Book excerpt: This textbook provides practical tips on the conduct of aortic surgery, from the aortic valve to the iliac arteries. It is organized as a series of Plates, each with a key central illustration, followed by bullet items of accompanying explanatory text. The accompanying text concentrates on specific, critical “do’s and don’ts” that promote and enhance patient safety. Chapters include dozens of color illustrations by one of the nation’s premier medical illustrators, along with selected classic “pen and ink” line drawings. Each central illustration is accompanied by additional secondary figures interspersed at intervals within the accompanying text. Each “practical tip” has an accompanying short (15-30 second) video demonstrating vividly the specific didactic point being made in each Plate. Chapters provide Q&A sections, to promote an interactive feel and experience. The textbook shares practical, potentially life-saving tips—gleaned from over three decades of experience in thousands of aortic operations—regarding virtually every standard operation that arises in aortic surgery. Practical Tips in Aortic Surgery will be an essential resource for surgeons and trainees at all levels of experience: residents and fellows, surgical physician assistants, surgical nurses and technicians, and medical students. The book directly targets two surgical specialties: Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Surgery