RT Book, Section A1 Wachter, Robert M. A1 Gupta, Kiran SR Print(0) ID 1146175512 T1 Surgical Errors T2 Understanding Patient Safety, 3e YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259860249 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1146175512 RD 2024/10/12 AB More than 20 million people undergo surgery every year in the United States alone. Historically, surgery was considered extremely dangerous, in part because of the risks associated with the surgery itself (bleeding, infection), and in part because of the risks of anesthesia. Because of safety advances in both of these fields, surgeries today are extremely safe, and anesthesia-related deaths are rare.1 Advances in surgery, anesthesia, and postoperative care have led to major declines in surgical mortality.2