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Surgery

Also called: Operation

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Summary

There are many reasons to have surgery. Some operations can relieve or prevent pain. Others can reduce a symptom of a problem or improve some body function. Some surgeries are done to find a problem. For example, a surgeon may do a biopsy, which involves removing a piece of tissue to examine under a microscope. Some surgeries, like heart surgery, can save your life.

Some operations that once needed large incisions (cuts in the body) can now be done using much smaller cuts. This is called laparoscopic surgery. Surgeons insert a thin tube with a camera to see, and use small tools to do the surgery.

After surgery there can be a risk of complications, including infection, too much bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, or accidental injury. There is almost always some pain with surgery.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

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Preparing for Surgery (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Surgery (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Computer-Assisted Surgical Systems (Food and Drug Administration)

Specifics

Laparoscopic Surgery -- What Is It? (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons)
Pulse Oximetry (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Speak Up For Safe Surgery (Joint Commission) - PDF
Surgical Procedures (American Society of Anesthesiologists)
What Is a Ventilator? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Images

Laparoscopic surgery - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

QuestionBuilder App (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

Science Education (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: General Surgery (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Doctor Finder (Database of Interventional Radiologists) (Society of Interventional Radiology)
Find a Surgeon (American College of Surgeons)

Children

Helping Kids Get Ready for Surgery (Nemours Foundation)
Preparing for Surgery: Kids' Checklist (American Society of Anesthesiologists)
Preventing Infections when Your Child Has Surgery (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Adults

Preparing for Surgery: Checklist (American Society of Anesthesiologists)

Patient Handouts

Blood donation before surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Getting yourself healthy before surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Smoking and surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Tests and visits before surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The day of surgery for your child (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The day of your surgery - adult (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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