Surgery: What is that?

Definition Surgery

Surgery (from the Greek: the art of craftsmanship) is a subfield of medicine. It deals with the diseases or injuries that are treated surgically. Surgery belongs to the operative fields in medicine and is not the only subject in which surgery is performed.

Other surgical medical subjects are:

  • Orthopaedics
  • Women’s hecology
  • Otorhinolaryngology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Urology
  • The neurosurgery
  • The heart surgery
  • And pediatric surgery. Surgery is only one part of a surgeon’s job. There are certainly so-called “conservative”, i.e. non-operative, types of treatment in surgery.

Furthermore, numerous “minimally invasive” therapy options are available today. For example, vessels can be widened, parts implanted and entire abdominal operations can be carried out using only punctures or very small incisions (“keyhole technique”). Many bone fractures (fractures) are also treated without surgery, for example, the application of a plaster splint is also part of the surgical therapy.

Surgical patients are admitted, examined, advised and educated for the respective operation by surgeons. They carry out the treatment, even if it is not surgical. All accompanying examinations are also carried out or at least initiated by surgeons.

Visits to the surgical wards take place daily. Finally, the discharge of patients is prepared and planned by the surgeons. Cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, paediatric surgery, oral surgery and plastic surgery are independent specialties in Germany.

A specialist in surgery therefore does not have the qualifications to perform operations from these areas. The following specialisations can be completed by a specialist in surgery as additional qualifications within the framework of surgical training. – Vascular surgeryVascular surgery deals with the surgical treatment of blood vessels.

In the case of vascular constrictions, dilatation measures can be taken, bypasses are often created in the case of vascular occlusions, and pathological dilatation of the vessels is treated by implanting prostheses or inserting stents. – Thoracic surgeryThoracic surgery includes the surgical treatment of diseases or injuries in the area of the thorax. Tumours or other pathological changes in the lungs or in the central area of the chest can be removed.

Drains are placed in the gap between the lungs and the chest wall if blood or air accumulates. Although the heart is located in the thorax, it is not treated surgically by thoracic surgeons but by cardiac surgeons. – Accident surgeryAccident surgery treats the consequences of accidents and injuries to the musculoskeletal system, as well as some internal organs and parts of the nervous system.

Broken bones are the most common type of injury treated by trauma surgeons. In many cases, treatment with a splint (nowadays not only made of plaster) is sufficient, but often an operation cannot be avoided. Nails, plates, wires and screws can be used to stabilize the fracture, and whole joint or even bone prostheses can be inserted.

  • Visceral surgery (synonym: abdominal surgery)In visceral surgery, abdominal organs, thyroid and parathyroid glands as well as inguinal and abdominal wall hernias are treated. The organs of the entire gastrointestinal system belong to the treatment area of visceral surgery, even if the oesophagus is located in the thorax. The liver, spleen, pancreas and adrenal glands are also operated on by the visceral surgeons.

Visceral surgery therefore also includes transplantation surgery of the liver, pancreas and in some cases the kidney. There is credible evidence that surgical treatments were already performed in ancient times. Already in the Roman Empire there were instruments that were specially made for surgical procedures.

Until surgery was introduced as an academic subject in medicine, bathers treated minor injuries, but also carried out amputations. The first big step was achieved with the introduction of disinfection. At that time – especially in war situations – many injured people were treated and the disinfection of wounds brought decisive successes, which further consolidated the position of this type of treatment in society.

With the introduction of anaesthesia in the middle of the 19th century, surgical treatment was significantly advanced. Very quickly, operations became possible which had previously not been possible due to the enormous pain load of the patients. Many surgeons therefore regard anaesthesia as one of the most important inventions in medicine in general.

The 20th century saw the development of most surgical techniques used today. The progress of modern surgery is linked to the overall development of science and technology. Minimally invasive surgery was introduced at the end of the 80s of the last century.

Thanks to the keyhole technique, many operations are now possible that could previously only be performed with much greater effort. In vascular surgery, prostheses were developed in the 1990s that can save patients from sometimes very large operations. Surgery – like all medicine – is in a constant state of development. It is assumed that the knowledge in medicine doubles every 2 years. This development is reflected in surgery, so that further breathtaking achievements in surgical medicine can be expected in the future.