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Medicine vocabulary · Treatments and Procedures

Complication

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˌkɑːmplɪˈkeɪʃən/nounCommon term

In medicine, complication means: A new problem that develops because of an illness or a treatment, making the situation more serious or harder to manage.

In Turkish: komplikasyon

How it is used

Doctors explain the risk of complications when taking consent and watch for them after surgery. Common phrases: 'post-operative complications', 'developed a complication', 'uncomplicated recovery'.

Example sentences

  1. The main complications of this operation are bleeding and infection.

  2. Kidney damage is a long-term complication of poorly controlled diabetes.

Common collocations

  • post-operative complications
  • risk of complications
  • develop a complication
  • serious complication
  • surgeryTreatment in which a doctor cuts into the body to repair, remove or replace something; also the medical specialty that does this.
  • informed consentA patient's agreement to a treatment or procedure, given after the doctor has explained what it involves, its benefits, its risks and the alternatives.
  • diabetesA long-term disease in which the body cannot control blood sugar properly, because it makes too little insulin or cannot use it well.
  • prognosisA doctor's opinion about how an illness is likely to develop and what the chances of recovery or survival are.

More terms: Treatments and Procedures

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.