This comprehensive review is designed to update your clinical knowledge-base as well as to help you pass your General Surgery exams.  Emphasis is on evidence-based medicine and board-relevant standards of care, incorporating current best practice concepts, surgical approaches, and clinical follow-up strategies.  As a result, it provides a good review for your ABS written exams as well as providing a thorough general surgery review for physicians in practice.  Many previous learners have found the course provided them with improved diagnostic and planning strategies, a better understanding of the best surgical approaches for the principle areas covered by general surgeons, and helped them recognize areas of weakness for self-study.

Objectives
At the conclusion of this course each participant will be able to:
- Summarize the basic science fundamentals underlying patient management as applied to general surgery.
- Describe preoperative, operative and postoperative patient care in the principle component areas of general surgery: specifically diseases of the head and neck, breast, skin and soft tissues, alimentary tract, abdomen, vascular system, endocrine system, comprehensive trauma management and emergency operations, and surgical critical care.
- Discuss the principles of and perioperative patient care in the surgical specialties of cardiothoracic surgery, pediatric surgery and transplant surgery.
- Summarize the clinical care of patients with common problems in urology, gynecology, orthopedics, and burns.
- Demonstrate an understanding of tumor staging and describe the appropriate surgical and/or nonsurgical management required.
- Discuss non-operative management options for general surgery patients which may not require surgical intervention (e.g., patients with pancreatitis, portal hypertension, immunosuppression, multiple traumas).
- Outline the appropriate use of newer diagnostic and therapeutic methods such as: laser-based applications; stereotactic breast biopsy; physiologic testing and evaluation of the GI tract; noninvasive vascular system diagnostic evaluation and invasive vascular interventional techniques; ultrasonography of the head and neck, breast and abdomen; and endorectal ultrasound.

Topics/Speakers :

Trissa Babrowski, MD, FACS, RPVI  Assistant Professor of Vascular Surgery University of Chicago

• Aortic and Carotid Disorders, Peripheral Artery Diseases, and Venous and Thromboembolic Disorders

Cory Barrat, MD, FACS, FASCRS  Senior Staff Surgeon, The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH

• Anorectal and Colorectal – Benign and Malignant Disorders, Small Bowel and Spleen, Oncology and Tumor Biology

Nikolai Bildzukewicz, MD, FACS  Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery University of Southern California

• Esophageal Disorders – Benign Malignant, Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Stomach and Duodenum – Benign Disorders, Transfusion and Disorders of Coagulation, and Hepatobiliary Portal Hypertension I and II

Ahmed Mahmoud, MD Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery University of California, Riverside

• Mediastinum and Chest Wall Disorders, Pulmonary Surgery – Benign and Malignant, Cardiac Surgery – Adult and Pediatric,

Louis Portugal, MD, FACS Professor of Otolaryngology University of Chicago

• Head and Neck Surgery

Andrew Wu, MD, FACS, FASMBS Division Chief General Surgery Catholic Medical Center, Manchester, NH

• Minimally Invasive and Metabolic Surgery, Shock and Multiple organ Failure, Stomach and Duodenum – Malignant Disorders

Gregory York, MD, FACS† Associate Trauma Med Director Trauma ICU Envision Healthcare Services, Odessa, TX

• Head and Neck Trauma, Thoracic Trauma, Abdominal Trauma, Pelvic Trauma, Pulmonary Critical Care, Nutrition and Metabolism, Burn and Inhalation Injuries, Cardiac Critical Care, Preoperative Evaluation and Perioperative Care, Fluids, Electrolytes and Acid-Base, Infection and Antimicrobial Therapy

Phillip Zaret, MD Associate Professor of Surgery The Chicago Medical School

• Surgery Interactive Review I – III

Kara Friend, MD Assistant Professor of Surgery Jefferson School of Medicine

• Breast – Benign and Malignant Disorders, Sarcoma, Skin, and Melanoma

Marc Lessin, MD, JD Staff Surgeon University of Massachusetts Hospital

• Pediatric Trauma and Emergencies, Pediatric Tumors, Congenital GI Disorders, Ethics, and Palliative Care Medicine

* Thyroid Surgery, Parathyroid Surgery, Adrenal Surgery, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia