Despite continual turmoil in medical structures and hierarchies, the surgeon remains the principal individual responsible for the performance of an operation within the confines of the operating theatre. While the ultimate decisions for the procedure and the conduct of the operation remain largely in the hands of the surgeon, the successful performance of any surgery requires a well-trained and committed team. This team involves not only anaesthetists, nursing staff, orderlies, but also the surgical assistant. When a team of such committed individuals are brought together for the performance of surgery, simple or complex, the outcomes will be optimised when the environment in which all are working is skilful, focussed and competent. To this end the surgical assistant needs to be well trained and familiar with not only the instruments, tools and techniques of the operating room, but also their role in providing expert assistance to the surgeon. This book provides the basic guide for aspiring assistants so they can better understand the equipment they are using and the purpose of their assistance at surgical interventions.

All surgeons have had to progress through a period of time as a surgical assistant. Some surgeons are able to rapidly train their assistants to provide the support and skill the require to make the operation they are performing look surprisingly easy. Other surgeons have little idea how to best utilise the assistant that is made available to them.