Advanced Surgery

photo: advanced medical facility

source: By logicarch

Surgical Procedures and Technology

There are a huge number of surgical procedures. Technology has made procedures available that simply weren't an option a decade ago.  Some procedures are absolutely necessary to preserve or save lives, others are strictly cosmetic or deal with minor ailments.

Surgical technology

Surgical technology has come a long way since early techniques such as using leeches for anaesthesia or trepanation (literally punching a hole in the skull).  The first c-section was performed with a sword, when Caesar ordered a legionnaire to forcibly remove a child from a woman’s belly so that the child would live.  While this didn’t work out so well for the mother, it was proof of concept.

Advanced surgical procedures now use high technology monitoring devices, nano-scale tools, robotic tools, lasers, and genetically engineered medicines which actually re-encode broken or faulty strands of DNA.   The advent of the computer and advanced manufacturing techniques as well as extensive study of the human biological systems has elevated the art of the surgical procedure to an entirely new level.

Technologies which were science fiction a few years ago are being employed, from implanted organs which have been cloned from the patients own cells, to radical advances in cellular rejuvenation which hold promise to regrow amputated body parts.  Paralysis that was once incurable is on the edge of being solved by carefully rerouting the body’s electrical and neural pathway signals passed the point of a severed spinal cord or other damaged pathway.

Nano-technology has created new tools for surgeons and the merger of nano and biotech appear to be on the forefront of directly re-engineering entire genetic subsystems with carefully placed implants of engineered smart cells.

Conventional Surgical Procedures

Cosmetic surgery allows the rebuilding and reconstruction of body parts and features in a way that can change self image and lives. Even hair can be regrown now through medicines, a technology which was the mark of quackery only twenty years ago is now scientifically proven to work.  Procedures such as hair transplants, bone transplants and even full face transplants are now possible.

Most cases where surgical procedures are required are due to immediate health issues caused by disease or traumatic and unexpected injuries.   Lives which would have once ended or have been severely impacted are now recoverable and in some cases the patient can be back in action in only a few days after a successful surgery.

Surgical Experts

Medicine is a broad field and there are many areas of surgical expertise.   The knowledge of a specialist surgeon is often highly specialized and the result of years of specific training on one area of the human body’s function.    The skills of the neurologist, the endocrinologist, the cardiologist and other specialized surgical experts are very different.  General surgery may be performed by any competent surgeon, but a specialist has the knowledge that can make the difference in a complex or highly specific case.

Should I get Surgery?

This is a question best had between a knowledgeable physician and the patient who is asking “should I get surgery”.  If you are considering surgery or think you may have a need for it you should generally consult with two qualified medical professionals, ideally specialists in the area that you are considering.    If you have a vague notion that you may need surgery, it is always best to get the opinion of a professional, as there may be a number of factors to take into consideration.   If surgery is urgently required, according to your physician, then delaying or procrastination can be fatal.  Immediately address your health concerns and spend the rest of your long and happy life reflecting after the fact.

*this article is for informational purposes only, and nothing should be construed as medical advice or a treatment for any condition.