Surgical procedures are procedures that require incisions and are conducted to stop diseases or repair damage to the body. Examples are removing a tumor or stitching a wound. A regular procedure and surgery are not the same things. The difference is in the application of surgery. Procedures are usually minimally invasive and consist of different steps that are taken, mostly without the need for incisions. Surgery does require incisions and is therefore more invasive.
Sometimes, it can be unclear what your surgeon means when they speak about a specific surgical procedure. Many people don’t have a medical background and the names of certain procedures do not always clarify what they are to the ordinary person. Do you need a medical procedure and are you not sure what this means for you? In this article, you’ll find some of the most common surgical procedures explained.
Common surgical procedures
Some surgical procedures are more common than others. Three of these surgical procedures have been highlighted in this article. Below is a list of three common surgical procedures, what they mean, what they are used for, and how long they take. These three surgical procedures are all applied in different circumstances and to different parts of the body.
Thoracotomy
Thoractomy procedures are surgical procedures regarding everything present in the chest, also referred to as the thorax. A thoracotomy is conducted by making an incision in the left or right side of the chest. Through this kind of surgical procedure, the lungs, heart, arteries, and other important organs and veins can be accessed. A common reason to conduct a thoracotomy is to remove cancerous tissue from the lung or to inflate a collapsed lung. It is done under general anesthetic and is a very invasive surgery. Therefore, it is only used in very serious cases. A thoracotomy commonly takes between three and six hours.
Cesarean section
A cesarean section is also known under the name C-section. This surgery is used to deliver a baby that cannot be delivered naturally. Examples are when the baby is in a breech position, when you have a low-lying placenta, when STDs are present or on a number of other occasions. To perform this surgery, an incision is made in the lower abdomen and womb, just below the bikini line. Although cesarean sections are a common surgery, it does come with several risks, such as blood loss, blood clots, and infection. The surgery normally does not take longer than one hour. In usual circumstances, the patient may go home one or two days after the operation.
Cholecystectomy
This kind of procedure is conducted when the gallbladder needs to be removed. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that lies just below the liver that stores the digestive juices produced by the liver. Reasons to remove the gallbladder are in case it is swollen, cancerous, or if there are gallstones present. There are two surgical procedures to remove the gallbladder, namely the laparoscopic method and the open method.
During a laparoscopic procedure, three or four small incisions are made. A camera will be placed by means of a tube through the incisions. The surgeon will then remove the gallbladder while looking at it on the TV-screen. This procedure is less invasive than the open method. This method requires one large incision through which the gallbladder will be removed. The surgery takes about one hour and patients can normally go home the same day.
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