Page 22 - CASA Bulletin of Anesthesiology 2019 Issue 1

CASA Bulletin of Anesthesiology
The Conflicts in OR
唐越 David Tang,MD
Vice Chair, Dept of Anesthesiology Mercy General Hospital
Sacramento, CA
The conflicts that arise between surgeons and anesthesiologists are not unheard of. It happens in most countries, not only in remote China (after viewing punches being thrown in the operating room, OR), but also in our personal or professional life. So
the question becomes how do you handle them? Of course, the resolution depends on the scenario. I am sharing one of my experiences down below.
When I just started working here in California, I was not very familiar with the cardiac surgeons. My anesthesia colleague gave me the heads-up “if any cardiac surgeons give you hard time, just let me know.” I said nothing and just replied with a laugh, taking it as a joke.
Soon after, in the OR, I was hesitant to respond to the surgeon’s request for a blood transfusion, asking him "what’s your criteria for blood transfusion?" (Since I was new,
I kept my voice low and made sure to be extra polite), yet he became visibly angered by my questioning, saying: “Hey, David, why do you always question me?” (I had asked him something else beforehand.) I said : “No, I just like to communicate with you and try to understand your rationale.”
“Just do what I want.” “Don’t argue with me.”
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