Straight Talk with Mark Bouris #66 No other neurosurgeon is as polarising as Dr Charlie Teo
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Feb 8, 2023 AI Snips
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Early Career Fears
- Charlie Teo initially feared neurosurgery, avoiding a head injury patient's chart as an intern.
- He preferred pediatric surgery until a colleague's absence forced him into neurosurgery, where a mentor, John Yellen, inspired him.
Medical Field's Politics
- The medical field isn't always altruistic, as Teo discovered when a colleague rejected his paper, only to publish the same ideas later.
- This, along with witnessing a neurosurgeon's negligence leading to a patient's death, disillusioned him about the profession's ethics.
Brainstem Surgery Risks
- The brainstem's delicate nature makes surgery risky, with potential outcomes ranging from locked-in syndrome to death.
- Despite this, Teo operates on brainstem tumors, citing successful outcomes in his published series.