Surgical

Surgical refers to the branch of medicine that involves the use of operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate, cure, or treat a pathological condition such as a disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or to repair unwanted ruptured areas.

History

The act of performing surgery may be called a surgical procedure, operation, or simply "surgery". In this context, the verb "operate" means to perform surgery. The adjective surgical means pertaining to surgery; e.g. surgical instruments or surgical nurse. The patient or subject on which the surgery is performed can be a person or an animal.

Types of Surgery

There are many different types of surgery, including, but not limited to:

• Elective surgery: This is a planned surgery, typically not of an urgent nature.
• Emergency surgery: This type of surgery is done in response to an urgent medical condition.
• Exploratory surgery: This is performed to aid or confirm a diagnosis.
• Therapeutic surgery: This treats a disease or condition.
• Amputation: This involves removing a body extremity by trauma or surgery.
• Reconstructive surgery: This is often performed to restore function or normal appearance.
• Transplant surgery: This is the replacement of an organ or body part by insertion of another from different human (or animal) into the patient receiving the transplant.
• Cosmetic surgery: This is done to improve appearance.

Surgical Procedures

Surgical procedures are generally categorized by their urgency, location, purpose, degree of invasiveness, and types of instruments and techniques involved:

• Incision: An incision is a cut through the skin that is made during surgery. It is also called a surgical wound. Some incisions are small, others are long.
• Excision: This is the removal of an organ or other body part.
• Resection: This is the removal of all or part of an organ or other body part. It is more radical than excision.
• Replantation: This involves reattaching a severed body part.
• Transplantation: This is the moving of an organ from one body to another.
• Implant: This involves embedding a medical device in the body.
• Bypass: This is the rerouting of body parts, often refers to the heart and brain.
• Microsurgery: This involves the use of an operating microscope for surgical procedures.
• Laparoscopic surgery: This involves the use of a laparoscope and is commonly used for gallbladder removal, appendectomies, and many other procedures.

See Also

• List of surgeries by type
• List of surgical procedures
• Surgical nursing
• Surgical technologist

Surgical Resources
Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials	Wikipedia