It is more enjoyable to read about complications than to manage them. Surgical complications are challenging for several reasons. It is difficult to watch patients and their families suffer. Although some complications are minor setbacks that resolve over time, some lead to longstanding disability. As surgeons, we sometimes doubt ourselves in the wake of a complication and lose confidence in our abilities. In some cases, surgeons avoid surgery or practice heightened defensive surgery, rendering them surgically dysfunctional. We should ask ourselves, ‘‘Is there something I should have done differently?’’ ‘‘Could this have been avoided?’’ and ‘‘Should I have recognized something earlier?’’ These are questions I ask each week.
