Sleep-Deprived Surgeon Isn’t What You’d Want

Re “Some Rest for Medical Residents,” June 30:

Certainly there is educational value in “living with the patient” for days on end, ostensibly to learn the natural course of, and to treat, illness or injury. But that benefit to the resident-student is quickly neutralized when exhaustion blocks learning and compromises manual skills.

With all due respect to L.A. County-USC Medical Center neurosurgeon Dr. Martin Weiss, shorter work hours will not hurt residents’ ability to acquire technical skills. It’s just the opposite: When you are rested and alert, surgical skills are maximal. Whether you are driving an automobile or doing brain surgery, fatigue is dangerous. I’ve observed surgical residents fall asleep at the operating table; luckily the patient didn’t see this. Personally, I would prefer my neurosurgeon awake.

Robert Kotler MD

Beverly Hills