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This article is about the medical specialty. For other uses, see Surgery (disambiguation).
A cardiothoracic surgeon performs a mitral valve replacement at the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center.
In medicine, surgery (from the Greek χειρουργική, or chirurgical, and latin chirurgiae meaning "hand work") is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason. An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical procedure, operation, or simply surgery. In this context, the verb operating means performing surgery. The adjective surgical means pertaining to surgery; e.g. surgical instruments or surgical nurse. The patient or subject that the surgery is being performed on can be a person or an animal. A surgeon is a person who performs operations on patients. Persons described as surgeons are commonly medical practitioners, but the term is also applied to podiatrists, dentists and veterinarians. Surgery can last from minutes to hours, but is typically not an ongoing or periodic type of treatment.
The term surgery can also refer to the place where surgery is performed, or simply the office of a physician, dentist, or veterinarian.
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Although it is sometimes difficult to determine when a medical procedure is considered surgery, a medical treatment that involves a cutting of a patient\'s live tissue (e.g., hair and nails are dead tissue) is usually considered surgery of some sort. A medical procedure involving a drilling of live tissue in a body would often be considered surgery, but mere piercing of a body is not necessarily surgery since piercing is often done for taking samples or draining fluids from or injecting materials into the body, or setting up intravenous drip, and usually does not require suturing to close the pierced opening. Even if a medical procedure or treatment does not include cutting or drilling of live tissue in a body, it may be considered surgery, if it involves common surgical procedure or a setting, such as use of an operating room or table in a hospital, anesthesia, antiseptic conditions, typical surgical instruments, and suturing or stapling. Surgery is considered an invasive procedure. Examples of surgery without cutting the body may include debridement or closing (suturing or stapling) an open wound or applying skin grafts if done under typical surgical conditions. Many types of more complicated or involved surgery are obviously considered surgery, since they involve common surgical procedure or setting as mentioned above. A medical procedure may be surgery even if not all of the typical surgical conditions or procedures mentioned above are used.
Surgery can be categorized in many ways, a few of which are mentioned as follows. Some surgery may be required to save the life of a patient. Assurence surgery is surgery not needed to save the life of the patient, but is expected to provide some other benefit. Emergency surgery is surgery which must be done quickly to save life, limb, or other capacity such as eyesight. Exploratory surgery is for investigating a patient\'s medical condition or making a diagnosis. Therapeutic surgery is for treating a patient. Surgery may start out as exploratory and become therapeutic. Amputation involves cutting off a body part; for example, a limb or digit. Replantation, an often difficult type of surgery more recently developed, involves reattaching a severed body part. Reconstructive surgery involves reconstruction of an injured, mutilated, or deformed part of the body. Reconstructive surgery is for reshaping of certain bodily tissues including bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, and skin that have been previously damanged by trauma or are congenitally abnormal. Cosmetic surgery, a common type of elective surgery that is done to improve the appearance of the patient. Excision is the cutting out of an organ or other body part from the patient. Transplant surgery is the replacement of an organ or body part by insertion of another from different human (or animal) into the patient. Removing an organ or body part from a live human or animal for use in transplant is also a type of surgery. Minimally invasive surgery involves smaller outer incision(s) to insert some sort of endoscope, which is tube-like equipment, to perform surgery. There are also many types of more specific surgeries. Laser surgery involves use of a laser for cutting tissue instead of a scalpel or similar surgical instruments. Microsurgery is fine surgery with the aid of a microscope for the surgeon to see better. Bariatric surgery is a class of surgery for treating obesity, a common example of which is gastric bypass surgery. Surgery is also used for sterilization to prevent reproduction, although it is a rather simple procedure for males.
Suffixes used for some surgical procedures:
For specific examples, see How surgeries work.
At a hospital, modern surgery is often done in an operating room using surgical instruments, an operating table for the patient, and other equipment. Any surgical instrument which goes into the body must be pre-sterilized to avoid infection by micro-organisms. Also to maintain sanitation and sterility, surgeons clean (scrub) their hands. The surgical team wears sterile gloves during surgery. Surgical masks and gowns are also worn.
Modern surgery usually proceeds as follows:
Prior to surgery, particularly if it\'s non-emergency, the patient is given a medical examination, certain pre-operative tests, an ASA score, and (if satisfactory) a surgical clearance to be operated on. An autologous blood donation may be made a couple weeks prior to surgery to be ready in case of blood loss during surgery. If the surgery involves the digestive system, evacuation of the digestive tract with subsequent fasting is done by the patient.
Other preparations for surgery are often done. When the patient enters the operating room, intravenous injection and various instruments to monitor the patient\'s vital signs are attached. The skin surface to be operated on is cleaned and prepared by shaving hair in area of incision and applying an antiseptic such as betadine to avoid the possibility of infection.
Anesthesia is administered to prevent pain from incision, other tissue cutting and suturing, etc. Although in theory it may sometimes be possible to operate without anesthesia, in most surgeries the pain would be unbearable and a patient would not hold sufficiently still for a surgeon to precisely operate. The anesthesia could be local or general anesthesia. With local anesthesia, the body area operated on is anesthetized, but the patient can remain conscious. With general anesthesia, the patient is rendered unconscious during surgery by an anesthesiologist. The anesthesia is often administered in the form of a drug. For certain serious types of surgery when a muscle relaxant is used, the patient undergoes intubation and is placed on mechanical ventilation using a mechanical ventilator. Intubation is inserting an endotracheal tube into the mouth, through the throat, and into the trachea to provide oxygen to the lungs. Open heart surgery often involves placement of a patient on a heart-lung machine and lowering body temperature so the heart stops beating. When finished, body temperature is raised and, if necessary, an electrical impulse administered to restart the heart.
Then, an incision is made to access the inside of the body area to be worked on. Blood vessels may be clamped to prevent bleeding. Other surgical tools (instruments) may be used to keep the incision open. It is commonly desired to keep the incision as small as possible. Various internal membranes may be cut also for further access inside. In certain cases, bone may be cut to further access the interior of the body; for example, cutting the skull for brain surgery or cutting the sternum for thoracic (chest) surgery to open up the rib cage.
Work to correct the problem in body then proceeds. This work may involve:
Blood transfusions to the patient may be made to compensate for blood lost during surgery. Towards the end of surgery, sutures or staples are used to close the incision. Such closure allows the incision(s) to heal naturally. An incision scar typically remains. At the end of surgery when the patient is able to breath on one\'s own, the patient is taken off of mechanical ventilation and any endotracheal tube used is removed.
After completion of surgery, the patient is brought to a recovery room for a while and closely monitored. After some major operations, the patient may be in an intensive care unit (ICU) for a while. Afterwards a patient often continues recuperation in a regular hospital room or if surgery was relatively minor, discharged to recuperate at home. A patient having undergone surgery on the digestive system may be put on a liquid diet for a while. Often after surgery, the incision closure is checked periodically for signs of infection. External stitches are removed after perhaps 10 days or so (See Suture), after healing of the incision is well under way.
Adjuvant treatment such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or administration of medication such as anti-rejection medicine for transplants may be done. Other follow-up checks or rehabilitation may be done for a recovery period. As a result of some serious surgery, it is possible for a patient to suffer perioperative mortality, i.e. die during or after the surgery.
At least two prehistoric cultures had developed forms of surgery. The oldest for which we have evidence is trepannation,(Capasso 2001) in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, thus exposing the dura mater in order to treat health problems related to intracranial pressure and other diseases. Evidence has been found in prehistoric human remains from Neolithic times, in cave paintings, and the procedure continued in use well into recorded history. Surprisingly, many prehistoric and premodern patients had signs of their skull structure healing; suggesting that many survived the operation. In modern-day Pakistan, remains from the early Harappan periods of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300 BC) show evidence of teeth having been drilled dating back 9,000 years.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4882968.stm A final candidate for prehistoric surgical techniques is ancient Egypt, where a mandible dated to approximately 2650 BC shows two perforations just below the root of the first molar, indicating the draining of an abscessed tooth. Recent excavations of the construction workers of the Egyptian pyramids also led to possible evidence of brain surgery.[citation needed]
The oldest known surgical texts date back to Indian physician Sushruta, the "Father of Surgery", who taught and practiced surgery on the banks of the Ganges around 600 BC. Much of what is known about Sushruta is contained in a series of volumes he authored, which are collectively known as the Susrutha Samhita. It is the oldest known surgical text and it describes in great detail the examination, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of numerous ailments, as well as procedures on performing various forms of plastic surgery, such as cosmetic surgery and rhinoplasty.http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=2002;volume=48;issue=1;spage=76;epage=8;aulast=Rana His technique for the latter, used to reconstruct noses that were amputated as a punishment for crimes, is practiced almost unchanged in technique to this day.
Other ancient cultures to have surgical knowledge include ancient Greece - the Hippocratic Oath was an innovation of the Greek physician Hippocrates - and ancient China. However ancient Greek culture traditionally considered the practice of opening the body to be repulsive and thus left known surgical practices such as lithotomy to such persons as practice [it]. In China, Hua Tuo was a famous Chinese physician during the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms era. He was the first person to perform surgery with the aid of anesthesia, albeit a rudimentary and unsophisticated form.
In the Middle Ages, surgery was developed to a high degree in the Islamic world, with renowned practitioners such as Abulcasis (Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi), an Andalusian-Arab physician and scientist who practised in the Zahra suburb of Córdoba. A great medieval surgeon, whose comprehensive medical texts shaped European surgical procedures up until the Renaissance. He is also often regarded as a Father Of Surgery.biography from Famousmuslims.com accessed 16 April 2007.
In Europe, the demand grew for surgeons to formally study for many years before practicing; universities such as Montpellier, Padua and Bologna Universities were particularly renowned. By the fifteenth century at the latest, surgery had split away from physics as its own subject, of a lesser status than pure medicine, and initially took the form of a craft tradition until Rogerius Salernitanus composed his Chirurgia, laying the foundation for modern Western surgical manuals up to the modern time. Late in the nineteenth century, Bachelor of Surgery degrees (usually Ch.B.) began to be awarded with the (M.B.), and the mastership became a higher degree, usually abbreviated Ch.M. or M.S. in London, where the first degree was M.B.,B.S..
Basic surgical principles for asepsis ect are known as Halsteads principles
Modern surgery developed rapidly with the scientific era. Ambroise Paré (sometimes spelled "Ambrose"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1558689&dopt=Abstract : Historical notes on pressure ulcers: the cure of Ambrose Paré) pioneered the treatment of gunshot wounds, and the first modern surgeons were battlefield doctors in the Napoleonic Wars. Naval surgeons were often barber surgeons, who combined surgery with their main jobs as barbers. Three main developments permitted the transition to modern surgical approaches - control of bleeding, control of infection and control of pain (anaesthesia).
Surgery is used to both as a treatment, and as an aspect of treatment, for many conditions, including:
Five of the most common surgical procedures in the United States are male circumcision, obstetric: episiotomy, repair of obstetric laceration, cesarean section, and artificial rupture of the amniotic membrane
The most common non-obstetric surgical procedures include amputation, appendectomy, cataract surgery, circumcision, dental extraction and herniorraphy.
According to 1996 data from the US National Center for Health Statistics, 40.3 million inpatient surgical procedures were performed in the United States in 1996, followed closely by 31.5 million outpatient operations.
| Surgery, Nervous system: neurosurgical procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 01-05) | |
|---|---|
| Skull, brain, and cerebral meninges | Craniotomy - Decompressive craniectomy - Lobotomy - Hemispherectomy - Ventriculostomy - Anterior temporal lobectomy |
| Spinal cord and spinal canal | Spinal cord and roots (Cordotomy - Rhizotomy) - Intervertebral discs (Discectomy - Intervertebral disc annuloplasty - Intervertebral disc arthroplasty) - Vertebral bones (Laminotomy - Laminectomy - Laminoplasty - Corpectomy - Facetectomy - Foraminotomy - Vertebral fusion - Vertebral fixation) - Lumbar puncture |
| Cranial and peripheral nerves | Ganglionectomy - Nerve block |
| Sympathetic nerves or ganglia | Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy |
| Other | Axotomy - Hypophysectomy - Vagotomy |
| Endocrine system intervention (ICD-9-CM V3 06-07) | |
|---|---|
| Operations, surgeries | Thyroidectomy - Parathyroidectomy - Adrenalectomy - Hypophysectomy - Thymectomy |
| Hormone therapy | in oncology - sex reassignment (female-to-male, male-to-female) |
| Other medication | Replacement therapy |
| Surgery - eye surgery (ICD-9-CM V3 08-16) | |
|---|---|
| Eyelids | Blepharoplasty |
| Lacrimal system | Dacryocystorhinostomy |
| Cornea | Radial keratotomy - LASIK - Keratomileusis - Epikeratophakia - Corneal transplantation - Photorefractive keratectomy - Intracorneal rings |
| Iris, ciliary body, sclera, and anterior chamber | Trabeculectomy - Iridectomy |
| Lens | Phacoemulsification - Cataract surgery - Capsulorhexis |
| Retina, choroid, vitreous, and posterior chamber | Vitrectomy |
| Orbit and eyeball | Enucleation |
| Other | Harada-Ito procedure |
| Operations/surgeries and other procedures on the ear (ICD-9-CM V3 18-20) | |
|---|---|
| Outer ear | Otoplasty |
| Middle ear | Stapedectomy - Tympanoplasty |
| Inner ear | Myringotomy - Mastoidectomy |
| Operations/surgeries and other procedures on the nose, mouth, and pharynx (ICD-9-CM V3 21-29) | |
|---|---|
| Nose | Rhinoplasty - Septoplasty |
| Tongue | Lingual frenectomy |
| Other | Labial frenectomy - Palatoplasty - Tonsillectomy - Adenoidectomy |
| Respiratory system surgeries and other procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 30-34) | |
|---|---|
| Larynx and trachea | Laryngectomy - Tracheotomy - Cricothyrotomy |
| Lung and bronchus | Pneumonectomy - Wedge resection - Bronchoscopy - Lung transplantation - Heart-lung transplant |
| Chest wall, pleura, mediastinum, and diaphragm | Thoracotomy - Thoracoscopy - Mediastinoscopy - Thoracentesis - Pleurodesis - Nuss procedure |
| Health Science – Medicine - Surgery - Cardiac surgery procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 35-37) | |
|---|---|
| Coronary heart disease | Angioplasty - Coronary artery bypass - MIDCAB - Off-pump coronary artery bypass - TECAB |
| Heart valves | Aortic valve repair - Aortic valve replacement - Mitral valve repair - Mitral valve replacement - Ross procedure |
| Great vessels | Bentall procedure - Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy - Valve-sparing aortic root replacement |
| Myocardium | Cardiomyoplasty - Dor procedure - Heart transplantation - Septal myectomy - Ventricular reduction |
| Pericardium | Pericardiocentesis - Pericardiectomy |
| Congenital heart disease | Atrial septostomy - Blalock-Taussig shunt - Fontan procedure - Norwood procedure |
| Conduction system | Maze procedure (Cox maze and minimaze) - Pacemaker insertion |
| Health Science – Medicine - Surgery - Vascular surgery procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 38-39) | |
|---|---|
| Aortic aneurysm / dissection | Open AAA repair - Endoluminal AAA repair (EVAR) |
| Carotid stenosis | Carotid endarterectomy - Carotid stenting |
| Varicose veins | Ambulatory phlebectomy - Laser ablation - Sclerotherapy - Vein stripping |
| Peripheral arterial occlusive disease | Angioplasty with/out Stenting - Balloon embolectomy - Peripheral arterial bypass surgery - Thrombectomy |
| Portal hypertension | Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) - Distal splenorenal shunt procedure |
| Other vascular procedures | Venous cutdown - Cardiopulmonary bypass - Cardioplegia - Hemodialysis/Hemofiltration |
| Operations/surgeries and other procedures of the hemic and lymphatic system (ICD-9-CM V3 40-41) | |
|---|---|
| Lymphatic system | Lymphadenectomy - Neck dissection |
| Bone marrow and spleen | Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation - Splenectomy |
| Digestive system surgical and other procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 42-54) | |
|---|---|
| Digestive tract | esophagus: Esophagectomy
stomach: Gastrostomy (Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) - Gastrectomy (Billroth I, Billroth II, Roux-en-Y)- Gastric bypass surgery - Gastroenterostomy - Nissen fundoplication small bowel: Duodenal switch - Jejunoileal bypass - Ileostomy large bowel: Colectomy - Colostomy - Appendicectomy - Hartmann\'s procedure rectum: Lower anterior resection - Abdominoperineal resection endoscopy: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy - Colonoscopy - Proctoscopy - Sigmoidoscopy |
| Accessory | liver: Hepatectomy - Liver transplantation - Artificial extracorporeal liver support (Liver dialysis, Bioartificial liver devices)
gallbladder/bile duct: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography - Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography - Cholecystectomy pancreas: Pancreatectomy - Pancreaticoduodenectomy - Pancreas transplantation - Puestow procedure - Frey\'s procedure |
| Other | Herniorrhaphy - Laparotomy - Paracentesis |
| Urogenital surgical and other procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 55-71) | |
|---|---|
| Urinary system | kidney: Nephrostomy - Nephrectomy - Kidney transplantation - Nephropexy
ureter: Ureteroscopy - Ureterostomy - Urinary diversion - Ureterosigmoidostomy urinary bladder: Cystectomy (Suprapubic cystostomy) - Cystoscopy |
| Reproductive system - male | prostate: Prostatectomy (Transurethral resection of the prostate)
vas deferens: Vasectomy - Vasovasostomy penis: Circumcision - Penectomy - Penile prosthesis testes: orchiectomy |
| Reproductive system - female (gynecological surgery) | ovary: Oophorectomy
fallopian tubes: Tubal ligation - Salpingectomy uterus: Hysterotomy - Hysteroscopy - Pelvic exenteration - Hysterectomy - Vacuum aspiration vagina: Culdocentesis - Hymenotomy - Vaginectomy vulva: Vulvectomy - Colposcopy |
| Obstetrical surgical and other procedures (ICD-9-CM V3 72-75) | |
|---|---|
| Delivery | Induction - Episiotomy - Symphysiotomy - Caesarean section - EXIT procedure |
| Diagnostic | Amniocentesis - Fetoscopy - Chorionic villus sampling - Triple test |
| Intervention | Fetal surgery |
| Operations/surgeries and other procedures on the musculoskeletal system (ICD-9-CM V3 76-84) | |
|---|---|
| Bones | Genioplasty - Coccygectomy - Bone grafting |
| Joints | Arthroscopy - Discectomy - Spinal fusion - Arthrodesis - Replacement joint (Hip replacement, Knee replacement, Shoulder replacement) - Arthroplasty - Hip resurfacing |
| Muscle, tendon, fascia, and bursa | Myotomy - Fasciotomy - Bursectomy |
| Other | Amputation (Hemipelvectomy) - Distraction osteogenesis |
| see also orthopedic surgery | |