Complications

A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

By: Atul Gawande

Narrated by: William David Griffith

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's 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)

"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)

Incredible insight

I will be reading more of Gawande's work. A touching and intimate view on a profession most of us could not empathise with.

Amazing!

It provided a whole different perspective to the idea of a Dr. They are just a working stiff like the rest of us and they can screw up. And they can succeed at amazing things. Interesting take and the stories were great.

Highly recomended

A book that everyone in the medical field should definitely listen to, worth your time and money.

Another Great One

I really enjoyed Gawande’s book “Checklist Manifesto” (I’ve actually read it twice in the last year) and wanted to read his other books. This one was really great. I enjoyed the stories, and felt I as a nursing student really got a lot out of the overall message of the book as well!

This book helps understand how surgeons are people

I enjoyed this book very much. It gave me an insight into the world of medicine - was well written and read. I've recommended the book to several friends, which I don't do as a rule.

If you have an interest in understanding how doctors think and work - this is a very good book.

Outstanding

This is a fantastic book. It will be enjoyable for anyone with some interest in medicine, and most likely will be thoroughly enjoyed even by those with no interest in medicine.

It's not really heavily focussed on technical aspects of medicine, though there is some detail about medical procedures but it's generally just part of setting the scene of the story.

The book is mainly a collection of stories with a common theme - that doctors are human and sometimes make mistakes. There are some stories about negligent doctors, but primarily it's about good doctors who aren't always right. There is a kind of running ethical dilemma about the balance between training and giving practice to new doctors and giving patients the best care.

Full of insight

Wonderful! If you are familiar with science and the uncertainties of real life research (and practice) as opposed to the text book models of "scientific process", this book won't come as a shock. It is a brilliant exploration of the uncertainties in the science of medicine and the impact that human beings, with their frailties and their brilliant insights, have on a medicine. While I must admit it leaves me somewhat more nervous about major medical procedures, if more people understood medicine as presented here, we would probably not be plagued with so many law suits, the resultant high malpractice insurance fees and the final result of high cost health care. At the same time, if some of the insights presented in this book were translated into new systems and practices in the medical field, we probably would also not have so much human error to begin with. A great listen I recommend highly.

Riveting

An awesome book; stories very interesting; great insight into the medical world. look forward to reading more of Gawande's work

jaw dropping

Another A+ book! alot going on to always keep you interested and excited to keep going!

Great book

Read for a psych class. Decision making and really enjoyed it. The author has a lot to share.