operating theaters
Where surgeons work
Operating theaters are rooms in hospitals designed for surgical procedures.
The term is primarily British; Americans say operating rooms.
The theatrical metaphor reflects historical practice—early surgeries were performed before audiences of medical students in amphitheater-style spaces with tiered seating.
The patient was wheeled into the operating theater for the procedure.
- scalpelPrecise surgical knife
- laparotomyAbdominal cavity access cut
- surgeonPhysician who operates
- forcepsMedical grasping instrument
- arthroscopyMinimally invasive joint procedure
open heart surgery · anesthesiologist · general anesthesia · retractors · HEPA filters · face masks · surgical gloves · scrub nurse · handwashing stations · organ transplantation · vital signs · surgical lights · attending physician · scrubbing in · surgical team · minimally invasive surgery · sutures · radiologist
- medical school spacesmedical schools, lecture halls, anatomy labs, medical libraries, pathology labs
operating theaterswaiting rooms
Spaces for those expecting appointments
outpatient clinics · reception areas · consulting rooms · patient wards · recovery rooms
operating theatersmorgues
Corpse storage facilities
mortuaries · funeral parlors · funeral homes · intensive care units
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