3 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 2 0
K
enneth Levin,
MD, was per-
forming his
fourth big
abdominal case
of the day when his neck and
back suddenly froze. "The PA
looked at me, and I looked at
her, and she knew instantly I
was in big trouble," he recalls.
"I had a whole roomful of peo-
ple watching me just standing
there, paralyzed."
After a couple minutes, Dr.
Levin regained some mobility
and finished the case.
Retirement entered his mind.
"But I didn't want to do that,"
he says. "I loved operating. I
was good at it, and things had
been going so well. So I
pushed myself." Less than a
year later, though, he reluctantly performed his final surgery. "It was
difficult," he recalls. "I thought I was at my prime, and it turned out
my body couldn't keep up."
Dr. Levin practiced general and colorectal surgery in Madison, Wis.,
• BITTERSWEET GOODBYE Kenneth Levin, MD, (right) with long-
time partner, general surgeon Susan Charboneau, MD, on his last
day as an OR first assistant at SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in
Madison, Wis.
Joe Paone | Senior Associate Editor
I Used to Be a Surgeon
Increased awareness about ergonomics in
the OR will help prevent career-ending injuries.
Kenneth
Levin,
MD
