Some money quotes from Paul A. Ruggieri’s upcoming book, Confessions of a Surgeon (subtitled: The Good, The Bad, and the Complicated)… First, you should realize that surgeons are people too, and so are prone to outbursts:

Surgeons are control freaks. We have to be. And when things don’t go our way in the operating room, we can have outbursts. Some of us curse, some throw instruments, others have tantrums. These explosions are a go-to reaction when we’re confronted with the ghosts of prior complications.

On blood loss during surgery:

The reality is that blood loss can be measured. Hospitals know which surgeons are losing blood, and how much, during every operation. They have data from their operating rooms, but the public cannot get access to this information. And this information matters, too. A large amount of blood lost during an operation can be a harbinger of complications to come.

Finally, this is strange and unexpected:

Surgeons frequently have conversations with the body parts or organs they are trying to remove. We also have conversations with ourselves; it’s a way to blow off steam while our minds scramble to deal with the unexpected.

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(via Wall Street Journal)