Complications

A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

By: Atul Gawande

Narrated by: William David Griffith

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)

"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)

good book buy

The guy skipped like 3 chapters which was really frustrating & on top of not reading some chapters the one he did read ? some paragraphs got skipped it got really annoying ; overall i liked the book

Good reflections, thoughtful

Would you consider the audio edition of Complications to be better than the print version?

Haven't read print version.

Any additional comments?

This was a thoughtful book about risk, patient choice, and the practice of medicine. I found both the first and last 3rds of the book very good, while there was a section in the middle that was less interesting for me. Overall a v. good listen.

Intriguing

A very insightful view from the perspective of a surgeon. The real-life stories were interesting, and he makes some good points about inherent problems in the medical field.

Well told story, a must read!

Complications is a story for anyone who works with doctors or had regular dealings with them. Gawande weaves story is together to create a picture of doctors that is interesting as it proves that they are only human. I will be listening to it again.

Good read!

The content is great and the reading was good too. The only thing that bothered me was the music at the beginning and end of each chapter. It was distracting and didn't add anything to the reading.