Surgery is a method for treating disease or injury by manual operations. Surgery may be done through an existing body opening, but usually it involves cutting or puncturing tissue with a sharp instrument in the process of incision. Some form of anesthesia to dull or eliminate pain is usually required. After surgery, incisions must be closed for proper healing. Conventionally, this is done using stitches or sutures, but adhesive strips, staples, and skin glue also are used.
Many types of operations are now performed using a laser beam. This is an intense beam of light that can be used for surgery and for diagnosis. Some procedures require destruction of tissue by a harmful agent, such as by heat or a chemical, in the process of cautery or cauterization.
Some of the purposes of surgery include:
•Treatment: For excision (cutting out) of diseased or abnormal tissue, such as a tumor or an inflamed appendix. Surgical methods are also used to repair wounds or injuries, as in skin grafting for burns or realigning broken bones. Surgical methods are used to correct circulatory problems and to return structures to their normal position, as in raising a prolapsed organ, such as the bladder, in a surgical fixation procedure.
•Diagnosis: To remove tissue for laboratory study in a biopsy, as described above. Exploratory surgery to investigate the cause of symptoms is performed less frequently now because of advances in non-invasive diagnostic and imaging techniques.
•Restoration: Surgery may compensate for lost function, as when a section of the intestine is redirected in a colostomy, a tube is inserted to allow breathing in a tracheostomy, a feeding tube is inserted, or an organ is transplanted. Plastic or reconstructive surgery may be done to accommodate a prosthesis, to restore proper appearance, or for cosmetic reasons.
•Relief: Palliative treatment is any therapy that provides relief but is not intended as a cure. Surgery is done to relieve pain or discomfort, as by cutting the nerve supply to an organ or reducing the size of a tumor to relieve pressure.
Surgery may be done in an emergency or urgent situation under conditions of acute danger, as in traumatic injury or severe blockage. Other procedures, such as cataract removal from the eye, may be planned when convenient. Elective or optional surgery would not cause serious consequences if delayed or not done.
Over time, surgery has extended beyond the classic operating room of a hospital to other hospital areas and to private surgical facilities where people can be treated within 1 day as outpatients. Preoperative care is given before surgery and includes examination, obtaining the patient’s informed consent for the procedure, and preadmission testing. Postoperative care includes recovery from anesthesia, follow-up evaluations, and instructions for home care.
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