|
Sir,
If I can be frank with you, we all have cases in our closet that we shy from. On a very personel note, my father who is a cardiologist, once told me something when I was in medical school and saddened by the hopelessness I felt regarding a dying patient. He said that as a physician when you close your eyes at night you walk through a cemetery where you will see patients's faces, some that you knew well and some that you only knew for minutes as they had too quickly passed on before you could help them. He told me that over time their faces become less sorrowful and may even become your friends. It was his way of comforting his son and a very junior doctor. I have found that over time this to be true as I accrue more knowledge and realize that there are some injuries that we just cannot fix. Many times we as trauma surgeons, emergency medicine physicians and nurses have been put in positions where even if we had everthing at our disposal, the damage is too severe and too much blood and time were lost.
I am saddened by your loss and promise I will do everything I can while on service to remember your story.
D-
|