Journal and News Scan

There is growing recognition that hospital mortality is not an accurate metric for surgery-related mortality after cancer operations.  This article evaluated SEER data for 1-month mortality after cancer surgery in nearly 54,000 patients.  4.8% died within 1 month of surgery.  Favorable factors included being married, being insured, having an above-median income, and having an above-median educational status.  Eliminating such adverse outcomes in those with socioeconomic disparities provides the opportunity to substantially improve cancer survival.

The author recounts the posttraumatic distress that Captain Scully and other crewmembers experienced after the emergency landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in New York City.  She describes the counseling this team required after executing a nearly perfect recovery from a potentially disastrous aviation event.  The author wonders why, when physicians experience similarly traumatic experiences with their patients (especially those with fatal outcomes), they are expected to resume work immediately, without counseling and without regard for any potential disability.

In this retrospective study of 173 lung transplants performed at Loyola University, investigators found a correlation between heavy alcohol use in lung transplant donors and risk of developing severe primary graft dysfunction.  Those recipients had  an 8.7 times higher risk than patients who received lungs from donors who did not drink.

Dear Colleagues,

I am heartbroken to inform you that Dr. Michael J. Davidson, director of Endovascular Cardiac Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has tragically died this evening after sustaining gunshot wounds this morning during the shooting event at the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center.

Dr. Davidson was a wonderful and inspiring bright light and an outstanding cardiac surgeon who devoted his career to saving lives and improving the quality of life of every patient he cared for. It is truly devastating that his own life was taken in this horrible manner.

Dr. Davidson was kind, compassionate and beloved by his colleagues and his patients. He was deeply dedicated to the Brigham. In 2010, he ran the Boston Marathon with Team Brigham to celebrate his 40th birthday. He stated at the time, “There is no better way to commemorate a birthday, run the marathon to achieve a personal goal and, in the process, support Team Brigham and its mission to help so many people.”

He was part of the remarkable team that performed the hospital’s first tricuspid “valve-in-valve” procedure and was involved in establishing the hybrid OR at BWH, once of the most advanced operating rooms in the country. Dr. Davidson graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and then trained at Duke University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, joining our Brigham family in 2006.

The world is a better place because of Dr. Davidson. Let us honor our dear colleague’s memory and legacy by treating each other with kindness and providing the best possible care to those who come to us in need. If you need support, the Employee Assistance Program staff are available for any employees who wish to contact them. The telephone number is 617-732-6017.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. More information on a memorial service will be forthcoming.