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The Trauma Chronicles
'Never, never, never give in', Winston Churchill's famous quotation best sums up the life of Stephen Westaby, the world-leading cardiothoracic surgeon. This book chronicles the triumphs and failures of his surgical life, the lives saved and extended, the innovations (such as artificial hearts) he developed, and his research discoveries.
Having spent his childhood in the backstreets of a northern steel town, he went on to become one of the world's preeminent heart surgeons. HIs drive for perfection in his profession took him to the world-renowned Harefield Hospital, the foremost heart surgery centre in Birmingham, Alabama, the newly-created Cardiothoracic Centre in Oxford, and then in 2019 in Wuhan he was the first Western doctor to learn about Covid before the virus was identified.
Following on from his two earlier best-selling works, Fragile Lives and The Knife's Edge this volume is written with humour and a doctor's reverence for life and his patients. The Trauma Chronicles gives an unmissable insight into the world of one of the greatest living heart surgeons.
Having spent his childhood in the backstreets of a northern steel town, he went on to become one of the world's preeminent heart surgeons. HIs drive for perfection in his profession took him to the world-renowned Harefield Hospital, the foremost heart surgery centre in Birmingham, Alabama, the newly-created Cardiothoracic Centre in Oxford, and then in 2019 in Wuhan he was the first Western doctor to learn about Covid before the virus was identified.
Following on from his two earlier best-selling works, Fragile Lives and The Knife's Edge this volume is written with humour and a doctor's reverence for life and his patients. The Trauma Chronicles gives an unmissable insight into the world of one of the greatest living heart surgeons.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published January 31, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 15, 2023
This book is about doctors/hospitals and emergency medicine but it is written in a very reader-friendly – medicine for dummies kind of way.
Most surprising to me was to find that so much of what may save the life of a trauma patient depends not only on the doctors and nurses, but the hospital procedures, the hospital set-up and most often the pre-hospital intervention at the accident site.
Professor Westaby claims his personality changed due to a severe head injury suffered playing rugby in his youth noting impulsivity and lack of inhibitions often seen as a form of psychopathy. He is no Mr. Nice Guy but his personality change would not have served him well in any other profession.
With zero medical knowledge I ate up this book. It is filled with blood and gore but not in the fictional way. I thoroughly enjoyed every medical procedure he detailed – the ones that went well and the ones that didn’t. “Seemingly trivial details meant the difference between life and death in this business.” (Pg.100)
Having worked both in the UK in the NHS system and in the USA he is not shy about comparing both systems and makes no bones about the failings of the NHS.
Professor Westaby’s passion has been in pioneering the development of a new kind of artificial heart. (See Calon Cardio-Technology Ltd.)
At page 249 it is December 2019 and Professor Westaby just happens to be in Wuhan, China at the first hint of what would become the Covid-19 epidemic. This chapter is as informative as it is depressing.
This is an important read about the history of trauma medicine and cardiothoracic surgery, what works and what doesn’t and you better hope, should you end up in such a situation, your surgeon knows which is which.
I highly recommend listening to his TED Talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UJr...
Most surprising to me was to find that so much of what may save the life of a trauma patient depends not only on the doctors and nurses, but the hospital procedures, the hospital set-up and most often the pre-hospital intervention at the accident site.
Professor Westaby claims his personality changed due to a severe head injury suffered playing rugby in his youth noting impulsivity and lack of inhibitions often seen as a form of psychopathy. He is no Mr. Nice Guy but his personality change would not have served him well in any other profession.
With zero medical knowledge I ate up this book. It is filled with blood and gore but not in the fictional way. I thoroughly enjoyed every medical procedure he detailed – the ones that went well and the ones that didn’t. “Seemingly trivial details meant the difference between life and death in this business.” (Pg.100)
Having worked both in the UK in the NHS system and in the USA he is not shy about comparing both systems and makes no bones about the failings of the NHS.
Professor Westaby’s passion has been in pioneering the development of a new kind of artificial heart. (See Calon Cardio-Technology Ltd.)
At page 249 it is December 2019 and Professor Westaby just happens to be in Wuhan, China at the first hint of what would become the Covid-19 epidemic. This chapter is as informative as it is depressing.
This is an important read about the history of trauma medicine and cardiothoracic surgery, what works and what doesn’t and you better hope, should you end up in such a situation, your surgeon knows which is which.
I highly recommend listening to his TED Talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UJr...
July 14, 2025
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as I hadn’t read any of his previous works, however, as I dove into the story, I slowly realized how much of a complete jerk Dr Westaby was. And this was the first time I’d read a nonfiction book where I really didn’t like the lead character.
Dr Westaby explains that his impulsiveness and single-mindedness came from a frontal lobe injury he had suffered playing rugby. This, of course, suggests the unfortunate situation that Phineas Gage found himself in after tamping iron pierced his brain and completely changed his personality.
But the more I read this book, I realized that the story isn’t about Dr Westaby as much as it is about the creation of specialty trauma hospitals in England. I was already familiar with some of the history of shock trauma and R Adams Cowley efforts to centralize trauma treatment to hospitals best equipped to handle them in the United States. (Dr Cowley also coined the term “golden hour” to emphasize that patients have the best chance of surviving if they are treated within 60 minutes of their trauma.)
“The Trauma Chronicles” was well-written and reasonable easy to read. It would be of interest to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of the creation of trauma hospitals in England or interested in medical history.
4/5 stars
[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion which I have given here.]
Dr Westaby explains that his impulsiveness and single-mindedness came from a frontal lobe injury he had suffered playing rugby. This, of course, suggests the unfortunate situation that Phineas Gage found himself in after tamping iron pierced his brain and completely changed his personality.
But the more I read this book, I realized that the story isn’t about Dr Westaby as much as it is about the creation of specialty trauma hospitals in England. I was already familiar with some of the history of shock trauma and R Adams Cowley efforts to centralize trauma treatment to hospitals best equipped to handle them in the United States. (Dr Cowley also coined the term “golden hour” to emphasize that patients have the best chance of surviving if they are treated within 60 minutes of their trauma.)
“The Trauma Chronicles” was well-written and reasonable easy to read. It would be of interest to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of the creation of trauma hospitals in England or interested in medical history.
4/5 stars
[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion which I have given here.]
October 28, 2023
What’s more traumatic than these hospital stories is a 60+ year old man with a god complex writing a book
July 5, 2024
The cases are fascinating. The need to pontificate is not. Again I'd love to sit through one of his lectures but I'm glad I was never his registrar. Probably mutual.
November 6, 2022
Stephen Westaby's "The Trauma Chronicles" is fast paced. It feels as though you are riding a motorcycle backwards and without a helmet. He experiences a serious brain injury. Later on Dr. Westaby will find his passion. He loves the human heart. He works furiously to save the heart of a homocidal suspect. He is a Type A Surgeon. The people who work around him take his hospital commands, afraid of risks but willing to save a heart. By some type of faith, they believe he will take them through a night of horror.
At first, it feels as though he is working in a field of chaos. He does one heart surgery in a hospital room while the medical tools might very well be in a closet, on another floor. "...did they have internal defibrillating paddles in the hospital? The question produced a sea of blank faces which meant 'we don't know.'
At first, it feels as though he is working in a field of chaos. He does one heart surgery in a hospital room while the medical tools might very well be in a closet, on another floor. "...did they have internal defibrillating paddles in the hospital? The question produced a sea of blank faces which meant 'we don't know.'
February 2, 2023
This is an interesting, emotionally intense, and informative memoir by an innovative cardiothoracic neurosurgeon. Dr. Stephen Westaby shares stories from his many years in cutting-edge surgery and medical research across several continents. The book concludes with his comments on the NHS’s failures responding to COVID-19 (complaints that will sound familiar to many of us in the United States as well).
I found Westaby’s stories compelling and fairly easy to understand, although some passages might be difficult for those without any background in anatomy and physiology.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys memoirs and is curious about the history of trauma medicine and cardiothoracic surgery.
I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
I found Westaby’s stories compelling and fairly easy to understand, although some passages might be difficult for those without any background in anatomy and physiology.
I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys memoirs and is curious about the history of trauma medicine and cardiothoracic surgery.
I received a complimentary ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
June 28, 2023
I actually listened to this via BorrowBox.
I enjoyed The Knife's Edge by Stephen Westaby's and actually was at the talk on why good heart surgeons need to be psychopaths at Cheltenham Literary Festival that he mentions when someone passed out in the audience as a result of the rather gory, gruesome details that were discussed. I remember plucking up the courage to ask a question and did so ... "what do heart surgeons do to satisfy their psycopathic tendencies once they retire". I can't remember what the answer was but was pleased to have overcome my fear of asking the question.
Anyway, to The Trauma Chronicles. Lots more gory details, I certainly couldn't watch this on the TV but somehow listening to it is bearable. There are a few instances of language that I found a bit 'acceptable then, but not now' - he talked about wondering whether he'd previously 'rogered' someone that was showing interest to him at a party.
That aside, he talks about some very interesting trauma cases - some with successful outcomes and others not so. He raises too some fascinating points for discussion: the 'scoop and leave' vs 'stay and play', air ambulances and most engaging was the chapter at the end about his recommendations for the treatment of covid 19 that was ignored at the critical time and later taken on board, independently of his involvement.
Having seen Adam Kay at an event last week, the overall message that they both successfully get across is that the NHS generally does the best it can but that it seriously is unfit for purpose any longer and has been that way for many years. Using Covid as an excuse simply isn't good enough, it was broken long before that. I'm looking forward to reading Isabel Hardman's Fighting for Life next.
I enjoyed The Knife's Edge by Stephen Westaby's and actually was at the talk on why good heart surgeons need to be psychopaths at Cheltenham Literary Festival that he mentions when someone passed out in the audience as a result of the rather gory, gruesome details that were discussed. I remember plucking up the courage to ask a question and did so ... "what do heart surgeons do to satisfy their psycopathic tendencies once they retire". I can't remember what the answer was but was pleased to have overcome my fear of asking the question.
Anyway, to The Trauma Chronicles. Lots more gory details, I certainly couldn't watch this on the TV but somehow listening to it is bearable. There are a few instances of language that I found a bit 'acceptable then, but not now' - he talked about wondering whether he'd previously 'rogered' someone that was showing interest to him at a party.
That aside, he talks about some very interesting trauma cases - some with successful outcomes and others not so. He raises too some fascinating points for discussion: the 'scoop and leave' vs 'stay and play', air ambulances and most engaging was the chapter at the end about his recommendations for the treatment of covid 19 that was ignored at the critical time and later taken on board, independently of his involvement.
Having seen Adam Kay at an event last week, the overall message that they both successfully get across is that the NHS generally does the best it can but that it seriously is unfit for purpose any longer and has been that way for many years. Using Covid as an excuse simply isn't good enough, it was broken long before that. I'm looking forward to reading Isabel Hardman's Fighting for Life next.
June 5, 2023
This book took me through many emotions - initially the thrill to hear about the different cases around the hospitals in his area that he swooped in to save the day (or night, rather), against all odds. Then his very obtuse and self-assured, with sexism handed around like no tomorrow (whilst mentioning how that was the norm back in the day) really put me off and nearly stopped listening to this book.
And then, it became more of an explanation of the impact of trauma in healthcare, the lack of funds and perhaps confident surgeons, how the hours a doctor has to train to qualify has reduced, or at least is less in practice than what it used to be, the impact of poor outcomes slows the growth of the person, for which he was 'pardoned' from possibly due to a head trauma in his early years, which seemed to have inhibited his sense of fear.
Overall, mindboggling statistics are cited with mortality rates, and how often the wrong thing is treated. The impact of COVID when there were ambulances stuck waiting outside due to social distancing, lack of staff, extensive waiting times etc - with therefore longer waiting times to get emergency help to people. Very sad cases and overall an insightful book into trauma specifically.
And then, it became more of an explanation of the impact of trauma in healthcare, the lack of funds and perhaps confident surgeons, how the hours a doctor has to train to qualify has reduced, or at least is less in practice than what it used to be, the impact of poor outcomes slows the growth of the person, for which he was 'pardoned' from possibly due to a head trauma in his early years, which seemed to have inhibited his sense of fear.
Overall, mindboggling statistics are cited with mortality rates, and how often the wrong thing is treated. The impact of COVID when there were ambulances stuck waiting outside due to social distancing, lack of staff, extensive waiting times etc - with therefore longer waiting times to get emergency help to people. Very sad cases and overall an insightful book into trauma specifically.
November 6, 2022
“The Trauma Chronicles” by Stephen Westaby is a graphic telling of some of the key cases of Westaby’s storied career. One quickly sees the skill a surgeon must have, as well as a pretty significant God complex. The book is also highly damning of the NHS, but seems fair coming from Westaby given his wealth of global experience. It’s a compelling read to be sure. Thanks to #NetGalley and #MenschPublishing for the opportunity to preview this book.
June 17, 2023
This book is truly remarkable. Whether you read or listen to it or read it, I guarantee that you'll be gripped. It's fast paced, informative, inspiring and at times emotionally intense. It also doesn't pull any punches or sugar coat anything.
It's also likely to get your heckles up at some point but that's a good thing.
I highly recommend it. And listening to it works really well.
It's also likely to get your heckles up at some point but that's a good thing.
I highly recommend it. And listening to it works really well.
May 31, 2023
Loved the first half of the book, it was a real story and adventure of what operating is actually like. Then it got a bit messy talking about statistics and what was going on in society at the time and going back and forth to different point of his career. Which I just didn’t really care for.
February 25, 2025
Another compelling read by Westaby, a highly regarded cardiac surgeon.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering reading it, the book provides you with an insight into Westaby’s life, his career, and of course his amazing contributions to healthcare and medical devices.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering reading it, the book provides you with an insight into Westaby’s life, his career, and of course his amazing contributions to healthcare and medical devices.
May 13, 2023
The authors view on the current state of the NHS is, in my view, spot on. There can be few who are as qualified to comment. That makes this an important book in my opinion.
August 1, 2023
A lot of interesting information and experiences shared.
Can read very disjointed but that’s a positive when you pick up & put down a book a lot of times like I do.
Can read very disjointed but that’s a positive when you pick up & put down a book a lot of times like I do.
May 8, 2024
A very interesting read. Although technical at times written in a way that did not detract from the life and work of the author
January 1, 2025
I learned a lot about emergency medicine and its history. The author is definitely a character who may not be everyone's cup of team but is attractive in his honesty.
October 22, 2025
Audiobook review
I’ve eaten up dozens of medical memoirs, this is the worst. In every situation he is the hero, the stud or the saviour.
Disappointed
I’ve eaten up dozens of medical memoirs, this is the worst. In every situation he is the hero, the stud or the saviour.
Disappointed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2025
Started really strong with excellent stories of trauma thoracic surgery back in the day, got a tad political towards the end
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews