What Is a Major Surgery?
Major surgery normally involves opening the body, allowing the surgeon access to the area where the work needs to be completed. It involves major trauma to the tissues, a high risk of infection, and an extended recovery period. Most major surgeries will leave a large scar.What Are Some Major Surgeries?
There are many different surgeries that fall into this category. They include:- Cesarean section
- Organ replacement
- Joint replacement
- Full hysterectomy
- Heart surgeries
- Bariatric surgeries, including the gastric bypass
What Is a Minor Surgery?
Minor surgical procedures are those that are minimally invasive. In most cases, these are performed laparoscopically or arthroscopically. Small incisions are made that allow surgical tools and a small camera to be inserted into the body. This allows the doctor to perform the procedure without damaging extensive amounts of tissue. The risk of infection is greatly reduced and the patient's recovery time is much shorter. There are also surgical procedures that are superficial, only affecting the outermost portions of the body.What Are Some Minor Surgeries?
Minor surgeries include:- Cataract surgery
- Dental restorations
- Circumcision
- Breast biopsy
- Arthroscopy
- Laparoscopy
- Burn excision and debridement procedures
Major Surgery vs Minor Surgery
| Major Surgery | Minor Surgery |
| More extensive resection is done | Small incisions are made |
| Cause damage to the tissues | No extensive damage to the tissues |
| A high risk of infection | The risk of infection is low |
| Extended recovery period | Recovery time is shorter |
Major Surgery and Minor Surgery: What Are the Differences
Surgical procedures are used to repair damage within the body or remove diseased tissues that are affecting a person's health and quality of life. Surgeries normally fall into two comprehensive types, major surgery, and minor surgery. What Is a Major Surgery? Major surgery normally involves...
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DEFINITIONS: MAJOR VS. MINOR SURGICAL PROCEDURES
Minor surgery is any invasive operative procedure in which only skin or mucus membranes and connective tissue is resected e.g. vascular cutdown for catheter placement, implanting pumps in subcutaneous tissue. Procedures in which the surgical field cannot be effectively disinfected, e.g. tooth extractions and gingival grafts, will generally be considered minor. This category also includes biopsy, an invasive operative procedure for procurement of tissue samples or body fluids using a needle or trocar.
Minor surgical procedures may be done in a laboratory setting using appropriate aseptic technique, including a clean work area, preparation and disinfection of the surgical site including clipping of the hair and surgical scrub of the skin, draping of the surgical site with sterile drapes, mask by the surgeon and any assistants working in the surgical field.
Major surgery is any invasive operative procedure in which a more extensive resection is performed, e.g. a body cavity is entered, organs are removed, or normal anatomy is altered. In general, if a mesenchymal barrier is opened (pleural cavity, peritoneum, meninges), the surgery is considered major. For surgical procedures that do not clearly fall in the above categories, the chance for significant inadvertent microbial contamination is to be a primary consideration. Generally, the classification of major will be applied only to procedures in which the animal is anticipated to survive longer than 24 hours. If the animal is to be terminated in less than 24 hours, techniques applicable to minor surgical procedures may be used. A procedure previously classified as minor will be changed to major if microbial contamination proves to be a significant problem. In general, the standards for major surgery apply only to non-rodent species. However, if microbial contamination proves to be a significant problem with procedures carried out in rodents, the standards for non-rodent species must be applied.
All major surgical procedures in non-rodent species must use appropriate surgical techniques and must be conducted in facilities intended for survival surgery and used only for that purpose. The facilities must be designed and managed to insure a level of sanitation appropriate for aseptic surgery. The operating room should contain only the equipment and supplies required to support the procedure being performed. A separate area, apart from the surgery room, must be provided for preparing the animal for surgery although the final surgical preparation, not to include clipping of hair, may be conducted in the surgery. An area equipped with surgical scrub sinks should be apart from the operating room. A surgical-support area should be provided for storing instruments and sterile supplies and for washing and sterilizing instruments.
The classification of major or minor for each proposed surgical procedure will be determined by the IACUC committee.
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Different Types of Surgery
Nowadays there are many surgery options available depending on an individual’s diagnosis. Unless it is an emergency surgery, the physician will usually discuss their recommended surgery plan with the patient in advance. Based on medical tests such as blood tests, MRIs, CT scans, X-rays or any other laboratory work available the physician will decide which surgery method they believe will have the best outcome for their patient. Below is more information on the different types of surgery:
• Optional or elective surgery – Elective surgeries are not usually necessary for the individual to stay in good health. They are non-emergency and planned in advance. A wide range of surgeries can be elective. Most cosmetic surgeries such as breast implants or nose jobs are elective. Women sometimes choose to have elective cesarean births. Other surgeries such as organ donation, scoliosis surgery, tonsillectomies and other minor surgeries can also be considered elective.
• Required surgery – Surgery which needs to be done in order to retain quality of life. As opposed to urgent or emergency surgery, required surgeries do not need to be performed immediately. Examples of required surgery are kidney stone or tumor removal.
• Urgent or emergency surgery – When a patient’s condition is life threatening, surgery is considered emergent. Emergency surgeries must be performed immediately, even when the patient is unconscious and cannot give consent. Examples include trauma and appendicitis. Life-threatening conditions can occur during labor and delivery which may require emergency surgery.
There two main classes of surgery
• Major – Major surgeries are usually extensive and warrant an overnight or extended stay in a hospital. These surgeries include extensive work such as entering a body cavity, removing an organ or altering the body’s anatomy. Patients undergoing major surgeries usually require anesthesia or respiratory assistance and sometimes even both. Examples of major surgery include cardiac operations, any bowel cavity operations, reconstructive surgery, deep tissue procedures, any transplant procedures, as well as any surgeries in the abdomen, chest or cranium.
• Minor – Minor surgeries are generally superficial and do not require penetration of a body cavity. They do not involve assisted breathing or anesthesia and are usually performed by a single doctor. Examples of minor surgeries include biopsies, repairs of cuts or small wounds, and the removal of warts, benign skin lesions, hemorrhoids or abscesses.
Inpatient vs Outpatient – In the past, most surgeries required at least one night’s stay in the hospital. Improved technology, less invasive surgery and advances in painkilling drugs have led to a large increase in outpatient surgeries. Additionally, with the rising costs of hospital stays, patients want to keep the costs to a minimum and leave the hospital as soon as it is advisable.
• Inpatient – For patients requiring a lengthy recovery or a serious procedure, inpatient surgery is usually necessary. The patients will stay overnight or longer and will have staff available around the clock to monitor their vitals and ensure proper treatment after surgery.
• Outpatient – Patients have the surgery in the morning and are released the same day. This can be both good and bad for the patient. It is cheaper and many patients are more comfortable at home but if there are any complications it will take longer to receive qualified treatment.
Different Types of Surgery
At OakBend Medical Center, through medical tests such as MRIs, CT scans, X-rays or other tests, the physician will decide which surgery is required.
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