Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills (DSTS)

Taught over two days by skilled and knowledgeable faculty, you will learn how to make life-saving surgical decisions and perform damage control under pressure in a trauma and emergency environment.

Through practical workshops on unembalmed cadavers, you will learn surgical procedures to manage a broad range of trauma situations, as well as covering decision-making, epidemiology and emerging technologies.

Suitability

This course is suitable for ST5-8, Consultants and SAS grades.

Participants should have a good understanding of ATLS and critical care principles and experience of managing trauma both frequently and infrequently.

Course Format

DSTS is a highly practical course that teaches procedures and surgical techniques required to manage exsanguinating polytrauma. The majority of the course is spent in the skills lab, working in small groups on unembalmed (fresh frozen) cadavers. Alongside this, there are lectures, case studies and on-going opportunities to discuss trauma management with expert faculty. You will also be given access to videos and accompanying procedural steps on our virtual learning environment that demonstrate many of the procedures taught on the course.

Learning Outcomes

Following the course, you will be able to:

Organise and plan life-saving decision making for the polytrauma patient
Describe the philosophy of damage control surgery and resuscitation and the principles underlying its application in a variety of scenarios
Discuss the science of ballistics, the effects on human tissue and how to manage penetrating ballistic injury
Recognise and respond to the exsanguinating patient, in particular recognising and/or searching for the most compelling source of bleeding
Recognise the patient in need of immediate life-saving surgery for haemorrhage control

Following the course, you will be able to undertake procedures in cadaveric simulation relating to:

Thoracic trauma and thoracic damage control
Left lateral thoracotomy and clamshell thoracotomy
Vascular trauma and vascular damage control
How to approach and manage penetrating neck injuries
Managing injuries at the thoracic outlet and upper limb
Lower limb trauma
Abdominal trauma
Pelvic trauma and pelvic damage control
Management of solid organ injury
Management of hollow organ injury

Costs

Course Fee: £1,459.00

RCSEd Member/Fellow Fee: £1,314.00

Course Director

Professor Mansoor Ali Khan & Mr Morgan P. McMonagle

Frequently Asked Questions

What is RCSEd’s course cancellation policy?

What happens if RCSEd cancels a course I am booked on?
On occasion, RCSEd may need to cancel a course, for example if we are affected by an event out with our control or if it is not financially viable for us to deliver the course. If we do need to cancel, we will let you know as soon as possible and provide you with a full refund of course fees paid.

RCSEd shall incur no further liability (eg. travel or accommodation costs). You may wish to consider taking out appropriate travel insurance for any non-refundable costs you may incur when arranging to attend the course.

What happens if I need to cancel my place on a course I am booked?
If you cancel your place more than four weeks before the event date, you will incur an administration fee of 10% (or £50, whichever is greater) of the total course fee. NB: For course fees £250 and under, the cancellation fee is £30)

If you cancel your place less than four weeks before the course date, once the course has started, or you do not notify us, the total course fee will be charged, and no refund will be given.

Please also note that you cannot transfer your place on a Course to someone else. This is because many of our courses have a waiting list, and we have an obligation to honour this.

Can I cancel a course booking online?
NO, cancellations must be made directly with the education team by email (education@rcsed.ac.uk).
Can I transfer to another date for the same course?
YES, you can transfer to another date by contacting the Education section directly (education@rcsed.ac.uk). Please note that you can transfer only once and transfers can only be made if more than 4 weeks prior to the start of the course, without incurring additional costs. Should you cancel again, no refund shall be given.

Should you have any further questions, the Education Team can be contacted on 0131 527 1600 or by email to education@rcsed.ac.uk.

How do I book a place on an RCSEd course?

You can book a place for all our courses by visiting the RCSEd website, and selecting the course you wish to book. Please note that you will need to register with the website in order to book.

For some regional and international courses you will need to book directly with the centre. Please check individual courses for details.

You can also contact the Education Section by phone to book (0131 527 1600).

What payment methods do RCSEd accept?

Visa and MasterCard are accepted on the RCSEd website and over the phone to the education team.

All course bookings will receive a booking confirmation email: this email acts as your receipt.

Request an Invoice: If your course fees will be paid by a third party (eg trust, hospital, charitable fund) and they wish to be invoiced then they must provide us with an official purchase order. We are unable to process applications without this.

The purchase order should be submitted with the application form and can be emailed to education@rcsed.ac.uk. Please note that we can only invoice organisations and not individuals. Please check with your hospital or trust, as some may require you to pay yourself and then claim the money back.

Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills (DSTS)

Key Facts