Surgical

A word ending that means an instrument for cutting.

A soft drain shaped like a T, placed in the common bile duct after the duct is opened so bile drains out to a bag.

A linear stapler that lays straight, staggered rows of staples across tissue without cutting it, to close an end or an opening.

A suture needle with a round body that narrows to a sharp point, which pierces and spreads tissue without cutting it.

The firm plate of dense fibrous tissue inside each eyelid that gives the lid its shape and holds its oil glands.

The fan-shaped chewing muscle over the side of the head, running from the skull at the temple to the mandible, that closes the jaw.

A grasping instrument with one or more very sharp, pointed teeth that pierce tissue to hold it firmly, as on the cervix.

The three long, narrow bands of smooth muscle along the outside of the colon, formed by its outer longitudinal muscle layer.

How much pulling force a strand of suture can take before it breaks.

The thorough cleaning and disinfection of every room used that day, done at the end of each day's surgery schedule.

An ester local anesthetic used on the surface of the eye and throat and for spinal anesthesia.

Healing of a contaminated wound that is cleaned and left open for a few days, then closed once no infection shows; also called delayed primary closure.

The body's largest lymph vessel, which carries lymph from the lower body and the left upper body into the left subclavian vein.

An incision that starts on the abdomen and carries on along a rib space into the chest, joining the two cavities.

A surgical cut through the chest wall to reach the lungs, heart or other organs in the chest.

A dressing built from a contact layer on the wound, an absorbent layer over it and an outer layer that holds both in place.

A moist strip of rolled gauze with an x-ray marker, placed at the back of the throat to catch blood, fluid and debris.

Surgical removal of a thrombus, a blood clot that formed inside a vessel and stayed where it formed.

An enzyme in the blood that turns fibrinogen into fibrin, the threads that hold a blood clot together.

Surgery to remove the thymus, for a thymoma or another tumor of the thymus, or to treat myasthenia gravis.

A tumor that grows from the epithelial cells of the thymus; the most common tumor of the anterior mediastinum.

The largest cartilage of the larynx, a shield that forms its front wall; its ridge is the Adam's apple.

A lead or lead-equivalent collar that wraps the neck to protect the thyroid gland from x-rays.

A sudden, life-threatening flare of hyperthyroidism, with high fever, a very fast heart rate, agitation and confusion.

Surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid gland in the neck.

A pause just before a procedure when the whole team confirms the right client, procedure and site; also, a short break to calm a child.

A sticky liquid painted on the skin before tape, closure strips or films are applied, so they stay on better.

The friction a suture strand meets as it is pulled through tissue.

Forceps that grasp and hold tissue, most often thumb forceps held like a pencil in the hand that is not cutting or sewing.

A flat blade of wood or metal used to press the tongue down or aside; in the OR it also holds skin taut and serves as a laser test target.

A round, gauze-covered sponge with a string attached, used in throat surgery, often pressed into the tonsil bed to stop bleeding.

Surgical removal of the palatine tonsils, the two masses of lymph tissue on either side of the back of the throat.

Removal of the whole uterus, including the cervix, through an incision in the abdomen; abbreviated TAH.

Surgery that replaces the worn or damaged ball and socket of the hip joint with artificial parts; also called total hip arthroplasty.

Surgery that replaces the worn surfaces of the knee joint with metal and plastic parts.

Surgery to remove the whole thyroid gland.

A band tightened around an arm or leg to slow or stop blood flow below it.

A sudden, sterile inflammation in the front of the eye after eye surgery, caused by a noninfectious substance that got into the eye.

A glaucoma operation that removes a small block of tissue under a flap of sclera to make a new drain for aqueous humor.

The surgical cut made into the windpipe through the front of the neck.

The rules for how people, patients and supplies move through the surgical suite's zones, keeping clean and contaminated traffic apart.

Through the ear canal: an approach to the eardrum and middle ear with no outside incision.

A cut through the conjunctiva inside the lower eyelid, to reach the orbital floor without a scar on the skin.

An ultrasound of the heart taken with a probe passed down the esophagus, which lies just behind the heart.

A thin, firm, smooth plastic board slid under a patient to bridge the gap and slide them from one surface to another.

The handoff of a surgical team role, such as the scrub, to a relief person during a case, for a break or at a shift change.

A thin, clear, adhesive polyurethane sheet that covers a small wound or IV site and lets the site be seen without removing it.

An organ or tissue moved from one person or body site to another, or the operation that moves it.

Through the sphenoid bone: the route to the pituitary gland through the nose and the sphenoid sinus.

Through the urethra; describes procedures done with a scope passed up the urethra, with no skin incision.