Core Surgery Knowledge Library
Condition-by-condition guides with a management focus — the evidence behind each decision, mapped to the core surgery interview stations.
The approach
Arterial Blood Gases and Acid-Base for the Surgical SHO: Reading the Gas Out Loud
Read a gas in a fixed order: oxygenation against the inspired oxygen, then pH, then whether the primary problem is respiratory or metabolic, then compensation, then lactate and electrolytes; a raised lactate in a surgical patient is hypoperfusion until proven otherwise.
Fluids and Electrolytes: Assessment, Resuscitation versus Maintenance and NICE CG174
CG174 separates resuscitation from maintenance: resuscitate with 500 ml of a sodium-containing crystalloid over less than 15 minutes when the indicators of hypovolaemia are present, and prescribe maintenance at 25 to 30 ml/kg/day of water with about 1 mmol/kg/day of sodium, potassium and chloride and 50 to 100 g/day of glucose.
The CCrISP Three-Stage Assessment: Immediate Management, Full Assessment, Decide and Plan
CCrISP structures every deteriorating surgical patient into three stages: immediate management by ABCDE, a full assessment of chart, history, examination and results, then a decision to treat or investigate with a plan and a named escalation.
The Deteriorating Surgical Patient: NEWS2, Escalation and When to Call Critical Care
NEWS2 aggregates six observations into a score with fixed triggers: 5 or more needs an urgent review by a clinician with acute-care competencies, 7 or more needs an emergency response from a team with critical care skills and consideration of level 2 or 3 care.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Knowledge library?
A free, evidence-based reference covering the orthopaedic conditions that matter for the ST3 interview and day-to-day practice — management-focused, anchored to the current BOAST and NICE standards, and reviewed against the live guideline text.
How is each article kept accurate?
Every guideline claim is checked against the current published standard (BOAST, NICE, GIRFT) and each article lists its key evidence. The last-reviewed date is shown on every article.
How does this help with the ST3 interview?
Each condition links to how it comes up at interview — the station vignette and opening questions — and the question bank turns the same topics into full station practice with model answers.