Intraoperative

Intraoperative refers to actions or events occurring during a surgical procedure. The term is used across medical specialties to denote interventions, assessments, or measurements taken while surgery is underway. It is contrasted with preoperative and postoperative phases.

The intraoperative period encompasses anesthesia management, patient positioning, surgical exposure, hemostasis, and tissue handling. Real-time assessment and decision-making guide changes in technique, use of adjuncts, or conversion to an alternative procedure when necessary.

Common intraoperative practices include imaging and monitoring services such as fluoroscopy, ultrasonography, or magnetic resonance imaging in select settings; intraoperative nerve monitoring to reduce injury; and intraoperative pathology, including frozen sections, to provide immediate diagnostic feedback.

The goal of intraoperative care is to maximize safety and optimize outcomes by maintaining stable physiology, minimizing tissue damage, and enabling precise surgical execution. Teams must be prepared for unexpected findings, potential complications, and rapid adjustment of the surgical plan.

Documentation and quality assurance are integral, including recording events, blood loss, implants, and pathology results; ongoing research in intraoperative imaging and monitoring seeks to improve real-time guidance.