and joyfully satisfying...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the technical content of the book, with some finding it down-to-earth and easy to follow, while others find it rather technical and difficult to understand.
"...It was amazing to read about all the technical details and human drama of heart surgery...." Read more
"...are riveting, and often brutally shocking, reading, they are rather technical and without some prior knowledge of the anatomy of the heart and its..." Read more
"Honest record into the very tough job of a cardiac surgeon. Operating is perhaps easier than deciding when to operate and then to carry the..." Read more
"...I particularly enjoyed the detail of the operations and recovering patients it really was quite a revelation that most of the cutting edge..." Read more
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My Story - mr clarke
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 May 2017I am a neurosurgical registrar who has done general, plastics, vascular and thoracic surgery prior to neurosurgical training. This book is superb and during some training in Oxford encountered Professor Westaby. His reputation is known and during medical school (or might have been before) watched that BBC series on him. It is clear as crystal this is a man who has demonstrated a profound resolve to cardiac surgery in both a clinical, academic, managerial and professional capacity. He (alongside Henry Marsh) are of the old guard in surgery, i.e. their depth of knowledge, hours, operative experience and freedom to pursue their craft is something my generation of young surgeons does not have (unfortunately for a multitude of reasons).
This book is a great book. It does have one significant draw back that detracts from both Professor Westaby's known excellence and utterly human approach to patient management (see below). He cares deeply about patients and this book was revealing about his childhood and family circumstances that moulded his medical perspectives. It is a book, which if you have had extremely humble, e.g. almost poverty, beginnings and worked independently from the ground upwards, has such encouraging experiential depth to push you onwards. It is no surprise that often the case abounds that such meagre beginnings coupled to a highly ambitious forward thinking mind creates a level of sustained commitment to ones development and professionalism.
The earlier chapters are explanatory in this regard. But subsequent chapters become case reports on interesting, saddening, tragic and surprisingly hopeful cases, e.g. the boy and mother in the desert is tragic, the boy in South Africa, the young girl in London blue lighted to Oxford and multiple others. Each reveals that this man gave everything he had to not merely pushing cardiac surgery (and the surgical management of heart failure patients in both Oxford and nationally forward) but more so to simply help save patients (and their families) in dire straits. This is the overwhelming unintentional thrust of his book (I don't think he composed it to reflect that but it comes across) and might be lost on those overly critical readers that lack the professional experience and understanding of surgical training then and surgical thinking.
Unfortunately, the repetitious nature of each chapter being constructed as a case report that unintentionally has an undertone of "if I wasn't around to save the day then nothing would have happened" detracts enormously at times and can I imagine be extremely off putting to some readers. This is an injustice to Professor Westaby and I think editorial oversight should have picked this up, e.g. there is a section in Henry Marsh's book Do No Harm that some critics branded as extremely arrogant but due to the construction makes plain to anyone his frustration, annoyance and utter justification for losing his temper towards the end of one chapter in that book. This doesn't occur here. So at times a lay reader (and indeed other doctors that 1) are not surgeons and 2) have an unjustifiable loathing of surgeons) does not have the necessary prose to understand some things in this book. I read through some negative reviews and this became a recurring theme.
One thing to state is that it is surgeons that undertake irreversible steps that in any other context would be classified as battery, assault, intention to wound and to harm life, e.g. taking a knife to someone to save or improve life is counterintuitive to some people. It is natural for us. This attracts a mind that outwardly might display arrogance, egotism and high mindedness but inwardly is one robust enough to endure all the unintentional individual and multi-disciplinary mistakes, obstacles, let downs, unexpected tragedies and everything throughout in the pursuit that one day our craft, in those most critical of surgical specialties, e.g. neurosurgery and cardiothoracic surgery, can not just save but significantly improve life. The This is the obvious thrust of this book and he communicates this extremely well.
But it is in the Acknowledgement section at the back of the book that he excels himself. It was humbling to read his honest self appraisal of the toll his commitment has taken on his personal life. It reinforces the now increasingly experiential (as merely theoretical) learning about ones own self that commitment to these jobs is life changing. These books serve a multitude of purposes, e.g. just as Ben Carson's book Gifted Hands highly encouraged me as a nine year old, I hope this book goes on to encourage to recruit inquiring minds into medicine in Britain. The old guard in surgery might have all but disappeared amidst the increasing demoralising changes in the NHS but their reincarnation (I am being metaphorical here) is always possible.
If you are a young person at school and you have high ambitions go for it.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2018as a Registered Nurse of many many years it was interesting to note his typical medical arrogance in places but to keep this in perspective he was a doctor from an era where they were treated like 'little tin gods'.
I take the view he was well trained, for free therefore needed to repay for this training. But he was a man of his time - he refers to his colleagues popping out for a ciggy - as they all did! I well remember knowing which anaesthetist was in theatre by the cigar smoke smell. How times change..
That said he writes beautifully, is not afraid to laugh at his own arrogance and acknowledge when he was testy and there is an abundance of evidence of incredible humanity and compassion.
He clearly got frustrated by a paramedic teaching him basic life support but to be fair although he was amazing at surgery and massaging a heart in his hand this is not the same as delivering basic life support with either no or minimal equipment - no chest retractors, by pass machines etc. And no access to hand squeezing or prodding the actual heart.
The paramedic charged with teaching him his BLS (part of his statutory mandatory training) was probably terrified of teaching him, but 'basic life support' is not the same as what he regularly undertook therefore if he was honest he probably did learn something - of how to cope with no equipment or the bells and whistles he usually had - or team support he manifestly worked well with and thought a lot of. And if he didn't learn anything then perhaps he should have?
Basic life support guidance is updated every 5 or so years as a result of research into outcomes of real BLS on real people. Therefore needs teaching, and like any psychomotor skill - if you don't do it regularly, you lose it.
That said it was a lovely book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading - coming from his era and having to adapt to the huge level of bureaucracy and egos currently endemic within the NHS I feel for his patent anger and frustration with the levels of both now firmly embedded within the system.
He and his team were pioneers and they undoubtedly changed the 'routines' of cardiac surgery - more power to them. And as he stated, most of his patients would have died - there was no alternative treatments until he and his team created them.
And he is sooooooo right when he says that targets have created utterly false impressions - if you operate on someone whom no-one else will touch because it is almost inevitable they will die, then undoubtedly you will end up with a higher mortality rate than the 'safe' compliant surgeons who want to just say on the straight compliant road to a comfortable pension. And there are plenty of those.
But to be proportionate if you save only one out of 100 patients that is one less fatality - it might sound a low statistic until that 1% is you or someone close to you.
So, a lovely book, facintating reading - methinks he would have made a lovely wonderful but erracible colleague who cared deeply for his patients. He can justifiably be proud of his lifetime achievements.....not necessarily for the gadgets (that others created) but for his tenacity and commitment to changing the 'status quo' in an effort to enhance lives
A lovely read, an obviously lovely person - thankyou
Top reviews from other countries
- Cliente AmazonReviewed in Spain on 11 July 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This was such an amazing book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone in a heart beat
- AReviewed in the United States on 20 March 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing reading!
Fascinating and mind blowing stories if a heart surgeon. I couldn’t imagine how exciting, difficult but also rewarding the profession. Also, personal stories told by the author held me sometimes in awe, but other times in thorough.
A great read. I recommend it to anyone.
- aditya k.Reviewed in India on 10 November 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing 😍
An engaging book written by a very famous cardiac surgeon. We can come to know about his rare cases, the mind numbing hard work and struggles of his life. Very nicely written. People from medical background would especially enjoy reading it.
- Toni E. HoffmanReviewed in Australia on 10 November 2024
4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyed this book
Truthful account of a brave heart surgeon introducing new techniques and equipment. He has a good sense of humour also
- TheaterPopcornReviewed in the United States on 5 January 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read!
Absolutely fascinating, well-written book recommended to me by another cardio-thoracic surgeon! Couldn't put it down. As a two-time heart transplant recipient myself, his stories are touching, compelling and totally relatable. While somewhat technical, one without any medical background can easily read it without much difficulty.