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Five minutes with . . . Stephen Westaby

BMJ 2017; 356 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j769 (Published 15 February 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;356:j769
  1. Susan Mayor
  1. London

The pioneering heart surgeon and inventor explains why over-regulation of doctors is stifling innovation in improving outcomes among patients

“I was 68 when I recently stopped working for the NHS, having done 11 000 to 12 000 heart operations during my 40 years in cardiac surgery. I had already decided to stop operating because years of having instruments slapped into my right hand meant I had a contracture needing surgery that would take a while to recover.

“But my decision was influenced when I got back to my office at 6 am after operating all night to …

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