ABSTRACT
With more than one hundred years since the discovery of anesthe sia (1846), and with many incredible surgical developments at hand, the speed of surgery should no longer be an issue. In practice, speed is so ingrained in the surgeons mind that many surgical teachers continue to praise an outdated pace as a surgical virtue. Why? Do patients who undergo a surgical procedure with five hours and twenty minutes of anesthesia fare better than those whose surgery lasts four hours and fifteen minutes? If there are no surgical complications during either case, clearly the answer would be no. Surgeons are aware of this, of course, but many continue to act as if speed still matters. So when will the need for speed disappear? Must we turn to physi ologists and anesthesiologists for arguments that will sway todays illustrious cadre of surgeons? Or can we relax and allow our resident colleagues or future surgeons to operate calmly and without the nag ging pressure of haste?
