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Open Heart: A Cardiac Surgeon's Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table Hardcover – June 20, 2017

by Stephen Westaby (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 199 ratings
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In gripping prose, one of the world's leading cardiac surgeons lays bare both the wonder and the horror of a life spent a heartbeat away from death

When Stephen Westaby witnessed a patient die on the table during open-heart surgery for the first time, he was struck by the quiet, determined way the surgeons walked away. As he soon understood, this detachment is a crucial survival strategy in a profession where death is only a heartbeat away. In Open Heart, Westaby reflects on over 11,000 surgeries, showing us why the procedures have never become routine and will never be. With astonishing compassion, he recounts harrowing and sometimes hopeful stories from his operating room: we meet a pulseless man who lives with an electric heart pump, an expecting mother who refuses surgery unless the doctors let her pregnancy reach full term, and a baby who gets a heart transplant-only to die once it's in place.

For readers of Atul Gawande's Being Mortal and of Henry Marsh's Do No Harm, Open Heart offers a soul-baring account of a life spent in constant confrontation with death.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Basic Books
  4. Publication date
    June 20, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6.35 x 1.45 x 9.55 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    046509483X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0465094837
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this unsentimental account, a British doctor offers gripping stories of operations and blasts the National Health Service for failing to pay for lifesaving equipment. The deaths that truly madden him are those that could have been prevented with available technologies."―New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice

"In Open Heart, British cardiac surgeon Stephen Westaby shares often astonishing stories of his own operating-room experiences, illuminating the science and art of his specialty through the patients whose lives he has saved and, in some cases, lost.... What makes Dr. Westaby's stories so compelling...is that he can't quite suppress his humanity."―Wall Street Journal

"Refreshingly, Westaby does not put a positive spin on suffering or cleave to false optimism... a reminder that nationalized medicine might ease the racial and economic injustices that currently determine which people die too soon, but it wouldn't spell the end of medically preventable deaths."―New York Times Book Review

"Westaby's highly readable Open Heart is part memoir, part how-to (perform open-heart surgery, that is) and part All Creatures Great and Small-style reflection, with stories throughout about cases he's encountered during his journey from eager medical student to seen-it-all senior physician... a heart-tugger, and a fascinating read."―BookPage

"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 [this book], too.... Each story is gripping, written in a vivid, almost brutal way that matches the blood and gore of cardiac surgery." ―Financial Times

"[Westaby's] writing is bluff, workmanlike and thrilling... a frank and absorbing memoir by a man who has done about as much direct good to his fellow human beings as it is possible to do in one lifetime." ―The Times, Book of the Week

"British surgeon and artificial heart pioneer Stephen Westaby's Open Heart is a thrilling memoir of some of his most challenging cases.... Each case is more astonishing than the next." ―Shelf Awareness

"[A] dazzling memoir." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review

"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." ―The Times (UK)

"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.... [Open Heart] succeeds on many levels: political battle cry, chronicle of bloody feats, history of modern cardiology, tribute to patients and paean to surgery."
―Daily Telegraph

"Dr. Westaby, a master cardiac surgeon, seamlessly assumes the role of a master storyteller, presenting a lifetime of experience that is as informative as it is riveting."―Joseph S. Coselli, M.D., professor of cardiac surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Heart Institute

"A first-rate memoir from a British heart surgeon.... required reading for medical students and hospital-show junkies but also for anyone curious to learn about hearts and the heroic measures to save them." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

About the Author

Stephen Westaby is a pioneer in artificial heart technology and serves as Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. He lives in Oxford, UK.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 1st edition (June 20, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 046509483X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465094837
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 1.45 x 9.55 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 199 ratings

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Stephen Westaby

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
199 global ratings
Visceral and bloody!
4 Stars
Visceral and bloody!
Open Heart: A Cardiac Surgeon’s Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table cautions us and is not a clean, prim or proper journey detailing 11,000 surgeries. Stabbings, life and death battles and even the surgeon's hand--now disfigured—tell of hazards commonplace to surgery. Medical students must read. Buy and cry.
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Top reviews from the United States

Brianna
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Written-Very Engaging
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2020
Verified Purchase
This book is a treasure! The talented surgeon writing his stories of the adrenaline rushes in the OR and bedside is truly fascinating and engaging. This book has further proved I wish to enter this field of medicine. He has described his experiences and life in the hospitals as if he were having a face-to-face conversation.
One person found this helpful
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Annie
5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Respect
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
“We are here for the patients, not for ourselves. We may suffer for that, but we will rarely regret it.”

Action-packed, adrenaline-pumped, always-prepared.
2 people found this helpful
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DailyReader
4.0 out of 5 stars A Heart Pump Primer - very good book
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
After reading Manu Kalia's book "I Think I Need a New Heart: The Journey from Heart Failure to Transplant" this book came up in my suggested reading list Westaby is a world class surgeon - in England and each story he tells is about a surgery that he's performed over the years. I learned a LOT about cardiac intervention and mechanical devices. His stories are interestng to read, and scary as well. A lot of slicing and dicing going on!
One person found this helpful
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ay
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
It is an excellent book. Well written! It truly exceeded my expectations. Learned a lot about heart surgeries. I usually read a chapter at a time. The stories about the patients are informative, educational and interesting.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Blood, Guts, and Glory
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017
Verified Purchase
Heart Surgeons have same aptitude and determination as Navy Seal Special Ops-gifted, highly trained specialists who get the job done, and unfortunately there are casualties. Dr. Westaby tells it like it is, praises work well done as well as criticizes poor judgement, including himself. Book is a must read for future doctors, as well as anyone wanting to peek into the cardiac operating room. Wear boots.
3 people found this helpful
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Daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars A breathtaking personal account of a renown surgeon
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Surgeons are not those kind of people, who have their own hearts open as often as they do that to others. Stephen Westaby account of a lifetime of a career is a good one for even those far in the field of management - learning how organization, wits and courage mark a sound line between life and death.
3 people found this helpful
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Michael B
3.0 out of 5 stars I did find it a bit boring after awhile
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
The book is well written but repetitious. Some of the medical terms and procedures are hard to understand if one is not familiar with anatomy. I did find it a bit boring after awhile.
2 people found this helpful
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Donald F Catona
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, illuminating and very interesting read. I bought ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017
Verified Purchase
Fascinating, illuminating and very interesting read. I bought a second copy to give to my daughter who is an RN and worked 11 years in the NHS.
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Top reviews from other countries

Ruby 44
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, a perfect read for me as both doctor and patient
Reviewed in Canada on February 11, 2019
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I am a physician who trained in the late 1980’s in Canada, initially I was training to be a surgeon, and I participated in more than my share of surgeries. My personality is a lot like Dr. Westaby. What brought me to this book is that I recently underwent open heart surgery to remove a rare tumour (atrial myxoma) just like one of the patients in the book. I could relate to both the surgeon and the patient. Great book. Wish I could meet Dr. Westaby for coffee sometime!!
One person found this helpful
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ERB
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
Disappointed to find that this is the exact same book as Fragile Lives, just under a different title.
5 people found this helpful
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Ke
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in Canada on September 10, 2019
Verified Purchase
must read for any cardiac surgery resident or aspiring cardiac surgery resident
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