Complications and Outcomes: Abdominal, General, and Extremity Complications

The patient’s outcome provides the final judgment on the surgeon’s abilities and skills as well as on the effectiveness and safety of the health-care system. Some complications originate in errors or shortcuts, while some others are simply unavoidable. In this chapter, the authors focus on a few selected complications from the myriads that exist because of their importance and complexity. The authors aim to increase alertness on complications that would never arise if always suspected (e.g., muscle necrosis from extremity compartment syndrome) and improve outcomes by offering evidence-based solutions to the management of such mishaps.