Dictionary

Surgical

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

obturatorA smooth-tipped rod that fits inside a tube, such as a tracheostomy tube or cannula, to guide it in and then is taken out.

occlusiveClosing something off, or sealed so that air and water cannot pass through.

operating roomA room in a hospital or surgery center that is specially set up and kept for performing surgery.

OROperating room, the hospital room where surgery is done; in research articles OR can also mean odds ratio.

ORIFOpen reduction internal fixation: surgery that opens the skin to line up a broken bone and hold it with plates, screws or rods.

orthopedicHaving to do with the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons, and the branch of medicine that treats them.

orthopedic surgerySurgery on the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons and muscles.

ostomyA surgically made opening from an inside organ, such as the bowel or urinary tract, through the belly wall to the outside.

PACUPost-anesthesia care unit: the area where clients are watched closely as they wake up after surgery.

paralytic ileusA stop in the normal movement of the intestines that happens without anything physically blocking them.

pedicleA narrow stem or stalk that attaches a structure, such as a tumor or a skin flap, to the body.

perforationA hole that goes all the way through the wall of an organ or tissue.

perioperativeRelating to the whole time around a surgery: before, during and after it.

peronealHaving to do with the outer side of the lower leg, near the fibula bone.

postoperativeDescribing the time after surgery, from the end of the operation until recovery.

povidoneA water-soluble synthetic substance used to carry iodine in antiseptics and to bind ingredients in many medicines.

povidone-iodineA brown antiseptic solution of iodine used to kill germs on the skin before procedures and on wounds.

preoperativeDescribing the time before surgery, from the decision to operate until the client goes into the operating room.

propofolA fast-acting IV drug used to put clients to sleep for surgery or procedures and to sedate clients on a ventilator.

prostheticDescribes an artificial part made to replace a missing or damaged body part, such as a limb, joint, eye or heart valve.

radiopaqueBlocking x-rays, so the material shows up white on an x-ray image.

recoveryThe process of getting better after an illness, injury, surgery or substance use, or the time just after anesthesia.

reprocessingThe steps that make a used reusable medical device safe to use on the next patient.

resectionSurgery to remove part of an organ or tissue.

retractorA surgical instrument that holds back tissue or organs so the surgeon can see and reach the operative site.

reverse Trendelenburg positionA position lying on the back on a bed or table that is tilted so the head is higher than the feet, with the body kept straight.

rongeurA strong surgical instrument with sharp, cup-shaped jaws used to bite away small pieces of bone.

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.