Surgery

Surgery is the special branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of injury, deformity, and disease by manual and instrumental means. 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.

Surgery can be classified as major or minor, depending on the seriousness of the illness, the parts of the body affected, the complexity of the operation, and the expected recovery time.

Major Surgery: Surgeries of the head, neck, chest, and abdomen. The recovery time can be lengthy and may involve a stay in intensive care or several days in the hospital. There is a higher risk of complications after major surgeries. Types of major surgery may include, removal of brain tumors, correction of bone malformations of the skull and face, repair of congenital heart disease, transplantation of organs, and repair of intestinal malformations.

Minor Surgery: Some surgeries considered minor. The recovery time is short and people return to their usual activities rapidly. These surgeries are most often done as an outpatient. Types of minor surgery include, placement of ear tubes, hernia repairs, correction of bone fractures, removal of skin lesions, etc.

Required Surgery: These are procedures that need to be done to ensure the quality of your future. An example might be having a spinal fusion to correct severe curvature of the spine. Required surgery, unlike emergency surgery, does not necessarily have to be done immediately.

Elective surgery: Surgery that is subject to choice. The choice may be made by the patient. For example, the time when a surgical procedure is performed may be elective. The procedure is beneficial to the patient but does not need be done at a particular time. As opposed to urgent or emergency surgery.

Urgent/Emergency Surgery: This type of surgery is done in response to an urgent medical need, such as the correction of a life-threatening congenital heart malformation or the repair of injured internal organs after an automobile accident.