Surgeons' guilt after postoperative complications

Surgery is an art, surgical dilemmas are not mathematical problems with rigid, straightforward solutions and the human mind/ body is not a perfect science. In such circumstances, unexpected, sudden complications can happen during surgery. While better diagnostics and advanced techniques in surgery have minimised surgical errors to a large extent - the risk of postoperative death is currently as low as 3.6% - when complications do occur, the surgeon faces a huge backlash not only from the patient's relatives, but from peers, hospital management, the media, and social media. The surgeon may also face violent retribution, not just consumer issues but the threat of arrest and legal battles. All these concerns make a surgeon the 'second victim' in the event of a postoperative complication, leading to changes in their practice, emotional turmoil and even serious mental issues like depression and suicide. In this era of instant judgement by a largely unregulated social media, it is urgently required to address this issue and to provide appropriate strength/support to the surgical community.