Case Files: Surgery

Case Files

by Eugene C. Toy

Sixty Surgery cases with complete discussions offer the most outstanding clerkship and USMLE Step 2 review possible

Case Files: Surgery, 2e presents sixty clinical cases illustrating key points. Each case includes an extended discussion, definition of terms, clinical pearls, and USMLE format review questions. This interactive learning system helps you understand essential concepts instead of memorizing facts.

Genres: Medicine, Medical, Nonfiction, Science

736 pages, Paperback

First published October 21, 2003

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the Case Files series for shelf exam studying. I like how each "case" is presented, and how history/physical findings, diagnostic tests, pathophysiology, and treatment are explained. I also think that the format of the Case Files books is great - each case is short enough to read over the course of only a few minutes, yet you still feel like you're actually learning as you go through the book. I carried this book around with me when I was on the floors, just in case I had a few minutes to go through a case.

My only issue with this book (and with the case files books in general) is that it doesn't include everything you need to know about surgery. It definitely lists many of the bread and butter cases, but it still doesn't cover everything you need to know for the shelf. I would suggest supplementing with another book, like the NMS surgery case book or Blueprints for surgery. I'm also not a huge fan of the questions at the end of each case - they seem to be more of reading comprehension questions than actual knowledge based or application of your knowledge. I would definitely recommend doing other questions in preparation for the exam (I'm a big fan of the USMLE world question bank).

[Dr. Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid review book but a lot of the detail felt beyond the scope of the shelf

[TheAmusingAce · Rating 4 out of 5]

(For context, I am a 3rd year medical student at a Canadian University)

Used this book in combination with Step Up to Surgery (2nd edition) for my viva Surgery exam in an integrated clerkship setting.

It is a fantastic way to review common clinical cases, very easy to pick up and read around a case you saw in the ER, or to read straight through to review for an exam. You can't go wrong reading through this.

However, the self-quiz feature is BAD. I mean really bad. Incorrectly keyed answers and questions that don't actually touch on the topics you read around, which made me feel very uneasy as I studied, wondering how much I was missing reading this text. Make sure you use an MCQ bank online. I would almost skip those sections of this book entirely. Almost. I still read them.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Case Files series. I think the cases are well-organized, helpful, and concise. However, I knocked off two full stars due to the review questions. I have never seen an edition of a medical book with so many typos! In fact, I half suspect I got a misprinted book with a different edition’s answer keys. That’s how bad they were.

Multiple times, there are answer keys which are referring to a completely different patient, have an obviously wrong answer, or which contradict the material presented in the case. Great concept, but atrocious execution. Strange, because I haven’t had this problem with my previous Case Files. Hopefully these errors will be fixed in a future edition.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

اوکی جراحیش به دردم نمی‌خورد زیاد.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. As others have said, it goes through some essential cases/presentations but is by no means adequate on its own for exam prep. Compared with other books in the Case Files series, I found the questions at the end of the cases more helpful, as they helped me identify areas of weakness that I needed to read more about, some of which showed up on my exam.

[Ladli · Rating 4 out of 5]

From what I know, many of my classmates chose not to read case files for the surgery clerkship, but I don't feel complete during a rotation until I have. Excellent review, as always.

[Mohammed Algazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

very useful and updated book for general surgeons