Ronald D. Miller > Quotes

“According to the NAT view, we delude ourselves by believing that we can control our hazardous technologies and forestall disaster; in reality, many of the efforts we make at management and design tend only to increase the opacity and complexity of the system (making more holes in the barriers), thereby increasing the likelihood of accidents.”
― Ronald D. Miller, Miller's Anesthesia

“The stakes are high because even for elective surgery in healthy patients, there is an ever-present and very real risk of injury, brain damage, or even death. A catastrophe is often the end result of many pathways that begin with seemingly innocuous triggering events.”
― Ronald D. Miller, Miller's Anesthesia

“The surgeon’s goals may sometimes compete with those of the anesthesia professional. All these goals shift as the patient’s situation changes dynamically throughout the procedure.”
― Ronald D. Miller, Miller's Anesthesia

“In particular, what sets anesthesia apart from clinic- or ward-based medicine is the intensity of the dynamism, time pressure, and uncertainty, with danger lurking just below the surface.”
― Ronald D. Miller, Miller's Anesthesia