This is Linda's area of deep knowledge but for the top surgeons, the outcomes are probably dictated by the condition of the patient as opposed to any mistakes the surgeon makes. The surgeons take the patients as they come.
Also in re infection rates, that is correlated with the hospital as opposed to the surgeon as far as I know.
The naive thought with new patients is understandably that the outcomes are completely a function of surgeon expertise and error but that is probably very far from the truth. The top guys who take the worst cases probably have the worst outcome record and perhaps the highest malpractice suit rate. But that is a function of the poor condition of the patients almost certainly. They are also the same surgeons who accomplish the most "miraculous" results.
Surgeons take patients as they come and in some cases those patients waited so long on surgery that it makes the surgeon's job so much harder.
There is a reason complications scale with patient age and curve severity.
Also in re infection rates, that is correlated with the hospital as opposed to the surgeon as far as I know.
The naive thought with new patients is understandably that the outcomes are completely a function of surgeon expertise and error but that is probably very far from the truth. The top guys who take the worst cases probably have the worst outcome record and perhaps the highest malpractice suit rate. But that is a function of the poor condition of the patients almost certainly. They are also the same surgeons who accomplish the most "miraculous" results.
Surgeons take patients as they come and in some cases those patients waited so long on surgery that it makes the surgeon's job so much harder.
There is a reason complications scale with patient age and curve severity.
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