#chethansathya

[dlsphjournalism]

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN --  Racism in Health Care Isn’t Always Obvious

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) --  As physicians from three distinct racial minorities, our lives are defined by an innate tension. On one hand, we experience the privilege of being highly educated professionals, often with power dynamics and societal respect on our side. On the other hand, we are part of a system that provides unequal treatment to people of our same skin color. We also recognize the many manifestations of racism in health care, and today we call on all our colleagues to stand with us in denouncing and fixing one critical problem: racial bias. READ MORE. 

[dlsphjournalism]

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN --  Pandemic-Related Gun Purchases Raise Suicide Risks

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) --  As our country battles two simultaneous major public health crises—COVID-19 and systemic racism—our now endemic public health crisis of gun violence looms over the United States and leaves many of us in health care sleepless at night. American gun violence predates and will far outlive COVID-19—and its threat has burgeoned in the pandemic’s shadow as nearly two million Americans purchased new guns in March alone. With increasing evidence that new handgun ownership is strongly associated with suicide—especially immediately after purchasing the weapon—it’s only a matter of time before gun violence explodes once again. And we’re already starting to see a spike in gun violence this year, with shootings doubling in some areas compared to last year. In light of this, temporary Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs), also known as “red flag” laws, may be your best bet to urgently disarm and save the life of a loved one. And making sure you’re familiar with ERPOs can make all the difference during these turbulent times. READ MORE. 

[dlsphjournalism]

TIME --  Gun Violence Is Killing More Kids in the U.S. Than COVID-19. When Will We Start Treating It Like a Public Health Issue?

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) --  As millions of American children celebrated July 4 by viewing fireworks and having their imaginations sparked for a brighter future – at least six of our nation’s children were shot and killed by stray bullets, including 7-year-old Natalia Wallace, who was shot in the forehead as she played in her grandmother’s yard. This past Sunday, 1-year-old Davell Gardner Jr. was shot and killed in New York City while sitting in his stroller at a family cookout. Day in and day out, we justifiably discuss COVID-19 and the risks of reopening schools for our children, but we can’t even seem to guarantee that our children won’t be shot and killed while playing with friends or sleeping soundly in their beds. READ MORE. 

[dlsphjournalism]

THE WASHINGTON POST -- Lung bypass machines can keep covid patients alive. But when should we use them?

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) -- When covid-19 patients get so sick that ventilators can no longer keep them alive, doctors have one last-ditch “Hail Mary” option. It’s called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, and it’s a form of lung, and sometimes heart, bypass that my colleagues and I are increasingly turning to during the pandemic. READ MORE. 

[dlsphjournalism]

THE WASHINGTON POST --  Respiratory therapists are keeping many covid patients on ventilators alive

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) --  Many doctors and surgeons have already been — or are going to be — repurposed to take care of covid-19 patients as hospitals get overwhelmed. For some of us, this will mean treating conditions that we haven’t dealt with since medical school. And this might include putting breathing tubes into patients and using ventilators, which few doctors do routinely. READ MORE. 

[dlsphjournalism]

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN -- Why Would Hospitals Forbid Physicians and Nurses from Wearing Masks?

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) -- Health care workers across the country are battling against COVID-19 with dwindling access to personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks. For hospitals reaching crisis capacity, the CDC has recommended that nonrespirator masks (surgical or procedural) be worn during select procedures and prolonged contact with potentially infectious patients. But guidance for health care workers on wearing these masks in other common areas of the hospital—outside of a patient room—is not well-developed. READ MORE.                                                                                                     

[dlsphjournalism]

THE WASHINGTON POST --  Your elective surgery will be canceled. It’s for everyone’s good.

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) --  If you have non-urgent, elective surgery scheduled in the next few weeks, it’s probably going to be canceled because of the novel coronavirus. While inconvenient — and possibly disruptive — for you, it’s a bad omen for how hard the pandemic is likely to hit the United States. Surgery cancellations on this scale have never happened before. READ MORE. 

[dlsphjournalism]

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN --  Female Surgeons Are Still Treated as Second-Class Citizens

BY CHETHAN SATHYA (FGJ ‘14) --  As a male surgeon, I am mortified that the profession allows my female colleagues to be treated like second-class citizens. I have watched women surgeons get bullied, harassed and discriminated against by their male counterparts. I have seen a countless number of their careers crumble in front of my eyes. I have seen their tears. I have seen them go into a deep hole of depression and never come back. And I have done nothing about it. READ MORE.