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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

Surgical Resources
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