Extraordinary Hearts: A Journey of Cardiac Medicine and the Human Spirit

by John A. Elefteriades

Cardiac surgeon John A. Elefteriades, one of Men’s Health magazine’s ten best doctors in America, shares moving patient stories and lessons about the human heart.
 
The human heart is a paradox, incredibly strong yet surprisingly fragile. And while stories that reveal its symbolic characteristics abound, there are far fewer that laud its physical capabilities, which are perhaps even more profound.
 
Dr. Elefteriades, one of the most respected cardiac surgeons in America, has treated more than 10,000 patients in his distinguished career. Now, for the first time, he shares fascinating stories of his most memorable patients and cases—patients who have challenged him technically and moved him emotionally, patients who have enriched his life and expanded his horizons while he cared for their hearts. By detailing heart conditions and cardiac reparative procedures with specific yet accessible medical narratives, Dr. Elefteriades encapsulates the beauty, complexity, and majesty of the human heart.
 
But there is far more to this organ—and these stories—than a collection of veins, arteries, and valves. These are stories of courage, miracles, and the bravery of patients (some famous and others not) and their families when facing nearly insurmountable challenges, offering a thought-provoking, informative, and at times heart-wrenching study of the resilience of both the human body and spirit.

Genres: Medicine, Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2014

Reviews

[Κonstantina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Είναι θεωρητικά αναμενόμενο για έναν καρδιοχειρουργό, να βρίσκει λιγότερο συγκλονιστικές τις ιστορίες των καρδιοχειρουργικών ασθενών, σε σχέση με άλλους αναγνώστες.
Δεν είναι όμως δυστυχώς, αυτός ο λόγος για τον οποίο το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο δεν εκπλήρωσε τις προσδοκίες.
Η περιγραφή των περιστατικών θυμίζει τη διήγηση που συνηθίζουν οι γιατροί, κυρίως όταν -λιγότερο ή περισσότερο- ναρκισσιστικά αναζητούν αποδοχή ή και επιβράβευση. Και αυτό ίσως ήταν αποδεκτό από ένα κοινό, αλλά όχι μάλλον από ένα λογοτεχνικό κοινό.
Παρά όλα αυτά, το μεγαλύτερο πρόβλημα -κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη, είναι η μετάφραση. Όχι των ιατρικών όρων, εκεί η αγαπητή εκκολαπτόμενη καρδιοχειρουργός Demi Papanikolaou έχει κάνει εξαιρετική δουλειά. Η μετάφραση όμως των απλών εκφράσεων και η σύνταξη των προτάσεων έχει ελληνοαμερικανική χροιά, κάνοντας κοπιαστική την ανάγνωση.
Η γενική αίσθηση είναι πάντως δυσάρεστη, με αποκορύφωμα τις πικάντικες αποκαλύψεις εν είδει κουτσομπολιού στο τέλος του βιβλίου, σχετικά με το θάνατο του Christiaan Barnard.
Ο συγγραφέας αποτελεί έναν από τους ακρογωνιαίους λίθους στη χειρουργική της αορτής. Είναι ένας ταλαντούχος χειρουργός και ερευνητής, και τα επιστημονικά του άρθρα τα παρακολουθεί η ιατρική κοινότητα με ζέση. Η λογοτεχνική απόπειρα όμως...
Υποσημείωση: Τρίτο αστεράκι μόνο επειδή αγαπώ το ιατρικό συγγραφικό του έργο.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a cardiothoracic nurse, this is right up my alley; however, I feel like every M.D has the same writing style. They grab 10-12 stories of the most intriguing patients in their past and jargon on for 15-30 pages. I mean I get it, some things we encounter are amazing; however, most of the time it is only amazing to the people the event actually involved. All in all I liked reading about the surgeries from a doctors point of view; however, I wouldn't really recommend this to anyone outside of CT surgery care.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s up?
This book was the best for when I was studying cardiac ultrasound. I learned so much from what goes on beyond my control and what surgeons do in the operating room. It’s a book I plan on keeping to re-read over and over again but be careful there is deep content there! Not a book that’s for everyone. The pictures were awesome too makes me want to be a surgeon.

[Sailesh · Rating 1 out of 5]

TLDR; Read Stephen Westaby's "Fragile Lives" instead.

I'm not sure who this guy was targeting when he wrote this, but his rambling, over -jargoned prose and false-seeming humility corrupts the effect his writing may have had. This is further compounded by the unnecessary injection of God into every paragraph that is frankly just distracting. I get it. You believe and you're patients believe. But it's taking away from the story's flow. And it makes me think you're sort of a preacher who happens to know how to use a scalpel rather than a surgical professional. For contrast, Stephen Westaby, in his book "Fragile Lives" comes off as a charming old legend whose stories are very much about his own perspective; his rise, his passion, his creativity, his thoughts and opinions, his victories and defeats. The patient's perspective is only given if the patient wrote to him him/herself or he talked to them about it after. The style of writing is concise and the experiences are very british, very real and he doesn't downplay or overplay his or his team's role in anything. Mr. Westaby tells us his story and it makes us wish to be a hero like him. But Elefteriades, on the other hand, wrote his hodge podge of stories and I was seriously doubting whether I would want this man as my surgical mentor or personal hero (even though I am certain in real life the man would be quite impressive based on the fact he has earned a Professorship at Yale, but it is hard to believe it from his writing style). His book did make it easy to fall asleep though. Props for that.

[Melanie Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for advanced nursing students, healthcare professionals, or patients willing to learn more about their surgical procedures. I work as an aide on a coronary care ICU, we see cardiac procedures of all kinds. This book did a wonderful job of educating and word-dropping to fuel further personal research. The Extraordinary Hearts told extraordinary stories. These tales were all very individualized and even brought a tear or two to my eyes. These hearts reminded me of some of my patients. We all cherish their stories and celebrate their successes. Wonderful read!

[Erin Bilé · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can see how people with no medical background would like this book, it gives a peek into the behind the scenes of the medical field, but as a nurse I felt I have too many experiences in my memories that seem more fresh and exciting than reading about somebody else's.

[Jeannie Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy a good medical book and this one did not disappoint. Having a few heart issues myself, it’s really comforting to know the depth into which these physicians reach to save and improve lives.

[Greg Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was well written. I like the personal nature. Pulling back the curtain to see the process a heart surgeon-goes through. It was warm and honest.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having gone through 2 open-heart surgeries myself (at 9 years of age and 39 years of age), I was interested in reading this particular book written by Elefteriades.

If you have not had any experience with heart problems, I doubt this book would be on your to read list.

I have had the experience of being around cardio surgeons and their egos, so I was not as put off as some other readers were with the doctors writing style and constant name dropping.

For those who have had any type of procedure done to their heart, the technical information is very interesting and sometimes comforting to read. At other times, it can be absolutely terrifying. I often describe my surgeries as "brutal". I cannot think of another word to describe them. And, my last surgery was 15 years ago.

There were 4 different technical tidbits that I found informative.

1. The author's honest thoughts on angioplasty versus bypass surgery. The CARDIOLOGIST will want to do angioplasty while the CARDIO SURGEON will want to do coronary bypass. You must be an educated patient and know what questions to ask. You must make sure you are seeing the correct type of doctor for your particular issues.

2. The risks of re-operating on a patient. Some docs will down play just how risky this can possibly be.

3. The phenomenon that has evolved over the past several years regarding strength training and aortic dissection.

4. Ejection fraction of 60% is normal. When a patient begins hearing this number being discussed, don't think the goal should be something other than this.

I wish the doctor would have given more examples of other types of heart surgeries (mitral valve; murmurs) and more "average" patients.

If you have ever had to have a major heart procedure, you may suddenly find your non-religious self becoming very spiritual. I've spoken to many patients who have very odd feelings after their surgeries.

I have not gotten an answer to the question why so many heart patients go through depression after surgery. Just general speculations about the disruption of serotonin in the brain.

John Elefteriades has written several other books that I have read. I highly recommend his book YOUR HEART AN OWNER'S GUIDE, and THE WOMAN's HEART. He does a great job of covering complicated material in an organized and understandable fashion. Both of these books have a very different style than EXTRAORDINARY HEARTS.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lost my father to heart disease so I was really looking to reading this. Unfortunately, I put the book down about halfway through. While the case histories were interesting, as were the medical details, I was put off by the overall tone of the book. Although I'm sure it was not the author's intent, I found the name-dropping (Dave Brubeck! Robert Ludlum!) and the "surgeon-as-God" attitude annoying. How many times can you say that Robert Ludlum had a brilliant mind, and what difference would it possibly make if he did?

Also, the book could have used another pass-through by a decent editor. Sections in italics for no apparent reason, repeated words ('recognize/recognized' used four times on one page, for example), medical procedures described in one chapter, then again in another, etc etc., all very distracting, not to mention the plugs for the author's novel. I can't fault anyone for trying to sell their book (especially these days), but was this really the place for it, in a book about people struggling with heart disease?

I gave the book three stars because of the fascinating information on cardiac procedures. If the author had stuck to what he knows best, instead of trying to impress us with who he's operated on I would highly recommend 'Extraordinary Hearts'.

[Jonah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book (on sale) right after a friend of mine had had heart surgery that had gone very wrong; she died just after I finished reading the book. So that may color how I read the book.

However, I felt this book suffered from a few things:
1. It was seriously repetitive. The author repeated his opinions in the sidebars (why read the sidebars if the same thing is in the text) and sometimes in multiple chapters.
2. While it's kinda sorta interesting that he enjoyed having famous patients, I don't really want a list of awards the patient won. Either I have heard already, or I don't care.
3. The opinions on medical controversies are accompanied by a mention that there is a controversy, and his opinion- but minimal reasoning behind his opinions.

The overall tone of this book is that of a grandfather telling his grandson about the high lights of his professional life.
What I wanted was either a memoir with more meaty self examination, or a more technical medical book.
Also, better editing.

So while this book is not without merit, it really could be improved upon.

P.S. It did have a brief mention of one of the procedures my friend had in the last couple of days her life, but nothing that really helped me understand what went so catastrophically wrong.

[Amanda Fleming · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads First Reads. The bits of this book that I most enjoyed were the technical explanations of cardiac procedures. This, however, made up the minority of the book. The rest of it felt a bit like reading someone's personal journal. Possibly interesting for them to read over and relive, but a little mundane for anyone else. Elefteriades' inclusion of religious interpretations of events was a more than a little off-putting.

[Mary Dailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a contest on Goodreads.

I would have never thought of writing this book. What a lovely perspective to read about how the patients dealt with their illnesses. I think the reason we get so scared about medical procedures is because we don't understand enough about them. This book describes those feelings.

[Amy O'tinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I may have liked this more if I were religious. But I'm not, and the religious aspect is extremely off-putting for me.

The technical aspects of the procedures were fascinating; the rest was just...boring.

Received a free copy as part of Goodreads First Reads.

[Stuart Ramsell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though the stories had some entertainment to them, I found the voice of this book to be somewhat boastful and undeniably plain. I found myself bored by the fifth story and struggled to finish the book.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. I was able to follow the surgical procedures and comprehend what was done without felling like It was "dumbed down". I hope the good doctor writes more books like this.

[Jill Weathers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very touching read!

[Shari Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fascinating to read each patient's story. This just proves that there are miracles in medicine.

[Stephanie Sauve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting stories of heart surgeries from the perspective of the surgeon. I read this book years ago and I still think of the stories. If your interested in cardiology it’s a good read.

[Carla Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s up?

This book was the best for when I was studying cardiac ultrasound. I learned so much from what goes on beyond my control and what surgeons do in the operating room. It’s a book I plan on keeping to re-read over and over again but be careful there is deep content there! Not a book that’s for everyone. The pictures were awesome too makes me want to be a surgeon.