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Book Blood  Sweat and Tears

    Book Details:
  • Author : Philip F. Stahel
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2016-06-01
  • ISBN : 9781910079522
  • Pages : 296 pages

Download or read book Blood Sweat and Tears written by Philip F. Stahel and published by . This book was released on 2016-06-01 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All surgeons want to be better surgeons... They work hard to be respected by their peers, appreciated by their patients, and valued by their communities. Most of the estimated 200 million surgeries performed worldwide every year go as anticipated, with positive patient outcomes. However, the number of surgical complications and preventable medical errors still remains unacceptably high. Why are experienced surgeons still creating so many adverse events? More importantly, what can surgeons do to better address the situation? This book seeks to answer these questions. The book provides pragmatic examples on how good surgeons can grow from being technically brilliant to becoming empathetic and capable of providing safe, compassionate, and more effective patient care. The book follows trauma surgeon Philip Stahel's 20‐year journey from his 'rookie years' in internship and residency, to his development as a global patient safety advocate, renowned academician and teacher, and compassionate surgeon. The book touches on why our current patient safety protocols and checklists fail to keep patients safe and how a physician‐driven initiative with credible leadership is needed to build a sustainable 'culture of patient safety'. Written for a wide audience and based on the paradigm that "good judgment comes from experience which comes from poor judgment", the book provides in‐depth coverage of all the critical and timely components of safe surgical care, relates practical tips for improving the quality of partnerships between surgeons and patients, and offers a practical guide on how to reduce the learning curve to becoming a better surgeon.

Book Blood  Sweat and Tears     Becoming a Better Surgeon

Download or read book Blood Sweat and Tears Becoming a Better Surgeon written by Philip F. Stahel and published by tfm Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All surgeons want to be better surgeons... They work hard to be respected by their peers, appreciated by their patients, and valued by their communities. Most of the estimated 200 million surgeries performed worldwide every year go as anticipated, with positive patient outcomes. However, the number of surgical complications and preventable medical errors still remains unacceptably high. Why are experienced surgeons still creating so many adverse events? More importantly, what can surgeons do to better address the situation? Blood, Sweat and Tears — Becoming a Better Surgeon seeks to answer these questions. The book provides pragmatic examples on how good surgeons can grow from being technically brilliant to becoming empathetic and capable of providing safe, compassionate, and more effective patient care. Blood, Sweat and Tears — Becoming a Better Surgeon follows trauma surgeon Philip Stahel's 20-year journey from his 'rookie years' in internship and residency, to his development as a global patient safety advocate, renowned academician and teacher, and compassionate surgeon. The book touches on why our current patient safety protocols and checklists fail to keep patients safe and how a physician-driven initiative with credible leadership is needed to build a sustainable 'culture of patient safety.' Written for a wide audience and based on the paradigm that “good judgment comes from experience which comes from poor judgment”, Blood, Sweat and Tears — Becoming a Better Surgeon provides in-depth coverage of all the critical and timely components of safe surgical care, relates practical tips for improving the quality of partnerships between surgeons and patients, and offers a practical guide on how to reduce the learning curve to becoming a better surgeon. Reviews 1) I applaud Dr. Stahel for presenting a rich compilation of his honest and remarkable first-hand experiences and the collective work of doctors and health care leaders to reduce the endemic variation in medical quality that contributes to the #3 cause of death in the U.S. today — medical care itself. Marty Makary MD, Author of The New York Times bestseller, Unaccountable 2) “Blood, Sweat & Tears” is a great book, one of a kind, and destined to be a medical classic. What makes the book exceptional is the narrative about a difficult human endeavor, often done imperfectly, by humans who have been told they should be ‘perfect’. This quintessential paradox is why this book is a practical story about life and will likely be of interest and enjoyment to many outside the realm of medicine. Wade Smith MD, Co-founding Editor, Patient Safety in Surgery 3) Blood, Sweat & Tears: How to Become a Better Surgeon is a remarkable book that emphasizes empathy and communication, provocatively authored by a surgeon. However, as the reader will soon discover, Philip Stahel is not your ordinary surgeon. I strongly recommend every health care provider read this book. I further recommend this book be mandatory reading annually for every medical student, intern, resident and fellow-in-training, most especially chapters 3 and 4, which epitomize William Osler's advice, "Listen to the patient - he is telling you the diagnosis". In these 20 chapters, the many other insightful quotes alone are worth the purchase price. Jerome M.Buckley, MD Retired CEO/Chairman, COPIC Companies Associate Clinical Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine 4) The life of a surgeon is difficult. Life and limb threatening problems do not necessarily occur at convenient times. Surgery is not for the weak as it requires physical strength, emotional stamina, and unquenchable intellectual curiosity. Underneath these prerequisites lies the most important of all surgical requirements: the patient. With his emphasis on patient care found through empathy, shared decision making, and attention to detail, Dr. Stahel is telling the surgeon of today and tomorrow about the way to quality improvement and self-fulfillment. The emphasis on empathy is a crucial but neglected part of quality improvement. Why do our patients so frequently not adhere to our instructions? Putting yourself in the patient's position creates an essential surgeon-patient bond that underlies an optimal outcome. Dr. Stahel did not write the golden rule of "love thy neighbor as thyself", but it is clear that he sees this as an essential part of the surgeon-patient partnership. Both surgeon and patient will feel this effect, and it will pay dividends for both parties in the near and distant future. It is an important but disturbing reflection that many medical students lose their empathetic qualities during their clerkship years. There are many reasons that underlie this loss including our role models, the frantic pace of clinical activities, and the lack of clear direction as to the medical student role. Importantly, Dr. Stahel gives us a path to finding our empathy by rediscovering our humanism. Relating to the janitor, the nurse, and other members of the care team as people is an important first step in understanding the common ground that we share with our patients. Letting each member of the surgical team call the professor by his first name clearly tells the staff that all are important and essential. Giving his phone number to his patients shows the trust that Dr. Stahel shares with those who trust him. As I reflect upon my own 35-year career in surgery, I remember the eagerness with which I first approached operating room days. "A chance to cut is a chance to cure" and "the only way to heal is with cold steel" were chants that my fellow residents and I would often repeat. The operating room was its own sanctuary away from many realities of patient care. With time, I have learned to appreciate other parts of patient care. In the clinic, I have a chance to know the patient as a person, and I have an opportunity to educate the patient as I would want to be educated. My path to becoming a better surgeon is far from over but my time to accomplish this is short. I truly wish that I had read such a book many decades ago as I began my life in surgery, but back then no such work was available. With Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Dr. Stahel has directed me to some needed tools that might help me reach this laudatory goal of ongoing quality improvement. I am most appreciative for his reflections and observations, and I remain hopeful that perhaps someday I might become a better surgeon. Ted Clarke, MD Orthopaedic Surgeon and CEO and Chairman of COPIC, Denver, Colorado 5) As a veteran Registered Nurse I feel that this book is a must read for anyone in health care! Dr. Philip Stahel has a very down to Earth writing style and compassionate approach to patient care. Reading this book has reinvigorated my love of nursing and passion for patient care. Kerry Olson, RN 6) Blood, Sweat & Tears is a unique book - clearly one of a kind, and surprisingly not just of interest to those who work in healthcare. The book has a captivating narrative flow and the medical aspects are very easy to understand for non-clinical/laypersons as well. I will be sending my "baby boomer" parents a copy as it becoming increasingly important for the community to understand the complexity and challenges of our current healthcare system. My take-home point from this book is that we can and we should be involved in our healthcare choices and ask important and pertinent questions. If you're like me, and you're interested in patient safety and eventually receiving high quality medical care if you ever become a patient, if you have a sense of humor, and you would like a different perspective on healthcare, this is the book for you! Nicole Morgan, MHA

Book Towards the Future of Surgery

    Book Details:
  • Author : Jacopo Martellucci
  • Publisher : Springer Nature
  • Release :
  • ISBN : 3031476239
  • Pages : 268 pages

Download or read book Towards the Future of Surgery written by Jacopo Martellucci and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Cold  hard steel

    Book Details:
  • Author : Agnes Arnold-Forster
  • Publisher : Manchester University Press
  • Release : 2023-06-27
  • ISBN : 1526156636
  • Pages : 263 pages

Download or read book Cold hard steel written by Agnes Arnold-Forster and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2023-06-27 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brilliant, volatile and invariably male, the surgeon stereotype is a widespread and instantly recognisable part of western culture. Setting out to anatomise this stereotype, Cold, hard steel offers an exciting new history of modern and contemporary British surgery. The book draws on archival materials and original interviews with surgeons, analysing them alongside a range of fictional depictions, from the Doctor in the House novels to Mills & Boon romances and the pioneering soap opera Emergency Ward 10. Presenting a unique social, cultural and emotional history, it sheds light on the development and maintenance of the surgical stereotype and explains why it has proved so enduring. At the same time, the book explores the more candid and compassionate image of the surgeon that has begun to emerge in recent years, revealing how a series of high-profile memoirs both challenge the surgical stereotype and simultaneously confirm it.

Book Schein   s Common Sense Emergency Abdominal Surgery

Download or read book Schein s Common Sense Emergency Abdominal Surgery written by Moshe Schein and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ix Preface Smart surgeons learn from their own mistakes, smarter surgeons learn from mistakes of others, some never learn . . . You are a resident, overworked and constantly tired; sitting down with your mentor for a brief tutorial. What do you want to get out of these few minutes? To organize your thoughts and approaches to the particular problem; to learn how he -the weathered surgeon -"tackles it"; to grasp a few practical "recipes" or "goodies" and take home a message or two; to laugh a bit and unwind. This is also our goal in this book. We hope that you are not repelled or offended by the non-formal character of this book. This is how emergency abdominal surgery is taught best, by trial and error and repetitions, with emphasis on basics. This is not a "complete" textbook, nor is it a cookbook type manual or discussion of case studies; neither is it a collection of detailed lecture notes or exhaustive lists. Instead, it consists of a series of informal, uncensored, chats between experienced surgeons and their trainees. No percentages, series, elaborated figures or complicated algorithms are included; only a surgeon's narrative, explaining how "he does it" -based on his experience and state of the art knowledge of the literature. No references are included as it was our aim to put down nothing which has not been experienced, confirmed and practiced in our own hands.

Book The Price We Pay

    Book Details:
  • Author : Marty Makary
  • Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
  • Release : 2019-09-10
  • ISBN : 1635574129
  • Pages : 305 pages

Download or read book The Price We Pay written by Marty Makary and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2019-09-10 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestseller Business Book of the Year--Association of Business Journalists From the New York Times bestselling author comes an eye-opening, urgent look at America's broken health care system--and the people who are saving it--now with a new Afterword by the author. "A must-read for every American." --Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief, FORBES One in five Americans now has medical debt in collections and rising health care costs today threaten every small business in America. Dr. Makary, one of the nation's leading health care experts, travels across America and details why health care has become a bubble. Drawing from on-the-ground stories, his research, and his own experience, The Price We Pay paints a vivid picture of the business of medicine and its elusive money games in need of a serious shake-up. Dr. Makary shows how so much of health care spending goes to things that have nothing to do with health and what you can do about it. Dr. Makary challenges the medical establishment to remember medicine's noble heritage of caring for people when they are vulnerable. The Price We Pay offers a road map for everyday Americans and business leaders to get a better deal on their health care, and profiles the disruptors who are innovating medical care. The movement to restore medicine to its mission, Makary argues, is alive and well--a mission that can rebuild the public trust and save our country from the crushing cost of health care.

Book Power Yoga for Athletes

    Book Details:
  • Author : Sean Vigue
  • Publisher : Fair Winds Press (MA)
  • Release : 2015-06-15
  • ISBN : 1592336159
  • Pages : 211 pages

Download or read book Power Yoga for Athletes written by Sean Vigue and published by Fair Winds Press (MA). This book was released on 2015-06-15 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perfect for those who want a total body and mind workout.

Book Cutting for Stone

    Book Details:
  • Author : Abraham Verghese
  • Publisher : Random House India
  • Release : 2012-05-17
  • ISBN : 8184001754
  • Pages : 560 pages

Download or read book Cutting for Stone written by Abraham Verghese and published by Random House India. This book was released on 2012-05-17 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance and bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.

Book Cystitis unmasked

    Book Details:
  • Author : James Malone-Lee
  • Publisher : tfm Publishing Limited
  • Release : 2021-02-01
  • ISBN : 1910079642
  • Pages : 282 pages

Download or read book Cystitis unmasked written by James Malone-Lee and published by tfm Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2021-02-01 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modern science has shown that the widely held beliefs of clinicians about urinary tract infection (UTI) are wrong. A large body of meticulous, rigorous data, from different centres around the world makes this point. How can it be that doctors continue to practise in contradiction of what we now know? A few clinicians are now changing their approach with gratifying results so it is timely to encourage others to do likewise. Clinical guidelines have achieved such influence that most doctors feel compelled to follow them and may face censure if they do not. Regrettably the guidelines are mistaken and contradict the known science. The inertia of bureaucracy and the fear of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) do not help to encourage reflection. However, things are changing and the future should see new and better informed advice. It is a tragedy that these circumstances are leading to widespread suffering amongst many women, some men and children who experience untreated or inadequately treated infection that may plague them for years. This situation has to change. This book sets out the truth about this neglected field and explains the many errors that haunt the topic. The style makes the message accessible to all clinicians. The story is convincing, because the clinical stories that illustrate the text will be so familiar to practising clinicians, who have been baffled by their experiences. Above all, this book will help you and your patients by detailing an accessible, practical approach to resolving this difficult clinical problem in common practice. The scope of the book will cover: the history of the medicine of urinary tract infection (UTI); the urinary microbiome and what the microbes are really up to; the battles between the pathogens and the innate immune system; the truth about the tests and the criteria used to define UTI; antimicrobial resistance and the importance of Darwinian evolution; the science and ground-breaking research on UTIs; the use of antibiotics; successful treatment; supportive and other related treatments; ethics; the future; and, above all, the experiences of the patients.

Book Anatomic

    Book Details:
  • Author : Adam Dickinson
  • Publisher : Coach House Books
  • Release : 2018-04-24
  • ISBN : 1770565469
  • Pages : 154 pages

Download or read book Anatomic written by Adam Dickinson and published by Coach House Books. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The poems of Anatomic have emerged from biomonitoring and microbiome testing on the author's body to examine the way the outside writes the inside, whether we like it or not. Adam Dickinson drew blood, collected urine, swabbed bacteria, and tested his feces to measure the precise chemical and microbial diversity of his body. To his horror, he discovered that our "petroculture" has infiltrated our very bodies with pesticides, flame retardants, and other substances. He discovered shifting communities of microbes that reflect his dependence on the sugar, salt, and fat of the Western diet, and he discovered how we rely on nonhuman organisms to make us human, to regulate our moods and personalities. Structured like the hormones some of these synthetic chemicals mimic in our bodies, this sequence of poems links the author’s biographical details (diet, lifestyle, geography) with historical details (spills, poisonings, military applications) to show how permeable our bodies are to the environment. As Dickinson becomes obsessed with limiting the rampant contamination of his own biochemistry, he turns this chemical-microbial autobiography into an anxious plea for us to consider what we’re doing to our world -- and to our own bodies.

Book Patient Safety in Surgery

Download or read book Patient Safety in Surgery written by Philip F. Stahel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-08-20 with total page 503 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In general, surgeons strive to achieve excellent results and ideal patient outcomes, however, this noble task is frequently failed. For patients, surgical complications are analogous to “friendly fire” in wartime. Both scenarios imply that harm is unintentionally done by somebody whose aim was to help. Interestingly, adverse events resulting from surgical interventions are more frequently related to system errors and a communication breakdown among providers, rather than to the imminent threat of the surgical blade “gone wrong”. Patient Safety in Surgery aims to increase the safety and quality of care for patients undergoing surgical procedures in all fields of surgery. Patient Safety in Surgery, covers all aspects related to patient safety in surgery, including pertinent issues of interest to surgeons, medical trainees (students, residents, and fellows), nurses, anaesthesiologists, patients, patient families, advocacy groups, and medicolegal experts.​ ​​

Book Unaccountable

    Book Details:
  • Author : Marty Makary
  • Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
  • Release : 2013-10-15
  • ISBN : 1608198383
  • Pages : 257 pages

Download or read book Unaccountable written by Marty Makary and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues for more transparent, democratic and safer healthcare practices to keep patients better informed and hold poor-performing doctors and flawed systems accountable.

Book Blood  Sweat and Steel

Download or read book Blood Sweat and Steel written by Curtis McGrath and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2021-11-01 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Afghanistan to Paralympic gold -- an extraordinary tale of tragedy, resilience and triumph In 2012, Combat Engineer Curtis McGrath was serving in the Australian Army in Afghanistan when, in the line of duty, he stepped on a land mine. Seriously injured but still conscious and aware he'd bleed out and die within minutes, Curtis, as the unit's chief first-aid officer, directed his comrades to apply tourniquets and administer an IV and morphine. Then, as he was stretchered to a helicopter, fearing he would never see his family again, he joked that he planned to become a Paralympian. Just months later, Curtis was up and walking on prosthetic legs, motivated by the opportunity to march with his unit in their welcome-home ceremony. Kayaking gave him a new sense of purpose and, in 2013, he and his father, Paul, paddled more than 700 kilometres from Sydney to Brisbane to raise funds for Mates4Mates, which supports current and former Defence Force members. A year later, Curtis captained the Australian team at the inaugural Invictus Games in London, founded by Prince Harry for wounded, injured or ill veterans. Then, within four years of his injury, Curtis won gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Now a ten-time world champion gold medallist, Curtis recently stormed to victory at the Tokyo Paralympics to bring home two more Paralympic gold medals for Australia. Passionate about the power of sport to transform lives, he's ready at last to share his extraordinary story, and how he has approached every setback and challenge with courage, resilience, humour and grit.

Book Practical Plastic Surgery for Nonsurgeons

Download or read book Practical Plastic Surgery for Nonsurgeons written by Nadine Semer and published by Authors Choice Press. This book was released on 2007-07 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This manual is a quick and handy reference of practical plastic surgical tips and techniques for medical professionals without advanced surgical training. Practitioners in a variety of settings will find useful information on effective treatment for commonly encountered injuries and problems to optimize patient outcomes.

Book Hot Lights  Cold Steel

Download or read book Hot Lights Cold Steel written by Michael J. Collins and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “An orthopedic surgeon’s down-to-earth, fast-paced, and frequently funny memoir of his residency [told] with a born storyteller’s skill.” —Kirkus Reviews Michael Collins’ account of his four-year surgical residency at the famed Mayo Clinic traces his rise from an eager but clueless first-year resident navigating chaos and feelings of inadequacy to accomplished Chief Resident in his final year. With unparalleled humor, he recounts the disparity between people’s perceptions of a doctor’s glamorous life and the real thing: a succession of rundown cars towed to the junk yard, long weekends moonlighting at rural hospitals, a family that grows larger every year, and a laughable income. Collins’ good nature helps him over some of the rough spots—but cannot spare him the harsh realities and heart-wrenching decisions of a doctor’s life. A teenager’s leg is mangled by a tractor: risk the boy’s life to save his leg, or amputate immediately? A woman diagnosed with bone cancer injures her hip: should he recommend a painful operation even though she has only months to live? Unflinching and deeply engaging, Hot Lights, Cold Steel captures the author’s struggles to reconcile his idealism and desire to heal with the recognition of his own limitations and imperfections. “Collins’ life as a surgical resident is heartbreaking one minute and triumphant the next. You’ll laugh and cry and cheer.” —Augusten Burroughs, New York Times–bestselling author of Dry “At once darkly humorous and truly compassionate. Not since House of God has there been such a ferociously funny look at the world of hospital medicine.” —Michael Palmer, New York Times–bestselling author of The Last Surgeon “I adore this book.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times–bestselling author of the Rizzoli & Isles novels

Book The Anatomist

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bill B. Hayes
  • Publisher : Ballantine Books
  • Release : 2007-12-26
  • ISBN : 0345504690
  • Pages : 274 pages

Download or read book The Anatomist written by Bill B. Hayes and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2007-12-26 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The classic medical text known as Gray’s Anatomy is one of the most famous books ever written. Now, on the 150th anniversary of its publication, acclaimed science writer and master of narrative nonfiction Bill Hayes has written the fascinating, never-before-told true story of how this seminal volume came to be. A blend of history, science, culture, and Hayes’s own personal experiences, The Anatomist is this author’s most accomplished and affecting work to date. With passion and wit, Hayes explores the significance of Gray’s Anatomy and explains why it came to symbolize a turning point in medical history. But he does much, much more. Uncovering a treasure trove of forgotten letters and diaries, he illuminates the astonishing relationship between the fiercely gifted young anatomist Henry Gray and his younger collaborator H. V. Carter, whose exquisite anatomical illustrations are masterpieces of art and close observation. Tracing the triumphs and tragedies of these two extraordinary men, Hayes brings an equally extraordinary era–the mid-1800s–unforgettably to life. But the journey Hayes takes us on is not only outward but inward–through the blood and tissue and organs of the human body– for The Anatomist chronicles Hayes’s year as a student of classical gross anatomy, performing with his own hands the dissections and examinations detailed by Henry Gray 150 years ago. As Hayes’s acquaintance with death deepens, he finds his understanding and appreciation of life deepening in unexpected and profoundly moving ways. The Anatomist is more than just the story of a book. It is the story of the human body, a story whose beginning and end we all know and share but that, like all great stories, is infinitely rich in between.

Book Blood  Sweat  and Pixels

Download or read book Blood Sweat and Pixels written by Jason Schreier and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER “The stories in this book make for a fascinating and remarkably complete pantheon of just about every common despair and every joy related to game development.” — Rami Ismail, cofounder of Vlambeer and developer of Nuclear Throne Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous. Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart. Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.