Surgery Sourcebook, 5th Ed.

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), almost 15 million people undergo surgery each year at hospitals or same-day surgery centers in the United States. Whether it is done to relieve pain, prevent or treat a serious health condition, or repair trauma, surgery carries significant risks, such as infection, anesthesia reactions, and bleeding. Fortunately, new developments in surgical techniques, including lasers and laparoscopic surgery, have enabled surgeons to better control surgical complications and minimize patient risks.

Surgery Sourcebook, Fifth Edition describes the most common surgical procedures, including appendectomy, breast surgeries, carotid endarterectomy, cataract, cesarean section, coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, dilation and curettage (D&C), gallbladder removal surgery, hemorrhoid surgery, hysterectomy, hernia surgery, spine surgery, tonsillectomy, and weight-loss (bariatric) surgery. The book discusses preparations patients may want to make prior to undergoing surgery, including choosing a surgeon, getting a second opinion, and blood transfusion, as well as postsurgical physical discomforts, nutrition and exercise considerations, and strategies for facilitating recovery. The book concludes with a glossary of related terms and a directory of resources for additional help and information.

This book is divided into parts and chapters. Parts focus on broad areas of interest. Chapters are devoted to single topics within a part.

Part 1: Introduction to Surgery provides basic information about surgical specialties, including general surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, and urology. It also covers types of surgery and discusses specific types of surgical techniques including laparoscopic, laser, and robotic-assisted surgeries. The part concludes with statistics on surgery and the latest research on surgery.

Part 2: Preparing for Surgery offers patients information on finding a qualified surgeon, obtaining a second opinion, and preparing for surgery. Services provided by ambulatory surgical centers are also detailed. The part also discusses blood transfusion, anxiety before surgery, tips on ensuring patient safety and preventing medical errors, financial planning facts, and medical tourism.

Part III: Common Types of Surgery and Surgical Procedures provides details about head and neck, eye, dental, breast, lung, heart and vascular, joint and spine, gastrointestinal, weight-loss (bariatric), gynecologic and obstetric, and urological surgeries. The part also highlights cosmetic and reconstructive surgical procedures. The part also offers information about organ transplants and emergency, critical care, and traumatic surgeries.

Part IV: Managing Pain and Surgical Complications focuses on the postoperative period and discusses methods for controlling pain, managing blood loss, and preventing surgical site and healthcare-associated infections that may develop during hospitalization, such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Clostridium difficile infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The part also identifies other complications that may affect surgical patients, including abdominal adhesions, deep vein thrombosis, pneumonia, sepsis, and breast implant complications.

Part V: Recovery and Rehabilitation after Surgery offers insight into the process of recovering from surgery. Hospital discharge planning, postsurgical nutrition, and strategies for caring for incisions, surgical drains, and ostomy bags are discussed, along with information about blot clot risks and rehabilitation after surgery.

Part VI: Additional Help and Information provides a glossary of important terms related to surgery and a directory of organizations that offer information to people undergoing surgery or their caregivers.