Tools of the trade

An unhurried, deft, economical technique allied to efficient use of available resources, surgical instruments and support staff is the hallmark of a ‘good’ surgeon. To achieve this sense of fluency, surgeons need to be familiar with the tools of their profession so that these can be employed appropriately for the task at hand. The range of instruments available in obstetrics and gynaecology is no less wide or complex than in any other branch of surgery, but formal teaching in the full range of surgical hardware is frequently lacking and an individual's exposure is generally limited to the instruments used in his or her own training hospital. This chapter sets out to describe key technical areas with which surgeons need to be familiar.