Dictionary

Surgical

Terms from the operating room and the care of surgical clients.

-ectomyA word ending that means surgical removal.

elective surgerySurgery that is planned and scheduled ahead of time because it is not an emergency.

electrosurgeryUsing high-frequency electric current through a handheld tool to cut tissue or seal bleeding vessels during surgery.

endotracheal intubationPutting a breathing tube through the mouth or nose into the windpipe (trachea).

epidural anesthesiaPain relief or numbness from an anesthetic drug given through a thin catheter into the space just outside the covering of the spinal cord.

ethyleneA colorless, flammable gas used to make plastics and other chemicals, including ethylene oxide.

ethylene oxideA gas used at low temperature to sterilize medical items that heat or moisture would damage.

eviscerationThe pushing out of internal organs, usually loops of bowel, through a surgical wound that has come open.

excisionCutting out tissue, such as a growth or damaged area, during surgery.