Surgical Ethics

Alberto R Ferreres, MD, PhD, JD, MPH, FACS (Hon.) received his medical degree “summa cum laude” from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine, where he also completed his residence in General Surgery and a fellowship in Surgical Oncology. He was appointed International Guest Scholar of the American College of Surgeons in 1991 and he completed a fellowship in Clinical Ethics at the University of Chicago. He is currently professor of surgery at the University of Buenos Aires and department chair at the Dr. Carlos A Bocalandro Hospital. Further, Prof. Ferreres holds honorary fellowship from the American Surgical Association and the American College of Surgeons, the Chinese College of Surgeons, the Brazilian College of Surgeons and the Brazilian College of Digestive Surgery, the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland as well as from the North Pacific Surgical Association. He sits at the American College of Surgeons Committee on Ethics and serves on the editorial board of the Annals of Surgery, JAMA Surgery, JOGS and the American Journal of Surgery. He also holds a professorship at the University of Washington, where he runs the Surgical Ethics Program. Prof. Ferreres is a gastrointestinal surgeon specializing in gastrointestinal and minimal invasive surgery and with an interest in surgical ethics, global surgery and professional liability issues and has been invited as a visiting professor around the globe.

• Prologue.- Part I: Principles and foundations of Surgical Ethics.- History and Development of  Medical Ethics in the West.- The History of Surgical Ethics.- Surgical Ethics – Theory and Practice Background.- Foundations and Principles of Surgical Ethics.- The Ethical Challenges of Surgical Leadership.- What is Surgical Professionalism?.- Ethics in Academic Surgery.- Ethical Issues of  the Mentor- Mentee Relationship.- Surgical Ethics and The Surgical Societies: What are we doing?.- Ethical Issues in Surgical Research.- Surgical Ethics and Diversity.- Why and How to Teach Surgical Ethics?.- The Surgeon, the Patient, and the Health Care System: Access, Equity, and Fairness.- Ethics in Global Surgery.- The Anesthesiologist and the Surgeon: Two Professionals Sharing the Command of the Patient in the Operating Room.- Part II: Surgical Ethics in everyday surgical practice.- The Surgeon-Patient Relationship: Built Upon Trust.-  The Transformation and Challenges of the Surgeon – Patient Relationship.- The Surgical Decision Making Process: Different Ethical Approaches.- The Surgical Informed Consent Process: Myth or Reality?.- Informed Consent and Disclosure of Surgeon Experience.- The Pediatric Patient as a Self-Individual and Decision Maker.- End of Life Issues.- Ethics and Surgical Innovation.- Ethics and Breast Cancer.- Ethical Issues in Pediatric Liver Transplantation.- Ethical Issues in Cardiothoracic Surgery.- Ethics of Surgical Intervention in Jehovah’s Witness Patients.- Ethical Issues in Bariatric Surgery.- How To Solve Ethical Conflicts In Everyday Surgical Practice: A Tool Box.- Afterword.

“This book presents the theoretical and practical aspects of surgical ethics, with a focus on the application of ethical standards to practice. … The book is said to be written for ‘experienced surgeons, surgical residents, and fellows, all of whom are confronted with ethics issues and conflicts in practice.’ … This is a very good book, and an excellent contribution to the field.” (Carol Scott‐Conner, Doody's Book Reviews, July 12, 2019)