Assisting at Surgical Operations

There are many superb books on how to do operations but there are few or none on how to assist at them, and none written either by or for medical students or doctors. Therefore, the skills that make an expert surgical assistant are difficult to acquire. Normally, they can only be learnt in a haphazard way, by spending years in the operating theatre. This book describes those skills in a concise and systematic way, in surgery in general, and in ten different speciality areas. Although intended mainly for clinical-level medical students and junior doctors, other people who assist at surgical operations, including general practitioners, nurse assistants and surgical technologists, will also find it useful. Whether planning a career in surgery, or simply aiming for high marks in a surgical rotation, there are few better ways to impress a surgeon than by skilfully assisting at surgical operations.

• Full of information unobtainable elsewhere, except by years of practical experience in the operating theatre
• Covers principles and skills that are applicable to any surgical operation, so of great practical benefit in most surgical procedures
• Also has chapters focusing on surgical subspecialities, so even if assisting at complex operations in subspecialities the reader will be prepared