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Introduction The General Medical Council (GMC) stipulates that medical graduates should obtain competency in basic wound care. In a national review, only 24.7% of UK medical schools provided suturing training. Newly qualified doctors may be less prepared in performing basic surgical skills independently. Hence, Cambridge University Surgical Society initiated a weekly teaching programme, Surgical Skills Club (SSC). Method SSC covered instrument handling, knot-tying and various suturing techniques (interrupted, continuous, mattress and subcuticular), with 32 student participants. Trainees led these sessions, with tutor:student ratios at 1:5. SSC was designed to be cost-effective (£8/student); both reusable suturing pads and animal tissue were used. Glass jars were repurposed into knot-tying trainers. Participants completed questionnaires pre- and post-programme, rating confidence in skills on Likert scales; 1 (not confident) to 5 (very confident), alongside qualitative feedback. Results SSC was well-subscribed; most participants (88%) would highly-recommend it to peers. Receiving individualised feedback was highly valued. Students were more confident (scores 4 or 5) in skills post-programme compared to pre-programme (instrument handling: 21.9% vs 92.0%; basic knot-tying: 28.1% vs 88.0%; interrupted suturing: 50.0% vs 100%). Conclusions We demonstrated the effectiveness of a regular skills-teaching programme, where learning is consolidated through spaced repetition. This sustainable and accessible format can be widely adapted and implemented

Objective Duplex ultrasound surveillance (DUS) is commonly used following infrainguinal vein bypass. The role of DUS following endovascular revascularisation is as yet unclear. This study focuses on the role of DUS in a contemporary group of patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass or stent insertion. Methods All patients undergoing either an infrainguinal vein graft bypass or stent insertion into the femoro-popliteal segment (November 2014 - January 2017) were identified. Patients were followed up for 2 years. Data on entry into DUS, pre-operative characteristics, adjunctive pharmacotherapy and reintervention were collated. The primary outcomes were major lower limb amputation and mortality at 2 years post revascularisation. Results One hundred and thirty-five patients underwent infrainguinal vein bypass and 100 patients underwent stent insertion. 107 patients in the bypass cohort and 58 patients in the stent cohort entered DUS. For the bypass cohort, entering DUS was associated with a lower mortality rate ( P = .003) but was not associated with an improvement in amputation rates. The odds ratio of major amputation or mortality was greater in the no surveillance group (4.58, 95% CI: 1.855 – 11.364). In the stent cohort, DUS was not associated with a significant improvement in either major amputation or death (odds ratio 2.13 (95% CI 0.903 – 5.051; P = .081). Conclusion DUS was associated with improved survival rates in patients undergoing lower limb bypass but had no benefit in those patients undergoing stent insertion. The role of DUS following stent insertion in the femoropopliteal segment needs to be better defined.