Operating Room Confidential: What Really Goes On When You Go Under [Paperback]

Operating Room Confidential is a fascinating inside look at what goes on in the operating room. Dr. Paul Whang is a Staff Anesthetist at a busy urban hospital in Toronto who works alongside surgeons and nurses, assisting in all sorts of surgeries. Anesthetists may not be the main contender in the operating room but they get in on all the action. Whereas a doctor may only see certain operations based on their practice and expertise, an anesthetist will get to see practically every type of surgery imaginable.

An anesthetist not only puts a patient under, they also monitor the patient during the surgery. I had envisioned anesthetists sitting by the patient, reading a newspaper while the surgery is taking place. This is so not the case! They ensure that your heart is okay, that you have enough oxygen going to your vital organs and that your body temperature is where it should be.

Here are just some of the topics in Operating Room Confidential that interested me:

-How medical instruments get their name
-What is means when something is "surgically clean"
-"The Scrub" - the scrubbing and cleaning your hands and nails for at least 5 minutes
-Operating room superstitions
-The pressure of working on VIPs (fellow doctors and nurses and their family members, lawyers' and their family members, etc.)
-Things that shouldn't be said in the operating room like "Everything is going so smoothly" or "We'll be going home soon" because trouble is sure to follow
-Things patients should not to say right before surgery.
-Propofol - the drug and its potential danger were recently in the news surrounding the death of Michael Jackson.
-Awareness during an operation (being completely paralyzed yet being totally aware of what is going on) - freaky!!
-The final count of instruments, sutures and sponges after the surgery must match the count at the beginning or a mad man hunt will ensue until everything is accounted for.
-Sex in the On-call room (among other places)
-The House of Scream (Labor and Delivery)
-The autopsy room and morgue

Another topic that interested me was the psychological test based on a theory that describes personality in four dimensions (how you relate to others, how you take in information, how you make decisions and what kind of life do you want to lead) and how a combination of these dimensions and personality characteristics are found in certain specialties (i.e. Orthopedic Surgeons, General Surgeons, Psychiatrists, Plastic Surgeons, Anesthetists, Cardiologists, and Neurologists).

Dr. Paul Whang shares some of his experiences and funny stories. Here are a couple of funny quotes from the book that I thought were hilarious...

About having a medical instrument named after you:

Despite the honor, there are certain instruments I'd rather not have my name associated with - I'm not sure how Dr. Pratt really felt about the Pratt Rectal Speculum.

About wanting to work at a private cosmetic clinic for Dr. Stubbs, a penis enlargement surgeon:

Wow, your name is Dr. Whang. Did you know that I learned the technique of penis enlargement in China with...and I'm not kidding...with Drs. Long and Dong. So you can just see my advertisement: Penis enlargement surgery with Dr. Stubbs. Trained by Drs. Long and Dong. Anesthesia by Dr. Whang.

Dr. Whang didn't get the job but he certainly has one funny story to tell!

If you're a fan of medical drama shows like ER, Grey's Anatomy or House, then Operating Room Confidential is a must read! Dr. Paul Whang gives the reader an insightful look at what goes on in the operating room. I love getting a behind-the-scene look at something we don't normally get to see.

Did you know that parts of Albert Einstein's brain are preserved for study in a jar of formaldehyde at Princeton University?

I got this because the reviews were so great. Pretty boring book IMO. Who cares that surgeons and nurses have sex in the operating rooms( which I have to question as being somewhat sensationalism-OR's are sterile and I doubt management would allow sex in the OR when it's not in used-I'll have to ask my surgeon when I see him next month) Or that make medical students get a kick out of seeing woman medical students in their scrubs because they are so tight it shows off their curves. Sexism at it's finest. I wanted more info on the actual goings on in the OR which isn't in this book.

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"The operating room is the heart of the hospital where the dramatic events and major, life-altering decisions occur. I'm sure that most people have no idea about some of the strange, unusual, and unexpected events that occur here. You can watch [fictional, medical] shows [on TV] and think you know what's going on--but, in fact, you really don't."

The above comes from the beginning of this tell-all book by Paul Whang, MD. (Yes, that is his real last name. Don't laugh.) Whang (I told you not to laugh) is an anesthetist (or anesthesiologist) at a Toronto Hospital. He tells us about his work:

"I am the person who calms and reassures you before the surgery begins and the last person you see before I gently transport you into unconsciousness. I watch over your body while the surgeon slashes and cuts, ensuring that your heart is protected from the stress and that oxygen is delivered to your vital organs. Afterwards, I'll wake you up, making sure [that] you don't throw up. I'm also the person who relieves your pain with numbing needles."

Whang's (Are you still laughing?) specialty offers him a unique perspective in the operating room--a key member of the OR team but primarily an observer, mainly of the patient but also of surgeons, nurses, and other health care providers (like urologists, psychiatrists, and gynecologists). In fact, he ventures outside the OR to the entire hospital itself giving us his insights on such hospital areas as administration, the cafeteria, and even the morgue.

Finally, the chapter entitled "Everything you ever wanted to know about anesthesia (but were too unconscious to ask)" is especially informative.

In conclusion, this book offers a frank, sometimes surprising, and often comical account of anesthetist Paul Whang's behind-the-scenes recollections. In fact, I wouldn't mine having Dr. Whang as my anesthetist if I ever have to have surgery. I think it would be kind of cool waking up to someone named Whang (as opposed to, say, Smith)!!

(I hope you still aren't laughing...)

(first published 2010; introduction; 8 chapters; main narrative 195 pages; references; acknowledgements)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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