Can You Die of a Broken Heart?: A heart surgeon's insight into keeping your most vital organ healthy

Description

'Dr Stamp is so clearly in love with her subject: that wonderful and yet still mysterious organ, the human heart.' Michael Mosley. When actress Debbie Reynolds died a day after her beloved daughter, Carrie Fisher, the world diagnosed it as 'heartbreak'. But what's the evidence? Does emotional upheaval affect the heart? Can love, or chocolate, really heal our heart problems? And why do we know so much about heart attacks in men, when they are more fatal in women? Heart and lung surgeon Dr Nikki Stamp takes us into the operating theatre, explaining what she sees in patients with heart complications and how a life-saving transplant works. Stamp fell in love with the heart as a child and continues to be fascinated by its workings and the whole-of-life experiences that affect it. Rich with anecdotes, and insights for maintaining heart health, Can You Die of a Broken Heart? is the international bestseller from a uniquely positioned young specialist.

Dr Nikki Stamp FRACS is a cardiothoracic surgeon, one of only 11 female heart surgeons in Australia. Her clinical work is at the forefront of cardiothoracic surgery, including transplants and congenital heart disease. She has a particular interest in women's heart disease and how the medical system can better serve female patients. Nikki has hosted heart health episodes for Australia's flagship science TV programme, Catalyst, as well as Operation Live, in which she commentated a live caesarean birth. She has recently released her second book, Pretty Unhealthy, to critical acclaim.

'It is a rare thing to find a surgeon who can write and who is so clearly in love with her subject. It helps that the subject of Dr Nikki Stamp's passion is that wonderful and yet still mysterious organ, the human heart. Dr Stamp writes about the heart with real verve and insight, addressing fascinating questions, like "can you die of a broken heart?", while telling moving human stories drawn from her own experience as a cardio thoracic surgeon.' Dr Michael Mosley