Topic Index

Surgery, as defined by the American College of Surgeons, is the treatment of disease, injury, or other disorders by direct physical intervention, usually with instruments.

Surgery involves cutting into the skin or other organ to restore the body to a healthy state.

This may include further exploring the condition to make a diagnosis, taking a biopsy of a suspicious lump, or removing diseased tissues or organs.
In addition, your doctor may perform surgery to remove an obstruction, reposition structures to their normal position, redirect channels, or transplant tissue or whole organs.

You may need surgery to implant mechanical or electronic devices; improve physical appearance; repair an area that has been injured or affected by trauma, overuse, or disease; restore proper function; or relieve pain

Many people in the U.S. undergo surgery every year, both elective (by choice) and in cases of emergency. When facing surgery, you should expect to go through four phases. First, you are diagnosed with a condition that requires surgery, after you undergo medical tests and evaluations. Second, the preoperative management phase begins from the time surgery is decided on, to the time you enter the operating room.

Third, the intraoperative care phase lasts from the time you enter the operating room, to the time you are brought to the recovery room. And fourth, the postoperative management phase lasts from entry to the recovery room, to follow-up clinical evaluation.