General Surgery Course

Lesson 1 • Physiology for the Surgeon

Translates core physiological principles into surgical decision-making, focusing on fluid balance, hemostasis, and wound healing. Prepares students to anticipate intraoperative physiological changes.

Lesson 2 • Sterile Technique and OR Environment

Introduces operating room layout, sterile field maintenance, and infection-prevention protocols. Establishes habits that reduce surgical site infection throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Surgical Ethics and Consent

Defines informed consent, patient autonomy, and ethical obligations in elective and emergency settings. Connects ethical principles to daily clinical practice.

Lesson 4 • Surgical Anatomy Review

Covers regional anatomy critical to general surgery, emphasizing fascial planes, vascular supply, and nerve distributions. Anchors all subsequent operative technique discussions.

Lesson 1 • Medical Optimization Strategies

Addresses management of diabetes, hypertension, anemia, and anticoagulation before surgery. Directly reduces postoperative complications identified in the risk stratification section.

Lesson 2 • History and Physical Examination

Structures a focused surgical history and physical exam to identify comorbidities affecting operative risk. Builds the clinical reasoning foundation for all preoperative planning.

Lesson 3 • Preoperative Laboratory and Imaging

Defines evidence-based indications for preoperative tests and interprets results in a surgical context. Prevents unnecessary testing while ensuring critical findings are not missed.

Lesson 4 • Enhanced Recovery Pathway Principles

Introduces multimodal prehabilitation, carbohydrate loading, and patient education as preoperative components of enhanced recovery. Sets expectations for postoperative protocols covered later.

Lesson 1 • Anesthesia Fundamentals for Surgeons

Explains general, regional, and local anesthesia mechanisms from a surgical perspective. Enables informed communication with anesthesiologists during case planning.

Lesson 2 • Postoperative Recovery Principles

Covers PACU monitoring, pain management, nausea control, and criteria for ward transfer. Transitions perioperative management into the postoperative care framework.

Lesson 3 • Intraoperative Crisis Management

Prepares surgeons to recognize and respond to malignant hyperthermia, anaphylaxis, and massive hemorrhage. Emphasizes team communication and structured emergency protocols.

Lesson 4 • Intraoperative Monitoring

Interprets standard intraoperative monitors including ECG, pulse oximetry, capnography, and arterial lines. Allows surgeons to recognize hemodynamic deterioration and coordinate response.

Lesson 1 • Suturing and Knot Tying

Covers suture material selection, needle types, and hand-tie and instrument-tie techniques. Proficiency here is prerequisite for wound closure and anastomosis chapters.

Lesson 2 • Wound Closure and Dressing

Applies layered closure principles, drain placement, and appropriate dressing selection to optimize healing. Connects tissue handling and suturing skills to final wound management.

Lesson 3 • Tissue Handling Principles

Teaches atraumatic dissection, appropriate tension, and tissue plane identification to minimize injury. Directly improves outcomes in every operative procedure covered in the course.

Lesson 4 • Instrument Identification and Use

Catalogs standard surgical instruments by function and demonstrates correct handling technique. Establishes instrument fluency required for all operative procedures in subsequent chapters.

Lesson 1 • Bowel Obstruction Management

Differentiates small and large bowel obstruction etiologies and guides operative versus nonoperative management. Applies anatomy and physiology knowledge to a high-stakes clinical scenario.

Lesson 2 • Abdominal Trauma Surgery

Applies ATLS principles to operative management of solid organ and hollow viscus injuries. Extends damage control concepts to the trauma setting.

Lesson 3 • Perforated Viscus and Peritonitis

Addresses resuscitation, source control, and peritoneal lavage for perforated peptic ulcer and colonic perforation. Integrates preoperative optimization skills in a time-critical context.

Lesson 4 • Appendicitis and Appendectomy

Covers diagnosis, scoring systems, and open and laparoscopic appendectomy technique. Serves as the primary teaching case for emergency abdominal surgery principles.

Lesson 1 • Colorectal Resections

Teaches right hemicolectomy, sigmoid colectomy, and anterior resection with anastomotic technique. Integrates colorectal anatomy and enhanced recovery principles into operative planning.

Lesson 2 • Gastric and Esophageal Procedures

Covers gastrectomy for peptic disease and cancer, esophageal resection principles, and antireflux surgery. Extends operative skills to the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Lesson 3 • Anorectal Procedures

Addresses hemorrhoidectomy, fistulotomy, lateral internal sphincterotomy, and abscess drainage. Completes the gastrointestinal operative spectrum from esophagus to anus.

Lesson 4 • Cholecystectomy and Biliary Surgery

Details laparoscopic and open cholecystectomy, critical view of safety, and management of bile duct injuries. Builds on hepatobiliary anatomy from Chapter 1.

Lesson 1 • Pulmonary and Thromboembolic Complications

Covers atelectasis, pneumonia, DVT, and pulmonary embolism prevention and treatment in surgical patients. Applies risk stratification knowledge from Chapter 2 to postoperative management.

Lesson 2 • Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Applies antibiotic prophylaxis, glycemic control, and wound care protocols to reduce infection rates. Reinforces sterile technique principles from Chapter 1 in the postoperative context.

Lesson 3 • Anastomotic and Wound Complications

Diagnoses and manages anastomotic leak, wound dehiscence, and evisceration using clinical and radiological criteria. Directly addresses the most consequential complications of Chapter 6 procedures.

Lesson 4 • Routine Postoperative Monitoring

Establishes vital sign interpretation, fluid balance assessment, and drain output analysis in the postoperative period. Creates the surveillance foundation for early complication detection.

Lesson 1 • Oncological Surgery Fundamentals

Defines curative versus palliative intent, R0 resection goals, and no-touch isolation technique. Establishes the oncological framework applied in all tumor-specific sections.

Lesson 2 • Breast Surgery and Oncoplastics

Covers wide local excision, mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and oncoplastic reconstruction principles. Addresses the most common cancer operation in general surgical practice.

Lesson 3 • Hepatopancreatic and Biliary Oncology

Introduces resectability criteria, Whipple procedure overview, and hepatic resection principles for HPB malignancies. Extends biliary anatomy knowledge to complex oncological resections.

Lesson 4 • Soft Tissue and Endocrine Tumors

Addresses thyroidectomy, adrenalectomy, and soft tissue sarcoma resection principles. Broadens oncological operative scope beyond the gastrointestinal tract.