Summary Of Failure To Rescue By Atul Gawande

In the article “Failure to Rescue” the author Atul Gawande argues that failure gives an individual a chance to rescue themselves from defeat and prosper. If a person fails they should not dwell on the past and become crippled by failure, they should continue to take risks because in order to see advancements, in anything, they must first take a chance. Gawande’s first altercation is failure is inevitable if we don’t take risks. He talks about eighty- seven year old Mrs. C who had neck surgery. The procedure went well, but resulted in an ulcer that ruptured in her chest, she had an eighty-per-cent fatality rate, but she defied the odds and survived to left the hospital in a week. Had Mrs. C let fear control her life, she could have lost everything

The author talks about himself in medical school and how some on the best surgeons were able to thrive when they are put in difficult situations with worries of being unsuccessful. Gawande then relates surgery to other realms of life by saying, “We all face complexity and uncertainty no matter where our paths take us. That means we all face the risk of failure. So along the way, we are all forced to develop these critical capacities- of judgment, teamwork, and acceptance of responsibility” (2). The author is saying if you take risks and fail, accept accountability for your choices and learn from your mistakes, don’t let them hold you

The author goes back to taking about Mrs. C, and how her operations didn’t go perfectly, but none of the surgeons where crippled by failure, they chose to make an accomplishment from a disaster. The author says, “They gave her and themselves a chance to rescue success from failure” (3). The man who performed the surgery was humbled, he could have let the fear of what may happen to his patient ruin his self-confidence, but he didn’t. He could have said that the surgery was too risky, but he didn’t. He was willing to take a chance and because he did Mrs. C was left in good