Facing Your First Patient Death as an Attending Surgeon

The occupation we have chosen is the most fulfilling job in the world. Cardiothoracic surgery has been the only career I have pursued as an adult, but I know that even without a meaningful comparison, my bold claim is correct. We have studied and practiced for years to acquire skills so that we can help to cure our patients or at least minimize their suffering. Yet, throughout all of our careers, having a patient succumb to their disease, or our attempt at treating their disease, is as much of a certainty as our own eventual mortality. Read this blog by Dr. Derek Serna-Gallegos on how to face your first patient death as a cardiothoracic surgeon.

You can listen to Facing Your First Patient Death as an Attending Surgeon online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Facing Your First Patient Death as an Attending Surgeon is an episode from Surgical Hot Topics by surgical hot topics.

This episode is 3:59 long.

This episode was published on Nov 19, 2025.

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