Review of Surgery [antikvár]

PREFACE The first edition of Rush Review of Surgery was favorably received because it provided its targeted audience-residents in training, young surgeons preparing for General Surgery Boards, those already certified or preparing for re-certification. and those simply wishing to remain abreast of current surgical knowledge—an encompassing and yet concise and self-contained review of surgery and its subspecialties in a format that stimulated self-examination while encouraging further reading of more comprehensive texts. Since publication of the first edition, surgical information has increased appreciably, and new subjects about which surgeons should be knowledgeable have expanded dramatically. This has led to heightened expectations for the second edition, to which we have responded in a number of ways. There are a number of new chapters, including Cell Biology, Immunology. Pharmacology. The HIV-Positive Patient, Principles and Applications of Laparoscopy, Laser— Principles and Applications, and Biostatistics. Also, an appreciable number of chapters have been completely rewritten. and the remainder have been brought to a very current state. We believe that these extensive additions and revisions were necessary, not only by the dictates of newer and more precise information, but also by the practical expectation that those who already have the first edition can combine it with the second edition for an even fuller storehouse of ready surgical information. In addition, an important decision with this edition was to substantially increase its basic science component by both adding chapters devoted to basic science principles and revising existing chapters to achieve a greater emphasis on basic science. This is in keeping with the increased sophistication of care of patients and with the need for surgeons to be well versed in the fundamental scientific components of clinical practice. From the practical standpoint, we foresee—and it is reasonable to anticipate—that accrediting bodies will have higher expectations in this respect. Finally, we have broadened our reference base of suggested additional reading. As before, we relied considerably on the latest editions of D. C. Sabiston. Jr.'s, Textbook of Surgery, and S. I. Schwartz's Principles of Surgery, but with an important difference. Just as the wealth of surgical knowledge that one needs to be aware of came to us from many and varied sources and because the keen minds of our readers no doubt expect the most current views—even competing ones—it was prudent for us to include any information that we believed was valuable and pertinent, and from whatever source. As a consequence of these changes, we expect that the second edition will enable the reader to gain a breadth of knowledge in general surgery and closely associated subjects in a manner that not only can readily be translated to clinical use but also will be a means to a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of surgical diseases and practices. —The Editors