Dictionary

Surgical

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

scalpelA small, very sharp surgical knife.

serrationA row of small tooth-like ridges, such as the grooves on the jaws of a surgical clamp.

speculumAn instrument used to open and hold open a body opening, such as the vagina, so the inside can be seen.

sporicidalAble to kill bacterial spores, the tough resting forms of some bacteria.

stapleA small metal clip used to close a skin wound or join tissues during surgery.

stentA small tube, often of metal mesh, placed inside a vessel or duct to hold it open.

sterilantA chemical that kills all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores.

sterile fieldAn area set up with sterile drapes and supplies, kept free of all germs, for a sterile procedure.

sterilityThe state of being completely free of living germs, including spores; also, being unable to have children.

sterilizerA machine that kills all germs, including spores, on instruments and supplies.

stitchAn everyday word for a suture: one loop of thread used to close a wound.

stomaAn opening on the surface of the body made by surgery, such as the end of bowel brought out through the belly wall.

subcostalBelow the ribs.

succinylcholineA fast, short-acting drug that relaxes and paralyzes the muscles, used to place a breathing tube.

supineLying flat on the back, face up.

surgeonA doctor trained to treat disease, injury or deformity by operating on the body.

surgeryTreatment in which a surgeon operates on the body, usually by cutting into it, to repair, remove or examine tissue.

surgicalRelating to surgery or done by surgery.

surgical asepsisPractices that keep an area or object completely free of microorganisms; also called sterile technique.

surgical maskA loose-fitting disposable mask that covers the nose and mouth and blocks droplets and splashes.

surgical technologistA member of the operating room team who prepares the sterile field and instruments and hands them to the surgeon.

sutureA stitch, or the thread used to stitch, that holds the edges of a wound or incision together.

suturingClosing a wound or surgical cut by sewing its edges together with stitches.