Core surgical techniques and skills you need to know

All great surgeons master their craft over many years in the operating room, and much of what they know is learned implicitly—by doing—over countless hours of experience performing surgery. In this must-have guide for medical students and surgical residents, Dr. Keegan Guidolin makes the implicit learning of experienced surgeons explicit so that you can learn the things that nobody thinks to teach you.

Topics include:

• The essentials of sutures and needles
• How to master common surgical knots using one-handed, two-handed, and instrument-tie techniques
• Tools and techniques to close and manage wounds to promote rapid healing
• Proper techniques for scrubbing, gowning, and gloving, and for creating and maintaining sterile fields
• Crucial, junior-level tasks such as how to position and drape patients for surgery
• Workflow and patient management inside and outside the OR
• From basic to advanced, the equipment every surgeon needs to know, and how and when to use it

Keegan Guidolin is a resident physician in the University of Toronto’s general surgery residency training program. He received his medical degree from Western University, and is pursuing a PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Toronto. He intends to continue research in surgical innovation and design, and knowledge translation, and hopes one day to practice surgical oncology.

Keegan Guidolin's profile page

3 Stars, 86/100 “This is a very nicely illustrated, high-quality introductory text for beginning ‘aspiring surgeons.’ Pearls for left-handed surgeons are comprehensive. It will occupy a unique niche in the panoply of books aimed at medical students and interns.”

Doody Review

When I was in clerkship and early residency, it would have been really helpful to have a single source of “all you need to know.” This text provides exactly that.

Sami Chadi, MD MSc, University Health Network

A phenomenal resource for all medical students! Everything you need to know, but no one ever tells you. I wish I had this textbook when I was at this level of training.

Ashlie Nadler, MD MSc MPH, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre