Assisting at Surgical Operations
A Practical Guide
2nd Edition
Will be published approx. on 30. September 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-1-009-58994-9 (ISBN)
Description
Assisting at surgical operations is essential, as most surgeons rely on skilled assistants for anything beyond minor procedures. This second edition provides a clear and effective guide to the core skills required for surgical assisting, covering both general surgery and over a dozen specialty areas, including gastroenterological and cardiological procedures. Updated to reflect major changes in operative techniques and evolving roles, it addresses advances in minimal-access surgery-laparoscopic, robotic, endoscopic, and endovascular-alongside vital safety information. Featuring ten new chapters, the book explores topics such as patient handover, the WHO surgical safety checklist, radiation and laser safety, specimen labelling, and managing retained surgical items. Another addition is a dedicated chapter supporting surgeons transitioning to retirement through surgical assisting. Ideal for medical students, junior doctors, and all professionals involved in assisting at procedures, this comprehensive resource equips readers with the knowledge and confidence to excel in the modern surgical environment.
More details
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Revised edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
ISBN-13
978-1-009-58994-9 (9781009589949)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Consultant Surgeon on the General and Gastrointestinal Surgery Unit at Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, with a subspecialty interest in hernia repair. In recent years he has developed an interest in the emerging sub-specialty of Abdominal Wall Reconstruction.
Content
Preface; Part I. An Introduction to the Operating Theatre: Introduction to the operating theatre Comus Whalan; 1. General conduct in the operating theatre Comus Whalan; 2. Standard precautions Phil Worley and Comus Whalan; 3. Clothing in the operating theatre Comus Whalan; 4. Personnel: who's who in the operating theatre Comus Whalan; Part II. The Operation Itself: 5. Preparing for the operation Comus Whalan; 6. The world health organisation surgical safety checklist Comus Whalan; 7. General intra-operative procedures Comus Whalan; 8. General stages common to operations Comus Whalan; 9. Sterility and the 'sterile zone' Comus Whalan; 10. Tissue planes: traction and counter-traction Comus Whalan; 11. Surgical instruments: their names and how to use them Comus Whalan; 12. Medical lasers and diathermy Darcy Noll, Peter Stapleton and Richard Ho?mann; 13. Radiation safety for surgical assistants Joe Dawson; 14. After the operation - best practice for handling and labelling surgical specimens Marina Yeow; 15. How best to deal with items that are retained in the patient's body Sunil Siri Pathamanathan; 16. Clinical Handover Steven Due; 17. Assisting - a rewarding transition to retirement for surgeons Randal Williams; Part III. Assisting at Special Types of Surgery: 18. Assisting at laparoscopic surgery Comus Whalan; 19. Assisting at robotic surgery Alice Osterwalder and Lilian Kow; 20. Assisting at cardiac electrophysiology and pacing Ivaylo Tonchev and William Heddle; 21. Assisting at gastrointestinal procedures Christopher Rayner; 22. Assisting at cardiothoracic surgery Rohen Skiba, Gareth Crouch and Craig Jurisevic; 23. Assisting at neurosurgery Amal Abou-Hamden, Stephen Santoreneos and Joshua Bizilis; 24. Assisting at obstetric and gynaecological surgery Angelique Swart, Anthia Rallis and Elinor Atkinson; 25. Assisting at ophthalmic surgery Graham Fraenkel and Dev Supramaniam; 26. Assisting at orthopaedic surgery John Van Essen; 27. Assisting at otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery Raymond Kim and Peter-John Wormald; 28. Assisting at Paediatric surgery Christopher Kirby; 29. Assisting at Plastic surgery and microsurgery Graham O?er; 30. Assisting at Vascular Surgery: open surgery Angie Arnold and Phil Puckridge; 31. Assisting at Vascular Surgery: endovascular surgery Angie Arnold and Phil Puckridge; 32. Assisting at Surgery in difficult circumstances: rural hospitals Martin Bruening; 33. Assisting at surgery in difficult circumstances: developing Countries Peter Riddell; Part IV. Immediately After the Operation: 34. Immediately after the operation Comus Whalan; Glossary.