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J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2008;136:1608-1609
© 2008 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Letter to the Editor

Reply to the Editor:

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Children's Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, Mass

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.

With every operation performed comes a period of time where we stand face to face with the patient or responsible informant explaining the indication for the surgical procedure we would like to conduct. The period is usually one in which the responsible surgeon needs to be aware of the potential complications weighted against the benefits aimed to be achieved in the context of his or her own skills and available capacity. Dr McKneally comments elegantly and thoughtfully on the editorial "Tribute to our Fallen Comrades"¹ that the risks are collective for all; surgeon, patient and family, training resident, as well as allied staff and institution. The surgeon is the ultimate person who will take the blame and hold the fort against any risk or complication(s). The . . . [Full Text of this Article]