--- product_id: 263373968 title: "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" price: "AED 74" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 5 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/263373968-complications-a-surgeons-notes-on-an-imperfect-science store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science **Price:** AED 74 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science - **How much does it cost?** AED 74 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/263373968-complications-a-surgeons-notes-on-an-imperfect-science) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Buy Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Gawande, Atul online on desertcart.ae at best prices. ✓ Fast and free shipping ✓ free returns ✓ cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. Review: Un libro molto interessante da leggere se masticate l'inglese. Drammatico e comico allo stesso momento. Lo scrittore ha avuto un grandissimo successo con vari libri basati sulla sua esperienza da neurochirurgo che ho immediatamente ordinato poco dopo. A me è piaciuto molto e l'ho finito in meno di due settimane. Review: This book was a fascinating look into the modern doctors world. It is a job more defined by statistics than in the past, but personality and experience still play a great part. I really enjoyed reading this doctor/author's book book on Checklists and their usage in medicine so I was not disappointed with his more random thoughts on doctoring in general. Some of it is quite unsettling as in the case of surgery and interns learning. You hate to be a learning experience when your life is at stake, but how else do interns learn? Still...most doctors insist that their loved ones, are not part of this experience. Doesn't seem really fair; does it? Doctors like everyone else do better with practice, and this is well demonstrated with these specialized practices that only do Hernia operations. It also makes it possible for robots and computers to be quite effective at simple procedures. However that gives me pause. Here the blue screen of death might have greater implications than a reboot. I liked the fact where he dealt with some of his mistakes and diagnoses of patients and how there was a struggle of procedure and how to approach things. One person was nearly harmed by a minor oversight and another person was saved with a hunch. Given that both of these areas (oversights and hunches) are in the gray areas of human cognition it shows how much luck plays a factor, or a sixth sense, that doctors with experience start to develop. A quick synopsis of what this book includes: INTRODUCTION FALLABILITY *Education of a knife: How interns are trained in surgery. Odds are, you are their training. *The computer and the hernia factory: Repetition = perfection and efficiency *When doctors make mistakes: How mistakes happen. Like all of us they are human, but unlike all of us the ramifications are greater. *Nine Thousand Surgeons: Conferences provide an opportunity to compare notes and keep up to date. *When Good doctors go Bad: Peer review is necessary but whistle blowing on a colleague is rare. Not surprising there are remediation schools, but few and far between. Important note, if some doctors push you away from others...take note. MYSTERY Full Moon/Friday the 13th: Is there any truth to this. Statistically no, but the jury is still out. The pain perplex: Pain stumps most doctors as how and why it exists is not clear cut.There is no test for pain. A queasy feeling: Nausea is not one symptom, nor does it have a single cause and can be very difficult to treat. Crimson tide: Blushing, for some it undermines their confidence, but is it only cosmetic? The man who couldn't stop eating: Overeating is a life altering issue and surgery to address this is gaining ground as in the case of the morbidly obese, it works. UNCERTAINTY *Final Cut: Autopsy is not done as much any more unless there is a mystery surrounding the death. However, it helps educate doctors as to the accuracy of their diagnoses. Unfortunately to many it is a violation of the dead, who will gain nothing in return. *The dead baby mystery: Sometimes the answers are obvious *Whose body is is anyway: Doctors these days advise, not dictate and patients struggle to make the right choices. *Doctors have to let patients make bad choices despite their objections. *The case of the red leg: Gut feeling are sometimes all you have and often they are dead on. In the absence of this all that is left is statistics. SUMMARY This book was interesting, as it was a mix of topics. Some associated with specific symptoms like pain, blushing and nausea. Others associated with medical errors, bad doctors, cases that were swayed by errors and hunches. If you have any interest in medicine, but not the background, these are great books to read, as you get the human side of it, rather than the scientific. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #161,127 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #15 in Surgery #222 in Medical Reference #1,201 in Diseases & Physical Ailments | | Customer reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,764) | | Dimensions | 13.84 x 1.78 x 20.83 cm | | Edition | First Edition | | ISBN-10 | 0312421702 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0312421700 | | Item weight | 1.05 Kilograms | | Language | English | | Print length | 288 pages | | Publication date | 1 April 2003 | | Publisher | Picador USA | ## Images ![Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81d04hxIvGL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by C***N on 24 September 2018* Un libro molto interessante da leggere se masticate l'inglese. Drammatico e comico allo stesso momento. Lo scrittore ha avuto un grandissimo successo con vari libri basati sulla sua esperienza da neurochirurgo che ho immediatamente ordinato poco dopo. A me è piaciuto molto e l'ho finito in meno di due settimane. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by A***J on 27 May 2012* This book was a fascinating look into the modern doctors world. It is a job more defined by statistics than in the past, but personality and experience still play a great part. I really enjoyed reading this doctor/author's book book on Checklists and their usage in medicine so I was not disappointed with his more random thoughts on doctoring in general. Some of it is quite unsettling as in the case of surgery and interns learning. You hate to be a learning experience when your life is at stake, but how else do interns learn? Still...most doctors insist that their loved ones, are not part of this experience. Doesn't seem really fair; does it? Doctors like everyone else do better with practice, and this is well demonstrated with these specialized practices that only do Hernia operations. It also makes it possible for robots and computers to be quite effective at simple procedures. However that gives me pause. Here the blue screen of death might have greater implications than a reboot. I liked the fact where he dealt with some of his mistakes and diagnoses of patients and how there was a struggle of procedure and how to approach things. One person was nearly harmed by a minor oversight and another person was saved with a hunch. Given that both of these areas (oversights and hunches) are in the gray areas of human cognition it shows how much luck plays a factor, or a sixth sense, that doctors with experience start to develop. A quick synopsis of what this book includes: INTRODUCTION FALLABILITY *Education of a knife: How interns are trained in surgery. Odds are, you are their training. *The computer and the hernia factory: Repetition = perfection and efficiency *When doctors make mistakes: How mistakes happen. Like all of us they are human, but unlike all of us the ramifications are greater. *Nine Thousand Surgeons: Conferences provide an opportunity to compare notes and keep up to date. *When Good doctors go Bad: Peer review is necessary but whistle blowing on a colleague is rare. Not surprising there are remediation schools, but few and far between. Important note, if some doctors push you away from others...take note. MYSTERY Full Moon/Friday the 13th: Is there any truth to this. Statistically no, but the jury is still out. The pain perplex: Pain stumps most doctors as how and why it exists is not clear cut.There is no test for pain. A queasy feeling: Nausea is not one symptom, nor does it have a single cause and can be very difficult to treat. Crimson tide: Blushing, for some it undermines their confidence, but is it only cosmetic? The man who couldn't stop eating: Overeating is a life altering issue and surgery to address this is gaining ground as in the case of the morbidly obese, it works. UNCERTAINTY *Final Cut: Autopsy is not done as much any more unless there is a mystery surrounding the death. However, it helps educate doctors as to the accuracy of their diagnoses. Unfortunately to many it is a violation of the dead, who will gain nothing in return. *The dead baby mystery: Sometimes the answers are obvious *Whose body is is anyway: Doctors these days advise, not dictate and patients struggle to make the right choices. *Doctors have to let patients make bad choices despite their objections. *The case of the red leg: Gut feeling are sometimes all you have and often they are dead on. In the absence of this all that is left is statistics. SUMMARY This book was interesting, as it was a mix of topics. Some associated with specific symptoms like pain, blushing and nausea. Others associated with medical errors, bad doctors, cases that were swayed by errors and hunches. If you have any interest in medicine, but not the background, these are great books to read, as you get the human side of it, rather than the scientific. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review *by R***L on 6 November 2025* Lucid, well-researched ## Frequently Bought Together - Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science - Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance - Being Mortal --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/263373968-complications-a-surgeons-notes-on-an-imperfect-science](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/263373968-complications-a-surgeons-notes-on-an-imperfect-science) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-06-04*