As a surgeon, there are three great taboos.
First: an empty incision—finding nothing after opening the patient up. Second: a patient dying on the operating table. Third: leaving foreign objects behind.
An empty incision refers to a scenario where preoperative diagnostics point to a problem or tumor requiring surgery, but upon opening the patient up, the surgeon finds nothing, rendering the procedure completely pointless.
With thorough preoperative investigations, advancements in imaging and lab testing, and the availability of minimally invasive endoscopic techniques, this occurrence can practically be eliminated nowadays.
