The science of surgical care has advanced further in the last 50 years than it has in all preceding years combined. Complicated procedures such as natural and artificial organ transplants, xenotransplants (organs transplanted from non-human animals), neurosurgery (brain surgery), coronary artery bypass surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and "laser" surgery were rare, if not completely unknown 50 years ago, but these procedures are becoming more commonplace today. As with many aspects of our lives, computers have also extended the practice of medicine into previously unknown territory. Indeed, through the use of the Internet, "telemedicine" has become not just a possibility but a probability: soon, surgeons will be able to operate on patients remotely via live "webcasts."

Perhaps the most pervasive technological advance today in medicine is laparoscopic surgery. First introduced in the early 1970s, laparoscopic surgery is a technique whereby a surgeon makes four tiny "pinhole" incisions in a patient's body and then inserts a miniature camera, light, and the required surgical instruments for performing the procedure. Today's advanced digital technology allows magnification of the laparoscopic surgery site up to 20 times its actual size, thereby permitting surgeons to see anatomical structures in exquisite detail. Furthermore, new three-dimensional imaging technology allows the surgeon to view internal organs stereoscopically rather than in two dimensions only, as would be required if viewed on a regular monitor. Intraoperative ultrasound allows "real time" scans of the surgery site as the operation proceeds, providing additional valuable information. Because laparoscopic surgery is minimally invasive, patients recover much more quickly.

Laser surgery is also growing in popularity and application. As its name suggests, surgeons utilize a laser to perform various procedures, including during laparoscopic procedures. For example, lasers currently are used to excise cancerous tissue from the larynx, reshape the cornea of an eye to allow a patient to see better, and even to "resurface" the skin of a patient's face by burning off old layers skin so that new skin can grow. The growing popularity of lasers as surgical devices is due mainly to their ability to precisely destroy unwanted or abnormal tissue without bleeding.

Surgeons have developed a technique known as angioplasty to combat the onset of cardiovascular disease. Using a technique similar to laparoscopy, a surgeon inserts a thin tube into the patient, working it up the artery to where the blockage resides. At the end of the tube is a small, balloon-like device that inflates, pressing the plaque against the arterial walls so that blood flow through the artery can be increased. Surgeons have also developed another, more popular, procedure for dealing with coronary artery disease: the coronary bypass graft operation. By taking a portion of an artery from elsewhere in the patient's body-usually the internal mammary artery from inside the chest cavity—the new artery is grafted around the blockage of the old artery to allow blood to flow around the blockage via the new arterial route. Despite the fact that this procedure requires open-heart surgery, it is performed more than 300,000 times per year in the United States alone.

As medical technology improves, life expectancies will continue to grow. Ironically, though modern medical technology has allowed many people to enjoy healthier and longer lives. Undoubtedly, as surgical techniques advance, more people will have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of long and healthy lives. Though this is a noble endeavor, the impact that modern medical technology has had on society nevertheless can manifest itself in unusual, and sometimes undesired, ways.

researchers up to date by publishing clinical & evidence based research.

Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia addresses all aspects of surgery & anesthesia practice, including anesthetic administration, pharmacokinetics, preoperative and postoperative considerations, coexisting disease and other complicating factors, General Surgery, Robotic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, GI Surgery, Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Urology, Surgical Oncology, Radiology, Ophthalmology, Pediatric Surgery, Trauma Services, Minimal Access Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Techniques and Procedures. Submit manuscripts at https://www.longdom.org/submissions/surgery-anesthesia.html

Media contact

Kate Williams

Editorial Assistant

Journal of Surgery and Anesthesia.

Email: surgery@emedicalsci.com