Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

This is a great read from a very respected surgeon. As a physic

This is a great read from a very respected surgeon. As a physician myself, I've always enjoyed reading books by physicians. Dr. Gawande has emerged as quite possibly the most reasonable, insightful, and even poetic of all physician writers. This book is a great read for anyone interested in the ethics of being a surgeon. Dr. Gawande's other books are also interesting reads, especially for doctors.
Other books by surgeons I highly recommend are Dr. Anthony Youn's "In Stitches," which is his absolutely hilarious and heartwarming story of becoming a doctor, and "Hot Lights Cold Steel" by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Collins. These are geared towards a general audience and very worthwhile reads.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Grey's Anatomy

I loved this book. At times, it felt like I was reading an episode of my favorite T.V. program, Grey's Anatomy. I am not in the medical profession but Dr. Gawande writes so well that his explanations and storytelling are easy to read and follow.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great Read

An inspirational book that is a must read. Insightful and original, Gawande depicts the reality of complex problems that arise in the medical profession.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

informative info on real surgeons actions

Very good. Easy writing style, many new concepts, many chuckles also. Still biased as a surgeon, but tells many incidents from real life. Wish my doctor would read it.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Overly hyped and I fell for it

Although eager to learn something from this physician's account, I found I was willing to leave the book after 50 pages. I did not, I did read it entirely but it was a waste of time. Some physicians can write, some cannot. This is a "not".

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great literary analysis of the art of surgery

Written very well, not quite as good as his other book 'Better', but still very good.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Inspiring

What an incredible look into both the expertise and fallibility of surgeons. The larger application is that we all need to aspire to learn as much as possible about our own areas of interest or professional endeavors, but in the final analysis we must trust our intuition. While reading Dr. Ben Carson's "Gifted Hands," I notice how often he prays and actually senses or truly knows God's leading. With both authors, there is a keen awareness of human imperfection.

Couldn't stop reading

I love to read memoirs and this was one that I couldn't put down. I want to read all of his books.

Loved it!

Great book

Very good book. Not boring like some books in this genre can be. All of his books are good. I only posted 2 reviews thus far, in 9mo, this book is worth a positive review!

Great author - great book!

This was my favorite of Atul Gawande's books, but I loved them all!! Would recommend them to everyone!

Complications: Always Kept me on the Edge of my Seat!

Atul Gawande's Complications, is a view on the less publicized uncertain half of the medical field. The half that attempts new surgeries and ideas most of which turn out to be failures rather than successes. And who better to test these new methods out on than the common patient who enters the hospital for an ordinary reason. Gawande, who is a doctor himself, discusses how this is helpful and hurtful to today's society and the overwhelming mystery that still surrounds medical science. He tries to get across the message that medicine and surgery is a necessary evil. We will never be able to improve unless we practice. The lives of some experiments are not as important as the many that could be saved in the future. He wants to get across the point that this is a harsh fact society needs to accept. I like the way he wrote the story giving examples of patients, then explaining the controversy that surrounds decisions and techniques that surgeons use. I like how he explains what really happens in the medical world. I dislike how the book rarely shows who Gawande is. By the end of the book you have no idea what he does for a living after residency or about his family or anything else. I think the story could have benefited from a personal touch. People should read this book because not only is it a good story, but it reveals many things about the medical field one would not expect. In this sense, readers can be informed when making their own medical decisions. I give the book an overall rating of 5 stars because it was informative and entertaining.

Highly Recommend ---and I haven't even read the whole book yet!

I haven't finished this book yet and it is the greatest book. But then again I want to be a surgeon so that is an unfair advantage for liking this book. I probably would recommend this for someone that doesn't enjoy the anatomy of the human body... But is still best book ever!!! :)

An amazing read for anyone involved in medicine in any capacity!

Complications is an engaging informative book about Dr. Gawande's accounters with the medical system. He sheds light on many issues in medicine that most people probably aren't too familiar with. It's a great read for anyone who is interested in medicine or even interacts with the medical system in any way, which is pretty much all of us. I learned so much about what it's like to be a doctor and a patient from reading this book. I found the first section the most interesting as it is the most applicable to patients but the last two sections are also really engaging when Gawande discusses different interesting medical phenomena. Overall, I think this book is a must read for everyone!

Inside Workings of the Medical Field

I read Atul Gawande's Complications a while ago and greatly enjoyed it. Dr. Gawande is an amazing writer and creates a detail image of topics in the medical field. It is very apparent that Dr. Atul Gawande is very educated and has extensive knowledge in what he writes about. Complications has the information and knowledge of a well-written peer-reviewed journal article but a writing style that is easy for anybody to read. I find that the information that Dr. Atul Gawande discusses are important for everybody to be familiar with. As a health educator I find the topics very interesting. His other book, Better, is just as good. The topics are similar in nature and just as interesting. Very well written and I recommend Complications for people who liked Better and vice versa. I believe those who are interested in the medical field will benefit and be entertained by Complications.

very informative

shows that we all are not perfect, but we can build a team around us to prevent dilemmas.

complications from Surgery

T. his book was a true story about a surgeon in the making some of the detail was not needed. I feel unless you are in the medical profession you would not have liked this book it gets boring. I have read better books written by doctors about their practice.

Excellent

Truly inspiring for anyone considering a career in the health professions.

jr82

Great book for anyone in the medical profession

Wonderful, enlightening book, Well Written

The "take home": Be pro-active and involved with your health care. Your physician/Surgeon is a trained human and wants you informed, but most people are blindly passive when it come to their heath care. Knowing medical limitations should make you more understanding when things go wrong.