A surgeon's nightmare: Complications.

OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to determine the physically and psychologically most difficult complication resulting in chronic discomfort and occurring sensationally in the postoperative period of operations performed frequently in the daily surgical routine. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a survey among surgeons who participated in the 19(th) National Surgery Congress. The questions were related to the complications encountered in the frequent procedures performed in the daily general surgery routine and resulting in chronic life discomfort but which are not life threatening. Three hundred and sixty general surgeons participated in the survey and they were asked which complication among the given ones was the most difficult for a surgeon to manage physically and psychologically. The received answers were recorded and evaluated with descriptive statistical analysis. RESULTS Among the surgeons who participated in the survey, 345 were male (96%) and 15 female (4%); 218 (61%) general surgeons served in universities whereas 112 (30%) surgeons served in other public institutes and 30 (9%) served in private hospitals. With regard to the ranking of the complications that are most difficult to manage by the surgeons, pain and hemorrhage developing after hemorrhoidectomy were in the first place with 90 (25%) votes, whereas persistent hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy was in the second place with 73 (20%) votes. Furthermore, 286 (80%) surgeons stated that the complications did not discourage them from performing the same operation again. CONCLUSION Our results indicated that among the determined complications of operations performed in daily surgery routine, pain and hemorrhage developing after hemorrhoidectomy were the most difficult to manage. In addition, it was observed that complications did not discourage surgeons to perform the same operation again, contrary to popular belief.