Introduction Cancer patients make up a rising proportion of surgical cases and comprise about a third of surgical bed occupancy. Defining and ensuring optimal treatment for individual patients should be a true multidisciplinary effort involving surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, specialist…
Introduction Any operation, major trauma or other surgical admission may be attended by complications, many of which are potentially preventable. Some complications are somewhat inherent to the condition being treated (e.g., deep venous thrombosis [DVT] following lower limb fractures) or…
Introduction Anatomy Of The Skeleton Basic musculoskeletal anatomy needs to be understood when managing orthopaedic care. The normal locomotor system relies on a stable skeleton to provide attachment for muscles and a base for positioning the hands and feet in…
Introduction This chapter describes the operating environment and outlines the principles of operative surgery including those used in ‘minor’ surgical techniques. All of these should be understood by all doctors, not just surgeons, to help them appreciate the scope of…
Principles of Blood Transfusion The ability to safely transfuse blood and blood products has revolutionised outcomes from major trauma and from complex surgery involving heavy blood loss, such as arterial reconstruction, open-heart surgery and organ transplantation. For replacing blood loss,…
Introduction General surgical operations are now performed on patients who are older, more frail and with significant and often multiple (medical) comorbidities, so it becomes even more important to appreciate and consider these ‘medical’ conditions. Detailed reports of emergency abdominal…
Preoperative Assessment Introduction Patients with medical comorbidity and advanced age are increasingly being considered for surgery. Timely and considered preoperative assessment is crucial for ensuring any patient is safe and in the best possible condition before the operation and that…
Principles of Screening Introduction Medical screening is a public health activity that involves examining or testing asymptomatic, apparently healthy people to detect disease at an early stage. Measures can then be taken to prevent the disease (if there is a…
Introduction This chapter gives an overview of imaging, endoscopic, interventional and biopsy procedures used to make a diagnosis and treat patients. Interventional radiology describes minimal access procedures using image guidance to treat conditions whilst causing least trauma. It is usually…
The Pathophysiology of Shock The term ‘shock’ can be defined as acute circulatory failure of sufficient magnitude to compromise tissue perfusion , which if untreated, proceeds rapidly to irreversible organ damage and death of the patient. Circulatory failure and subsequent…