Tech in Surgery Prep / Unit 1 TSC 005 worked example, 60 to 90 seconds
Reading a Procedure's Name
The idea
A procedure's name usually tells you what is being done through its suffix, and that tells you what to prepare.
In practice
Step one: find the suffix. Ectomy means removal, so an appendectomy removes the appendix. Step two: otomy means cutting into, so a laparotomy opens the abdomen and a craniotomy opens the skull. Step three: ostomy means creating an opening, as in a colostomy, an opening from the colon to the outside of the abdomen. Step four: plasty means repair or reshaping, as in a rhinoplasty of the nose. Step five: scopy means looking inside, as in an endoscopy, and graphy means imaging or recording, as in angiography of blood vessels.
Where people slip
The suffix is a starting point, not the whole plan. The surgeon's plan and the preference card decide what is opened, so read both before you prepare anything.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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