| elective surgery | Surgery which is not needed immediately, i.e., one for a non-life-threatening disorder. (09 Oct 1997) |
|---|---|
| surgical procedures, elective | Surgery which could be postponed or not done at all without danger to the patient. Elective surgery includes procedures to correct non-life-threatening medical problems as well as to alleviate conditions causing psychological stress or other potential risk to patients, e.g., cosmetic or contraceptive surgery. (12 Dec 1998) |
| elective | Subject to the choice or decision of the patient or physician, applied to procedures that are advantageous to the patient but not urgent. (18 Nov 1997) |
| elective abortion | The planned termination of a pregnancy. (27 Sep 1997) |
| elective culture | A method of isolating microorganisms capable of utilizing a specific substrate by incubating an inoculum in a medium containing the substrate; the medium usually contains substances or has characteristics that inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms. Synonym: enrichment culture. (05 Mar 2000) |
| elective mutism | Mutism due to psychogenic causes. Synonym: voluntary mutism. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ambulatory surgery | <surgery> Operative procedures performed on patients who are admitted to and discharged from a hospital on the same day. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aseptic surgery | The performance of an operation with sterilised hands, instruments, etc., and utilizing precautions against the introduction of infectious microorganisms from without. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cardiovascular surgery | The use of surgery to fix disorders of the heartand/or blood vessels. (09 Oct 1997) |
| radical surgery | Surgery designed to remove all possible diseased tissue, for example, all possible tumour tissue. (12 Dec 1998) |
| major surgery | See: major operation. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vascular surgery | A branch of medicine dealing with the use of surgery to diagnose/treat diseases of the blood vessels. (09 Oct 1997) |
| general surgery | A surgical specialty that involves largely the surgical management of diseases of the bowel, gallbladder, stomach and other digestive organs. (27 Sep 1997) |
| reconstructive surgery | The surgical specialty or procedure concerned with the restoration, construction, reconstruction, or improvement in the shape and appearance of body structures that are missing, defective, damaged, or misshapen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| video-assisted thoracic surgery | A less morbid alternative to "open" thoracotomy that employs cameras, optic systems, percutaneous stapling devices, and assorted endoscopic graspers, retractors, and forceps. Also called video thoracoscopic surgery, it can be selectively applied to various pulmonary, pleural, and pericardial lesions. (05 Mar 2000) |