Book excerpt: A condensed version of the critically acclaimed "Surgery: Basic Science and Clinical Evidence." Essential Practice of Surgery provides a state-of-the-art, evidence-based approach to surgery for surgeons, residents and medical students. The book is divided into 8 comprehensive sections, providing the most succinct coverage of critical topics: Care of the Surgical Patient; Gastrointestinal & Abdominal Disease; Endocrine Surgery; Vascular Surgery; Cardiothoracic Surgery; Transplantation; Cancer; and Associated Disciplines. Over 250 illustrations and 340 tables, including 62 evidence-based tables, complement the text.