The Angina Monologues

stories of surgery for broken hearts
Samer Nashef

‘Enthralling and outspoken.’

Andrew Billen, The Times

‘It’s funny, sad, uplifting and hopeful. Samer Nashef’s writing style is easy for the lay person to understand (his description of how to do a heart transplant is unforgettable) but is also interesting to those who have some knowledge of cardiology ... Whether you work in medicine or are just interested in how heart problems can be corrected by surgery, this is a great read. I read this book in a couple of days because the stories were so varied and enthralling.’

Sam Still Reading

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‘Nashef's honest, unvarnished writing about his life and death work has given his readers new insights into the reality of life inside the operating theatre.’

Stephen Sackur, BBC World News HARDtalk

A pioneering cardiac surgeon expertly sews up the heart of surgery, the health of the nation, and the NHS.

The Angina Monologues speeds from the transporting of a donor’s heart up the motorway hard shoulder, to cautionary stories of excessive intervention gone awry in US hospitals, to a traumatic trip to bring advanced cardiac surgery to the Palestinian West Bank. Nashef tells heart-stopping stories of transplants, coronary artery bypasses, aorta repair, and cardiac arrest. He also delivers humane advice about medical realities rarely observed: the futility of obsessing over diet, the necessity of calculating risks, the role of decision making, the resilience of doctor and patient alike, and the threadbare brilliance of the NHS.

Nashef is a magnificently warm and likeable doctor and writer; and he has the best imaginable bedside manner.

‘Enthralling and outspoken.’

Andrew Billen, The Times

Sam Still Reading

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 216mm × 135mm

Extent:288pp

ISBN (13):9781911617785

RRP:£14.99

Pub date:9 May 2019

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth, Europe

Rights Sold: Audio (Audible)

High-res cover:Download Image

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AUTHOR

Samer Nashef

Samer Nashef qualified as a doctor at the University of Bristol in 1980 and is a consultant cardiac surgeon at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge. He is a dedicated teacher and communicator and is recognised as a world-leading expert on risk and quality in surgical care. He is the author of The Naked Surgeon and a compiler of cryptic crosswords for The Guardian and the Financial Times.