Surgical Skills I: Planning a Case, Opening, and Start of Surgery

Comprehensive vocabulary and key concepts based on surgical skills lecture notes regarding case planning, implants, grafts, and surgical techniques.

Blunt dissection

Separation of tissue without the use of a cutting instrument.

Case planning

The preparation of equipment, instruments, and supplies before a surgical procedure.

Dissecting sponge

A small sponge used for tissue dissection.

Event related

Connected to a specific surgery occurrence.

Graft

Tissue transplant from one area to another.

Implant

Any type of tissue replacement, device, or material placed in the body.

Radiopaque

A term for an object or substance that is visible on X-ray.

Raytec

A radiopaque sponge used during surgery.

Sterile setup

The arrangement of sterile instruments and supplies.

Surgeon's preference card

The surgeon's list of preferred instruments, sutures, supplies, equipment, medication, patient positioning, and draping.

TIMEOUT

A final verification of patient safety used to confirm the correct patient and prevent wrong-site incision.

Universal Protocol

Safety procedure used to prevent wrong-site and wrong-surgery errors.

Surgical Count Items

Includes sponges, sharps, needles, instruments, and miscellaneous small items.

Surgical Count Timings

Performed before the procedure begins, before closure of a cavity, and at skin closure or the end of surgery.

Surgical Count Order

Sponges, sharps, instruments, and miscellaneous items.

Synthetic implant materials

Includes silicone, plastic, stainless steel, titanium, and mesh materials.

Debulk

To remove a large portion but not all of a tumor.

Undermine

Separation of one tissue plane from another with use of scissors to increase the space between the layers.

Dissect

To carefully separate anatomical structures by cutting with instruments, small firm sponges, or the fingers.

Amputate

The removal of a limb or digit.

Ligate

To constrict a vessel or duct using a suture tie.

Anastomose

The joining of two hollow anatomical structures (vessels, ducts, tubes, or hollow organs) using sutures or surgical staples.

Debridement

The use of sharp surgical instruments such as a scalpel and scissors to cut away dead tissue.

Surgical wound

The spaces and tissues that are accessed through the surgical incision.

Exteriorize

To bring a tissue structure partially outside the body.

Elevate

To raise or lift an anatomical structure, sometimes without removing it.

Resection

A large portion or segment of tissue is removed.

Excise

The removal of tissue, usually a mole or small lesion, using cutting instruments or electrosurgery.

Surgical field

The sterile area immediately around or in the surgical incision.

Dog ear

An undesirable pucker in skin as a result of poor suture placement.

Approximate

To "bring together" tissues by suturing or other means.

Exposure

The process of enabling precise reviewing of an anatomical area.

Wound cover

Tissue used to cover large defects in the skin.

Allograft (Allogeneic graft)

A tissue graft derived from human tissue, such as nonliving cadaver bone.

Composite graft

Grafts made from a combination of cadaver bone, morcellated allograft bone, and marrow.

Amniotic membrane and umbilical cord

Used as a biological dressing for burns, skin ulcers, and infected wounds.

Porcine graft

A graft taken from pig tissue.

Autograft (Autologous autograft)

Tissue obtained from the patient's own body and implanted in another site.

Xenograft

A graft taken from a species different from that of the patient.

Epithelialization

The migration of epithelial cells into the wound during healing.

Bovine graft

A graft taken from beef origin.

Categories of surgery by objectives

Diagnostic, Curative, Reparative/Reconstructive, and Palliative.