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Complications

A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

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About this listen

 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 Biological Sciences History & Commentary Medicine & Health Care Industry Physical Illness & Disease Science Surgery Thought-Provoking Inspiring Medicine Medical Education Medical Care

Critic reviews

"Gawande's sharp eye, crisp prose, and insightful understanding make his book as enjoyable as it is edifying." (Los Angeles Times)

"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)

"Diagnosis: riveting." (Time)

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Most relevant
The book is a fascinating insight into the challenges and the ethics of surgery. Excellent narration throughout. Very much enjoyed listening.

Excellent in all respects!

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

best book on medical matters I ever read. great

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Really enjoyed listening to this book. Easy to listen too with interesting stories. The book covered valuable points.

great insight

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

So internet

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

Atul Gawande never disappoints.

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