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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Rachel Rokicki
Phone: [email protected]
FROM DR. LISA SANDERS,NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINESDIAGNOSISCOLUMNIST
AND TECHNICAL ADVISOR TO THE HIT TV SERIESHOUSE, M.D.,
COMES A RIVETING EXPLORATION OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGE
INMEDICINETHE ART AND SCIENCE OF MAKING A DIAGNOSIS
Besides her own inborn capacity for problem-solving, Sanders
experience as internist, writer, and consultanttoHouseserves her
well here, for absorbing anecdotes generously pepper the
exposition.Booklist
The experience of becoming suddenly, and surprisingly, ill can
be deeply unnerving. Transported to anunfamiliar world, forced to
put her former life on hold, the patient inevitably has a burning
question for herdoctor: What is wrong with me?
EEVVEERRYYPPAATTIIEENNTTTTEELLLLSSAASSTTOORRYYMedical Mysteries
and the Art of DiagnosisbbbyyyLisa Sanders, M.D.
Lisa Sanders is a paragon of the modern medical detective
storyteller. Thetales here crackle with suspense. But what sets her
apart is her Holmes-like eyefor the cluesand her un-Holmes-like
compassion for those who suffer.Atul Gawande, author ofBetter: A
Surgeons Noteson PerformanceandComplications
If you need to be reminded that there are still diseases that
cantbe cured in an hourincluding commercial breaksthen this book is
for you.Fantastic stuff.Hugh Laurie
A doctors insightful reflections on the disconnect between how
physiciansshould practice and how they actually practice Fans of
Jerome Groopman andAtul Gawande will appreciate this first
collection by another astute observer ofthe medical
profession.Kirkus Reviews
Readers who enjoy dramatic stories of doctors fighting disease
will get theirfill, and they will also encounter thoughtful essays
on how doctors think and goabout their work, and how they might do
it better.Publishers Weekl
continued
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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Fortunately, in most cases where an illness presents itself,
making a diagnosis is straightforward. The patientsstory and the
physical exam suggest a likely suspect, and the technology of
diagnosis rapidly confirms thehunch. But there are other cases
wheredespite all the information, training, and high-tech tools
that doctorshave at their disposal todaythe diagnosis remains
elusive: patients with complicated stories or medicalhistories, or
cases where the symptoms are less suggestive, the physical exam
unrevealing, the test resultsmisleading.
In those instances, the patient is faced with her worst
nightmarebeing sick, possibly even dying, and havingdoctor after
doctor fail to figure out why. The doctor, for her part, is
confronted with what Lisa Sanders,M.D., an internist on the faculty
of Yale University School of Medicine, describes as the most
difficult andmost important component of what physicians do.
Donning her detective cap, the doctor must embark on aquest for a
diagnosisa journey that can be messy, filled with red herrings,
false leads, and dead ends, one inwhich the possibility of error is
often ever-present, even as the patients life hangs in the
balance.
In Dr. Sanderss illuminating new book, EVERY PATIENT TELLS A
STORY:Medical Mysteries and theArt of Diagnosis (Broadway Books;
On-sale August 11th, 2009; ISBN: 978-0-7679-2246-3; $25.00),
sheputs readers on the front lines of medicine, offering an
unflinching look at the combination of uncertainty andintrigue that
doctors experience when confronting patients who are sick or dying.
Through a series of
fascinating real-life medical cases, she sheds new light on the
intricate series of interactions between doctorand patient that
constitute the diagnostic process, revealing how a small misstep by
either one can lead to anincorrect or incomplete diagnosis.
The cases in EVERY PATIENT TELLS A STORY run the gamut of
perplexing medical mysteries,including a healthy young man who
suddenly loses his memorymaking him unable to remember the eventsof
each passing hour; to two patients diagnosed with Lyme disease who
improve after antibiotic treatmentonly to have their symptoms
return; to a young teacherhealthy and activewho collapses at school
after apulmonary embolus, but without a sign of a blood clot to
help diagnose the source; to a young woman dying inthe ICUbleeding,
jaundiced, incoherentwith her doctors baffled by what is killing
her.
Sanders explores why one doctor is able to make a diagnosis when
previous doctors couldnt, where errors
were made in the diagnostic process, and what we can learn from
those missteps. She also explores theimplications of the demise of
the physical exam in modern medicine and candidly discusses her own
triumphsand shortcomings, retracing the diagnosis of past patients,
and even exploring the diagnosis of her sistersdeath. Throughout,
she asks tough questions of both doctors and patients: What does a
doctor do when thepatient profile says one thing and tests say
another? What should a patient do when she thinks her doctor
hasgiven her a wrong diagnosis?
A modern-day Sherlock Holmes, Sanders not only asks the
questions, she gives readers tools to answer them.From Googling
symptoms, to navigating a doctors office visit, to knowing ones
medical history, she givespatients insightful advice on improving
their chances of obtainingand understandinga diagnosis. As thetitle
of her book suggests, every patient has a unique story, and Sanders
accurately chronicles the real-lifedrama of piecing together clues
to provide firsthand accounts of the expertise and intuition
required to save
lives.
I try to share a face of medicine that is both exciting and
important, she writes. Exciting because theprocess of unraveling
the mystery of a patients illness is a wonderful piece of detective
workcomplicatedyet satisfying. Important because any one of us
might someday be that patient. The more you know about theprocess,
the better you will be prepared to assist and understand. EVERY
PATIENT TELLS A STORY isthe first work of medical narrative to
focus specifically on the fascinating topic of diagnosis.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORLISA SANDERS, M.D., an internist on the faculty
of the Yale University School of Medicine, writes themonthly column
Diagnosis in theNew York Times Magazine and is a technical advisor
for the TV seriesHouse, M.D.She lives in New Haven,
Connecticut.
EVERY PATIENT TELLS A STORY:Medical Mysteries and the Art of
Diagnosis
By Lisa Sanders, M.D.Published by Broadway Books, an imprint of
the Crown Publishing Group,a division of Random House, Inc.August
11th, 2009/Hardcover; $25.00; 304 pagesISBN:
978-0-7679-2246-3www.broadwaybooks.com
For more information about EVERY PATIENT TELLS A STORYor to
schedule an interview with Dr. LisaSanders, please contact Rachel
Rokicki at 212-782-8455 or [email protected].
**PLEASE SEND A TEARSHEET OF ANY REVIEW OR MENTION**
http://www.broadwaybooks.com/http://www.broadwaybooks.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.broadwaybooks.com/
