Complications by Atul Gawande

I started reading this book earlier this year, during my vacation. I know I have been going about this vacation for a long time now but the blog posts about it would be published soon, I assure you.
This book belonged to my aunt  and unfortunately, I could not finish it during my vacation. Once I was back home, I went to Blossom's and got a copy. You can check out this post to see the other books that were a part of the haul.

This book is written by an Indian origin neurosurgeon based in the US and talks about how medical science is an imperfect science. The book is divided into 3 sections- Fallibility, Mystery and Uncertainty. The book consists of real-life events and incidents which have been conveyed through the lens of medical science but are very relatable in any area of work and personal life as well.

The section about fallibility discusses about how doctors could go wrong or how they get things right or wrong. One of the things that stuck with me from this section was an incident described by the writer from his personal experience where he couldn't get a procedure right and almost killed a patient. He practised a lot and somehow get it wrong ever single time, and out of the blue, one fine day, he does the procedure perfectly. It reminded me of the time when I had just started learning yoga- I could never bend down and touch my palms to the floor without bending my knees. I would try this at my yoga class every single day but could not do it. One fine day, I just do it without any difficulty, as though I have been doing it all my life. Similarly, there are various incidents to which I could draw parallels to. Some parts of this section, especially the one about 9000 surgeons, was quite hilarious to me.

The section about mystery describes several conditions like pain and nausea which is uncomfortable and inconvenient and in some cases, almost impossible to diagnose the cause of it. Sometime innumerable tests and imaging and all possible known sources to medical science are explored in the diagnosis and identifying the cause of certain conditions and everything seems perfect, yet the patient continues to suffer. Sometimes, all possible treatment options are explored but they fail. This section was a really interesting read.

The last section of the book is about Uncertainty. It specifically deals with the decisions that doctors have to take- should I do procedure x on a patient or not? should I tell a patient of all treatment options even if it means suffering and high risk to his/her life. Often we also face such a dilemma in our lives, especially where the pros and cons of a decision balance out each other and it is impossible to take a decision and would prefer someone else do it for us.

The book is written in a way that a layman can understand many things. Though there are several items which are medical, the author has tried his best to simplify or explain such medical terminology.  I really did not find it too difficult to read. It is quite an easy read and almost unputdownable. Note, the picture of the book in this post is the one from my aunt's edition. Mine is different- it is the one shown in the Blossoms' haul.

I would rate this book 5/5