Surgery

Surgery is how surgeons fix or explore problems inside your body. They use tools — and sometimes advanced technology — to remove, repair or replace parts that aren’t working right. It usually involves cutting your body tissues. But they also use lasers, electric currents and other methods.

People have surgeries for many different reasons. Some surgeries are lifesaving. Others help improve how your body works or how you feel day by day. Your healthcare provider might recommend surgery to:

• Find out what’s causing a problem
• Remove diseased or damaged tissue
• Repair an injury or defect
• Replace something that’s not working, like a joint or valve

Surgeries can be major or minor, depending on the risk and recovery time involved. And not every surgery fits neatly into these buckets:

• Major surgery usually means staying in the hospital afterward and getting general anesthesia.
• Minor surgery is often an outpatient procedure. That means you go home the same day. It may involve local or regional anesthesia. Your surgeon may make smaller cuts.

Types of surgery

You may hear your surgeon discuss your surgery in several different ways. These may include:

Elective surgery

Elective surgery is a procedure that you and your doctor discuss and plan for in advance. It’s optional and not lifesaving.

Examples include:

• Joint replacement
• Prolapse repair
• Scheduled C-section
• Cosmetic surgery

Emergency surgery

Emergency surgery is a procedure you need as soon as possible to prevent serious harm. You may not have time to discuss it in advance.

Examples include:

• Appendectomy for appendicitis
• Trauma surgery after an accident
• Exploratory laparotomy for internal bleeding
• Amputation of a body part that has died

Many surgeries fall in between these two poles.

Semi-elective surgery is a procedure your doctor recommends you have relatively soon to prevent your condition from getting worse.

Examples include:

• Carotid endarterectomy for plaque in your artery
• Gallbladder removal for gallbladder disease
• Kidney transplant for chronic kidney failure
• Surgery to repair broken bones

Open surgery

Open surgery means your surgeon makes a large cut through your skin so they can see and work directly on your organs and tissues.

Examples include:

• Open abdominal surgery
• Open chest surgery
• Open heart surgery
• Open brain surgery

Minimally invasive surgery

Minimally invasive surgery uses small cuts and special tools. Surgeons look inside with a camera and operate through small openings.

Examples include:

• Laparoscopic surgery
• Robotic surgery
• Endovascular surgery
• Endoscopic surgery

Preparing for surgery

Even minor surgery is hard on your body. And some surgeries need more prep than others. In general, your surgical team will talk with you about how to:

• Be as healthy as you can be going into surgery
• Plan for what your body needs in the days and weeks after surgery
• Get your body ready for the procedure

Optimizing health for surgery

Before you have surgery, your healthcare provider will check your overall health. Some conditions may make anesthesia unsafe for you or make recovery difficult. You may need some medical tests. Based on the results, your provider might want to try to improve your health in the months or weeks before your surgery.

They might suggest:

• Stopping alcohol, tobacco or pain medications (like NSAIDs)
• Adjusting your eating habits, taking nutritional supplements or getting nutrition therapy
• Treating another condition that may interfere with your recovery
• Talking with your other healthcare providers about how to stop certain medications that can interfere with anesthesia, blood clotting or recovery

Once they clear you for surgery, your surgeon will talk with you about the goals, risks and what to expect. If possible, they’ll ask for your informed consent before moving forward.

Making plans for after surgery

Your provider may also advise you on how to prepare for your recovery.

You may need to:

• Make things in your home more accessible
• Arrange for someone to help you around the house
• Arrange for childcare and time off from work

Some procedures need more preparation than others. Your provider will tell you what you need to do.

Day of procedure instructions

In the days leading up to your procedure, you may get special instructions to prepare for it.

You may need to:

• Stop eating and drinking at a particular time
• Clean out your bowels with a special formula

These preparations help reduce the risks of surgery.

Surgery risks and benefits

All surgeries have some risks. Healthcare providers weigh the potential risks against the potential benefits of the treatment before recommending it. In general, they won’t recommend surgery unless the chance of complications occurring is very small compared to the likely benefits of the procedure.

Some general risks of surgery include:

• Accidental injury to an organ, vessel or nerve
• Heavy bleeding
• Infection
• Reactions to the anesthesia

Specific surgeries may have other risks that your provider will discuss with you.

Some factors that can affect your risk include:

• Pre-existing conditions and medical history
• How long or complex the operation is
• What kind of anesthesia you have
• Your health at the time you have surgery

Surgical teams watch you closely during and after surgery to handle complications quickly.

Some complications can develop later during your recovery. Complications from extended bed rest after surgery can include:

• Blood clots
• Lung infections
• Muscle stiffening (contracture)
• Muscle loss (sarcopenia)

After surgery

After surgery, you’ll spend time in a recovery room until you’re stable. Your healthcare team will make sure you’re well enough to continue your recovery without such close monitoring.

You may have some medical tubes or devices connected to your body, like:

• A breathing tube
• A catheter to drain your pee
• An IV line for fluids and medicine
• A pain pump
• A pulse oximeter on your finger
• Pads on your chest to monitor your heart

Your healthcare team will remove these when you no longer need them.

Depending on the type of procedure you had, you may go home the same day. Or you may stay in the hospital for several more days. You’ll stay until you can:

• Eat and drink normally
• Pee and poop normally
• Breathe and walk on your own
• Manage your pain at home

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your provider if you develop warning symptoms at home, like:

• Worsening pain
• Colored discharge from your wound
• A fever
• Pain and swelling in one leg
• A bad cough or trouble breathing
• Confusion or delirium