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SURGEON UNDER THE KNIFE by

SURGEON UNDER THE KNIFE

By

Pub Date: May 31st, 1976
Publisher: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan

The ever popular Dr. Nolen, ""grateful that I have lived to write it,"" transcribes his own bypass heart surgery which 20 years ago did not exist and now enables many in his condition to survive. This is a both personal and general book, primarily designed to inform others about all the specifics and very successful statistics of open-heart surgery. An exercise freak aged 47, Nolen was having a racket ball session when he first became aware of the pain which might be angina. He delayed until further attacks led him to take a stress test, then go through the angiogram and ""double cabbage"" (two arteries blocked) operation at the hospital of his careful choice, Massachusetts General. As always, Nolen is ultra-candid about his own depressed to terrified reactions, the conditions which led or lead to a potential infarct (temperament, lifestyle--although he strongly promotes strenuous exercise as the way of keeping the heart in condition), about the hospitalization (there were a few minor foul-ups), etc. In contrast to Fred Cook's recent indictment, Julia's Story (p. 102), a sanguine and reassuring tribute to the major life-saving technique open-heart surgery affords-if you can afford it, if it's available.