A simple Level 1 surgery can sometimes be performed by just one surgeon and one surgical nurse.
Slightly more complex Level 1 or Level 2 surgeries ideally require two surgical nurses. One instrument nurse and one circulating nurse. If conditions do not permit, and the surgical nurse is reasonably skilled, then one surgical nurse can manage the surgery.
However, in many cases, having only the main surgeon is certainly not sufficient.
Many procedures require at least one assistant to help.
Setting aside retractors to expose the surgical field, for instance, the most common hemostasis procedure is if a larger blood vessel is accidentally cut. If there is no medical assistant, and the surgeon uses one hand to clamp the blood vessel with hemostatic forceps, how do you proceed to stop the bleeding next?
It's almost impossible for a ruptured larger blood vessel to stop bleeding on its own.
Especially arterial vessels.
