Book excerpt: Complications in Surgery and Trauma, Second Edition provides practical information on the incidence, management, and avoidance of complications encountered during and after surgical procedures. The book offers detailed guidance and techniques for recognizing and controlling complications in the operating room, emergency ward, or intensive care unit. It spans the vast array of complications related to preoperative, intra-operative, and postoperative events. The coverage is comprehensive and includes many surgical sub-specialties including critical care, endocrine, cardiothoracic, vascular, burns and wound healing, orthopedic, pediatric, and transplant. A key feature of this new edition is the addition of succinct summary tables that list the most common complications related to each area of surgery or trauma and how to avoid them. Nine new chapters are included, and all previous chapters have been updated, making it a completely up-to-date reference for surgical residents, general surgeons, critical care surgeons, and those in training.