THE NATURE AND ESSENCE OF MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS

Abstract

This article explores medicine as a space of ontological uncertainty, where treatment always remains a chance rather than a guarantee. The authors argue that medical complications are not accidental “failures” but regular manifestations of existence, revealing the limits of human control over nature while simultaneously becoming a source of practical development. The study examines several dimensions of the problem: clinical, ontological, epistemological, technological, ethical, legal, socio-organizational, wartime, and philosophical-methodological. Clinical examples convincingly demonstrate that even strict adherence to protocols does not eliminate the risk of medical complications: after standard surgical interventions, infectious processes may occur; after the use of modern anticoagulants, bleeding may develop; and in high-tech cancer treatments, relapses or side effects are possible. This confirms that medicine deals with a living organism that reacts unpredictably. The ontological dimension highlights the fundamental unpredictability of life, the epistemological dimension reveals the limits of knowledge where protocols are merely “lanterns in the fog”, and the technological dimension points to new risks associated with algorithmic uncertainty and the use of artificial intelligence. The ethical aspect emphasizes honesty and trust in the doctor–patient relationship: while physicians cannot guarantee outcomes, they can guarantee transparency and partnership. The legal context reveals the conflict between law’s aspiration for certainty and medicine’s inherent unpredictability, where even the most careful treatment may result in medical complications. The socio-organizational dimension shows that systemic weaknesses and underfunding generate new risks. War emerges as both catalyst and challenge: it accelerates technological progress, stimulates the development of military medicine, but simultaneously multiplies risks, exposing vulnerabilities in health systems. The philosophical-methodological dimension integrates all previous perspectives, demonstrating that medical complications are ontological categories shaping new models of thought and knowledge integration.