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Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA
Failure is success if you learn from it
Common sense occurs uncommonly [1]
Common things occur commonly [1]
If it looks like a horse, whines like a horse and smells like a horse, don’t expect a zebra to appear
We only see what we know (or look for)
Respect your fellow health care workers: they are your most important clinical asset [2]
It is a privilege to practice medicine; don’t abuse the privilege [2]
When you don’t know what to do, do nothing.
Corollary: Doing something harmful is not better than doing nothing
Don’t assume the obvious and don’t make assumptions
The less a procedure is indicated the more likely that it will be accompanied by a complication [1]
If a patient is reluctant to undergo a procedure, don’t force the issue; that’s the patient who will have a complication
When doing a procedure remember nature always sides with the hidden flaw
Never open a can of worms unless you plan to go fishing
The Law of Sub-specialization
If you are a hammer the world looks like a nail.
An acute surgical abdomen is when a good surgeon says it’s an acute surgical abdomen. There is no test for it.Related posts:
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