Medical

I am a physician, and I am scared. I am scared for my patients, my friends, my family, and most of all, I am scared for my colleagues. As an oncologist, I am not someone yet on the frontlines treating patients acutely diagnosed with COVID-19, although when the call for all hands-on deck comes, I…

Many of us are learning and refreshing our knowledge of critical care and vent management, but how about acknowledging that one of the most meaningful aspects of the art of medicine is simply to bear witness to, and ease the suffering of our fellow humans? So much energy of modern western medicine is fixated on…

Who saw this coming? The invisible invader from realms unknown, Marching through continents, Ravaging lives and souls. With its intangible touch, it composes, An orchestra of frenzy and fear, With notes of anger and ignorance, Conspiracy theories commence. A battle ground emerges, Picture a vent and a bed, A loved one struggling for breath, Or…

I am sure this comes as a surprise to no one, but taking care of hospitalized COVID-19 patients outside of the intensive care unit (ICU) is really emotionally draining. The absolute fear and loneliness in their voices pierce into you. They keep asking for reassurance, and I’m providing some, but not enough of what they…

“Dark times lie ahead of us, and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.” – Albus Dumbledore After Voldemort’s return in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, the students of Hogwarts are faced with much fear and uncertainty. Suddenly a future that many had…

Cardiac electrophysiologists (EPs) – like many other medical and surgical subspecialists in New York City – are volunteering and being reassigned to care for ill patients with coronavirus (COVID-19), their cath lab skills put to rest for the time being. EP is a procedure-based field, comprised of many “elective” cases that nonetheless improve symptoms and…

Our country is facing a national health crisis on a scale that has never been seen before in our lifetimes. The COVID-19 pandemic is unchartered territory—a new strain of an old virus that has so far claimed more than 1,000 lives. Right now, we are all nervous for what’s still to come—not just for ourselves,…

We are in the midst of an unprecedented moment in the history of medical education: Match Day ceremonies canceled, clinical rotations interrupted, and licensing exam centers shut-down. As the anticipated surge on the health care system due to COVID-19 looms, some programs are asking fourth years who have met graduation requirements to consider starting residency…

The image of patients dying in the intensive care unit is changing. Over the phone, family members cry on the other end as I tell them that we are not allowing visitors due to “the coronavirus” at this time. They tell me, “but I help make his decisions for him.” These decisions now have to…