Chirurgia

Chirurgia is the branch of medicine that uses operative methods to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease, injury, or deformity. The term derives from Latin chirurgia, from Greek kheirourgia meaning "hand work".

Historically, surgery traces its roots to ancient civilizations and advanced with the development of sterile technique, anesthesia, and suturing. The modern era began with antisepsis in the 19th century, followed by imaging, blood transfusion, and standardized perioperative care.

In contemporary practice, surgical care includes open operations, minimally invasive approaches such as laparoscopy and endoscopy, and robot-assisted techniques. Anesthesia, perioperative medicine, and postoperative recovery protocols are essential to patient safety and outcomes.

Subspecialties encompass general, cardiovascular, vascular, orthopedic, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic, thoracic, plastic and reconstructive, ENT, urology, pediatric, transplant, and trauma surgery. Procedures range from diagnostic biopsies and curative resections to palliative operations and organ transplantation.

Training is conducted through medical school, residency, and fellowship programs, with board certification in many cases. Ethical practice emphasizes informed consent, patient safety, and equitable access to care. Common risks include infection, bleeding, anesthesia-related complications, and unintended organ injury.

Globally, access to safe surgery remains uneven, spurring initiatives in global surgery to improve capacity, affordability, and quality, including workforce training, infrastructure development, and standardized outcome measurement.