Fallibility By Atul Gawande Analysis

Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science “Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science” is a book full of stories from Dr. Atul Gawande’s medical residency. In this book, he tells some of his most traumatic and intense stories from a surgeon’s point of view. He explains the need for good decision making skills, judgment, and the importance of education in an important career. His stories are very inspiring and fascinating. Complications lays bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is uncertain, perplexing, and profoundly human.
In the first section of the book, “Fallibility,” Gawande provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the operating theatre that lays bare the “imperfect science” that is surgery. He sheds light on the error-prone nature of medicine through recollections of real-life cases in the wards and operating theatre the orthopedic surgeon who amputates the wrong limb; the long-respected yet burned-out doctor who suddenly loses his touch; and the young resident who forgets to remove a surgical sponge from inside the patient. Gawande confesses his own mistakes too, from his failed attempts learning how to place a central venous catheter line for the first time, to his emergency tracheotomy crisis scenario
that almost killed the patient. Through these cases, Gawande raises delicate questions that continue to stir controversy within the medical community
In a section called “Mystery,” the author revisits cases that continue to baffle him, such as a woman whose initially unremarkable morning sickness persisted until the day she gave birth. Throughout the book, Gawande suggests that no complaint or treatment is routine. “During a surgeon’s career, there is a lot of uncertainty about exactly what to do,” Gawande explains. “You’d love for there to be clear guidelines for everything, but that’s not the case.” ” Gawande delves into the strange and perplexing patient cases that remind us how little we really know about the human body. A middle-aged man suddenly experiences excruciating chronic back pain with no identifiable physical abnormality. A pregnant woman suffers uncontrollable, debilitating nausea—far beyond the typical pregnancy sickness—for the entire duration of her pregnancy. A young anchorwoman is plagued with an unexplainable blushing problem that puts a halt to her career. The mysterious symptoms presented in these patients reveal the gaping holes in our current medical knowledge, despite decades of research devoted to understanding the complex machinery of the human body. In the final section of the book, “Uncertainty,” where Gawande describes the messy, chaotic, and uncertain world of medicine.
Life-and-death decisions are often made in the spur of the moment, based on the “gut feeling” of the doctor rather than concrete evidence found in medical literature. The power of intuition is illustrated in the case of a young girl who presented a rash on her leg. First diagnosed as cellulitis, the rash was later tested positive for flesh-eating bacteria, an incredibly rare yet aggressive infection that is almost impossible to detect in time. So what spurred the decision to order the test? Gawande had a creeping suspicion—a suspicion that ended up sparing a young girl’s
life.
Gawande has experienced the limitations of his profession not only as a surgeon, but as a parent. During the first month of his residency, his newborn son, Walker, suddenly went into heart failure. “I had to go straight from assisting in the ER to the hospital across the street, where doctors explained to me what my son had to do to survive,” Gawande remembers. Walker recovered, and while he will need another surgery soon, the boy is expected to live a full, healthy life.
When I read the title of the book I expected a technical book about surgery, written in clinical prose and was happy that it was only around 200 pages of well spaced large font type. But boy, was I in for a surprise. What I found most interesting was Atul's command over the English language is phenomenal and his descriptions of medical conditions and surgical procedures is so realistic that I could visualize them happening right in front of me as I read which I really liked, because I was so into the book the author has me drawn in the book completely. What was even more interesting was his humility and honesty in describing his own capabilities as a resident surgeon and engaging in an open discussion on how fallible doctors are in general. He takes on some of the often neglected medical challenges like pain, nausea, blushing, etc. and is able to bring out a well-researched topic in a highly readable format. He is precise in his description and is able to express his thoughts and ideas in a few sentences. Here's an excellent example of how he describes humankind's challenge with obesity: "We are a species that has evolved to survive starvation, not to resist abundance". I believe he wrote this book to show other that doctors have to make certain decisions that he might not always be right that doctors are humans and can still make mistakes and that is a reality check and something new I learned while reading this book doctors make mistakes as well they are humans. Overall, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the medical profession.