It is very much understood that the time a postgraduate gets to spend in the wards with his or her patients is very little, the period of training is short. During this short period he hardly sees the complications in his own patients, especially the delayed ones. Once out of the training and is independent, and encounters the complications, he finds it difficult to manage as it is the first encounter, and also feels embarrassed to take the help of the senior colleagues or teachers. The management is thus by intuition. This habit may increase the morbidity and mortality of the patients. This book takes this into consideration and the complications are listed as early and late in order of occurrence of the postoperative period and also the organ concerned, which should act as a ready reckoner.

Even today, in spite of many advances in research and techniques, conventional tubes and drains and suture materials form an integral part of good surgery. Separate chapters are made detailing them, which should be certainly useful in increasing the safety of the operated patient.

Once complicated, the patients go through a very morbid and turbulent period, especially those whose nutritional status is poor or uncorrected, more so in those who undergo emergency surgery. Cancer patients are no less in this aspect. Separate chapters are devoted to perioperative nutrition.

Management of gastrointestinal surgery is never complete without knowing about the stomata and the fistulae. Bowel care is another avenue, which needs to be understood for good and successful surgery. Detailed account is given for these in separate chapters.

There are occasions when other specialists like the urologists and gynaecologists inadvertently end up doing gastrointestinal surgery to manage a necessity or to correct iatrogenic injuries of the gastrointestinal tract, and may have the necessity to manage them postoperatively. In such situations, this manual will be of great use, as the surgeons themselves can manage without involving any other gastrointestinal surgeon at least for a short time, which may help to maintain the privacy and secrecy of the situation.

The topic of complications does not have a high popularity within the surgical community and books devoted exclusively to this topic are not many. By going back and forth between the chapters, I am sure the user will be able to manage his or her patients before and after surgery, very efficiently. It is hoped that this volume will serve as a carry on hand manual and also act as a stimulus to those interested in giving top-class surgicare towards the safety of their patients, reducing the morbidity and mortality.

I express my sincere thanks to my colleague Dr J Vijayan, Senior surgical gastroenterologist, Chennai, who was of great help in going through the manuscript, correcting the subject matter and proofreading. My sincere thanks goes to my friend Dr KM Lakshmipathy, Specialist in Nuclear scans and therapy at Vijaya Nuclear Scans and Therapy, Vijaya Health Centre, Chennai, for providing me the photographs of nuclear scans. I thank my colleagues Dr A Chandrasekar Rao, Senior Consultant in Surgery, St. Isabel's Hospital and Apollo Speciality Hospital, Chennai and Dr Mani Veeraraghaven, Endoscopist, The Endoscopy Centre, Chennai for providing me some of their clinical photographs. My special thanks to my classmate and friend Professor R Surendran, Professor and Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Stanley Medical College, Chennai for providing me some clinical photographs from his large collection.

My sincere thanks goes to my daughters Bhavna and Kirthana who rendered the illustrative work with neat drawings.

Finally, my thanks and deep appreciation to my wife, Kalpana and family who have tolerated my preoccupation with this work during many evenings, over many a weekend and during the holidays.