Basics
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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
Specifics
- Getting a Second Opinion Before Surgery (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - PDF
- Laparoscopic Surgery -- What Is It? (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons) Also in Spanish
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Pulse Oximetry
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Speak Up: Help Avoid Mistakes in Your Surgery (Joint Commission) - PDF
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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
- Question Builder: Be Prepared for Your Next Medical Appointment (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Statistics and Research
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Surgery of the Future App
(National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: General Surgery
(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Surgical Procedures, Operative
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: The relationship between uncertainty and acute procedure anxiety among surgical patients...
- Article: Assessment of mathematical model for elliptical excision: solving the doubt about...
- Article: Healthcare Costs of New Functional Impairment in the Year after Noncardiac...
- Surgery -- see more articles
Find an Expert
- Find a Surgeon (American College of Surgeons)
- Find an Interventional Radiologist (Society of Interventional Radiology)
Children
- Helping Kids Get Ready for Surgery (Nemours Foundation)
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Preventing Infections when Your Child Has Surgery
(Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
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