Surgical Technology
Principles and Practice
- 9th Edition - January 23, 2026
- Latest edition
- Author: John D. Ratliff
- Language: English
Prepare to deliver the best patient care before, during, and after surgery with this approachable guide to surgical skills and operating room procedures. In addition to covering… Read more
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Prepare to deliver the best patient care before, during, and after surgery with this approachable guide to surgical skills and operating room procedures. In addition to covering all the content in the AST Core Curriculum, this one-of-a-kind text offers a unique mentoring approach and engaging learning features that make even complex skills and techniques easy to understand.
- Comprehensive coverage addresses all areas of the AST Core Curriculum for Surgical Technology
- Reader-friendly writing style and organization builds content from fundamental concepts, aseptic technique, and the role and function of the surgical technologist, to the specialty surgical procedure chapters
- Consistent chapter format breaks down surgical procedures in an easy-to-understand way that helps you understand the key elements of more than 200 procedures
- Approximately 1,150 full-color illustrations and clinical photos bring concepts and procedures to life
- Robust practice opportunities include review questions and case studies at the end of each chapter, along with additional review questions and surgical practice videos on the Evolve companion website
- Learning features, including learning objectives, key terms, references and bibliographies, key concepts, and Important to Know boxes, keep you on track and organized as you move through the chapters
- Pathology appendix summarizes the most commonly seen pathological processes and organizes them by body system
Students in Surgical Technology programs
PART 1 SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY PRINCIPLES
1. Surgical Technology: The Profession and the Professional
2. Health Care Facility Structure and Environment
3. Communication and Teamwork
4. Medicolegal Aspects of Surgical Technology
5. Death, Dying, and the Psychosocial Needs of the Patient
6. Diagnostic and Assessment Procedures
7. Environmental Hazards
8. Energy Sources in Surgery
9. Disaster Preparedness and Response
10. Microbes and the Process of Infection
11. Decontamination, Sterilization, and Disinfection
12. Surgical Instruments
13. Principles and Practice of Aseptic Technique
14. Surgical Skills I: Planning a Case, Opening, and Start of Surgery
15. Surgical Skills II: Intraoperative and Immediate Postoperative Period
16. Moving, Handling, and Positioning the Surgical Patient
17. Surgical Skin Preparation and Draping
18. Perioperative Pharmacology
19. Anesthesia, Physiological Monitoring, and Postanesthesia Recovery
PART 2 SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY PRACTICE
20. General Surgery
21. Minimally Invasive Surgery
22. Robotic-Assisted Surgery
23. Gynecological and Obstetrical Surgery
24. Genitourinary Surgery
25. Surgery of the Ear, Nose, Pharynx, and Larynx
26. Ophthalmic Surgery
27. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
28. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
29. Orthopedic Surgery
30. Neurosurgery
31. Vascular and Microvascular Surgery
32. Thoracic and Pulmonary Surgery
33. Cardiac Surgery
34. Pediatric Surgery
35. Emergency Trauma Surgery
1. Surgical Technology: The Profession and the Professional
2. Health Care Facility Structure and Environment
3. Communication and Teamwork
4. Medicolegal Aspects of Surgical Technology
5. Death, Dying, and the Psychosocial Needs of the Patient
6. Diagnostic and Assessment Procedures
7. Environmental Hazards
8. Energy Sources in Surgery
9. Disaster Preparedness and Response
10. Microbes and the Process of Infection
11. Decontamination, Sterilization, and Disinfection
12. Surgical Instruments
13. Principles and Practice of Aseptic Technique
14. Surgical Skills I: Planning a Case, Opening, and Start of Surgery
15. Surgical Skills II: Intraoperative and Immediate Postoperative Period
16. Moving, Handling, and Positioning the Surgical Patient
17. Surgical Skin Preparation and Draping
18. Perioperative Pharmacology
19. Anesthesia, Physiological Monitoring, and Postanesthesia Recovery
PART 2 SURGICAL TECHNOLOGY PRACTICE
20. General Surgery
21. Minimally Invasive Surgery
22. Robotic-Assisted Surgery
23. Gynecological and Obstetrical Surgery
24. Genitourinary Surgery
25. Surgery of the Ear, Nose, Pharynx, and Larynx
26. Ophthalmic Surgery
27. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
28. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
29. Orthopedic Surgery
30. Neurosurgery
31. Vascular and Microvascular Surgery
32. Thoracic and Pulmonary Surgery
33. Cardiac Surgery
34. Pediatric Surgery
35. Emergency Trauma Surgery
- Edition: 9
- Latest edition
- Published: January 23, 2026
- Language: English
JR
John D. Ratliff
Affiliations and expertise
Surgical Technology Program Director, Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, NC, USA