Surgical training in the UK has undergone major reforms over the last few decades. The focus has shifted from time based training to competency based training programs. This paper discusses the transformation of assessment in surgical training in the UK from the apprenticeship model to a more objective workplace-based assessment model. The paper describes the different milestones during this transformation process and discusses the assessment of surgical and nonsurgical skills in a measurable way; moreover, it highlights the strengths and weaknesses of different assessment tools.

Gangrenous cholecystitis (GC) is a serious complication of acute cholecystitis. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. A male with type 2 diabetes mellitus had been treated for acute cholecystitis and discharged home. The patient was admitted electively for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy 6 weeks post discharge at which time he was entirely asymptomatic. Intra-operatively the gallbladder was found to be necrotic but it was removed laparoscopically and without complication. Acute cholecystitis is the most common complication of cholelithiasis occurring in approximately 1-2% of asymptomatic patients annually; however, in approximately 2-29.6% of patients, the disease processes to GC. GC is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality; however, in spite of its grave prognosis, its diagnosis can be elusive both clinically and biochemically. Many factors have been implicated in the formation of GC, including diabetes mellitus, age ≥ 51 years, male sex, leucocytosis (WCC > 15 × 10 9 ) and a high CRP. Complications associated with GC include perforation, which has been reported to occur in up to 10% of cases of acute cholecystitis. When managing a patient with acute cholecystitis, a high index of suspicion is essential for the possibility of GC, especially in a diabetic and elderly patient even if the patient appears to be improving clinically and in the presence of normalizing laboratory investigations. There is a need to consider early or emergency cholecystectomy in these patients due to the high risk of gangrenous transformation with possibility of gallbladder perforation and a resultant increased morbidity and mortality.

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CT scan is the investigation of choice. Early surgical intervention is important in order to reduce the risk of perforation.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a diagnostic and therapeutic procedure with many studied complications. We are presenting a rare complication of ERCP in choledocholithiasis: gallstone dislodging into the airway upon retrieval. The patient is a 37-year-old female admitted with obstructive jaundice. She was evaluated, and her management plan included a referral for an ERCP to extract the impacted common bile duct stones. Upon retrieval of the gallstone, it fell out the basket and lodged into the airway which was confirmed on bronchoscopy and successfully retrieved. This report describes successful management of a rare but potentially dangerous complication of ERCP to remove impacted CBD stones. The possible complications of delayed removal or inability to remove gallstones from the airway have yet to be studied and reported but are likely to include recurrent chest infections, bronchiectasis, and empyema of the lung.