The best patient care is always delivered by understanding the patient’s goals. When we meet, I ask my patients what their goals are and what is most important to them. Understanding their priorities and wishes—as well as those of their family members and support systems—helps us decide on the best care plan for them. We make a lot of difficult choices in neurosurgery. Sometimes there isn’t a perfect option because of the severity of the diseases we deal with. In all cases, my goal is to achieve the best possible quality of life for a patient by preventing or treating neurologic problems in the least invasive manner possible. My patients appreciate the extra time I spend with them to ensure that they understand their disease and treatment options. My aneurysm patients love the personalized illustrations I create to help them understand their particular aneurysm and what different treatments would look like. Neurosurgery is an incredible field of medicine that, in many cases, helps give people their lives and their loved ones back. A young concert viola player recently came into the emergency room with a stroke. It looked like he might never be able to talk or play his instrument again. We whisked him up to our procedure room and, in less than 20 minutes, removed the clot that was causing the stroke. He was back to normal and playing his instrument before he left the hospital two days later. Stories like this are why I get out of bed in the morning. To be a part of someone’s comeback story in such a personal way is an incredible privilege. I can’t think of a more meaningful job than that!
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