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  • Complications

  • A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
  • By: Atul Gawande
  • Narrated by: William David Griffith
  • Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (205 ratings)
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Complications

By: Atul Gawande
Narrated by: William David Griffith
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Summary

Sometimes in medicine the only way to know what is truly going on in a patient is to operate, to look inside with one's own eyes. This book is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is - complicated, perplexing, and profoundly human.

Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high, yet decisions must be made. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur, why good surgeons go bad. He shows what happens when medicine comes up against the inexplicable: an architect with incapacitating back pain for which there is no physical cause; a young woman with nausea that won't go away; a television newscaster whose blushing is so severe that she cannot do her job. Gawande also ponders the human factor that makes saving lives possible.

At once tough-minded and humane, Complications is a new kind of medical writing, nuanced and lucid, unafraid to confront the conflicts and uncertainties that lie at the heart of modern medicine, yet always alive to the possibilities of wisdom in this extraordinary endeavor.

©2002 Atul Gawande (P)2003 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"Gawande's sharp eye, crisp prose, and insightful understanding make his book as enjoyable as it is edifying." ( Los Angeles Times )
"Diagnosis: riveting." ( Time)
"These exquisitely crafted essays, in which medical subjects segue into explorations of much larger themes, place Gawande among the best in the field." ( Publishers Weekly)

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Surprising and shocking insights

Any additional comments?

This was a very well written book with some interesting, surprising and shocking insights into the medical industry. One thing Gawande makes very clear throughout the book: doctors are human and thus as fatally flawed as the rest of us! His use of real cases is underpinned by something more striking: his knowledge of his patients as people beyond the hospital. He is not afraid to speak against his peers and admit that there are failings in the medical system itself and with individuals and that there are mistakes made that shouldn't be.

Far from leaving me reticent about ever seeing a doctor again, I applaud Gawande's plain speaking and honest admissions. Sadly, we all make mistakes and this is a profession in which mistakes can be both epic and tragic; however, perhaps the bigger tragedy is that fear of being sued for simply doing one's job to the best of one's ability but making a rare error is enough to prevent full open and frank discussion with colleagues and the patients' families to ensure that such mistakes are more easily avoided in the future.

In a world of 'Where there's blame, there's a claim' mentality, shouldn't we be assigning some blame to 'ambulance chasers' whose willingness to destroy someone's reputation and perhaps career for the sake of making money could deprive a hospital - and society - of another competent, well-skilled doctor. Not only that but they make it practically impossible for doctors to learn from the errors of others, so great is the fear of admitting 'I made a mistake'.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

poor recording

Poor recording, music starting at random times and I think a half hour cut off from the end.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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So internet

I loved all of this book. It was the book that solidified the fact I want a career in surgery.

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best book on medical matters I ever read. great

loved it . great writings by clear genius thinker. will start on the 2nd book on complications

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Atul Gawande never disappoints.

Atul Gawande never disappoints. Every doctor should read his books. Complication is a collection of experience from which we can learn...as secondary experience.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!!

This book has gripping content and the quality of narration is excellent. Will happily listen to it again.

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SHORT AND SWEET

I could relate with this book quite easily.
I enjoyed it.
Performance was quite good.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Medical book

Some chapters, like the one about rash and about medical seminars , were really hard to finish because of their disconnect from the book. It appeared as a small-story driven overall arching narrative , but came out as a bit random experience. Thematically its great , but the details are repelling.
Overall still decent experience

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Honest, compassionate and insightful

A painfully honest account of the limits of medicine. I really appreciated how the author manages to reach uncomfortable conclusions without resorting to easy crowd pleasing, e.g. on the use of technology in diagnosis (which he admits can outperform doctors). All without ever losing a deeply human and compassionate point of view. I wish there existed more books (and perhaps more people?) like this.

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Fantastic book

Shame about the music at the end of chapters. Annoying and cloying and unnecessary. Otherwise Gawande is brilliant.

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