surgical intervention
Cutting to heal
Surgical intervention is a medical procedure involving incision, manipulation, or removal of tissue to diagnose or treat a condition.
The term emphasizes the deliberateness of the action—intervention implies stepping in to change an outcome.
Doctors may recommend surgical intervention when medications or other treatments prove inadequate: The tumor required immediate surgical intervention.
- neurosurgeryMedical field treating brain surgically
- appendectomySurgery removing vestigial organ
- scalpelPrecise surgical knife
- laparotomyAbdominal cavity access cut
- mastectomySurgical breast removal
forceps · sutures · antibiotics · incision · debridement · hemostasis · sterile field · wound dressing · retractors · arthroscopy · surgical team · stitches · blade · cutting · operation · gown · invasive · healing
surgical interventionconservative treatment
Non-surgical medical management
medication · pharmacotherapy · medical management · drug therapy · non-invasive treatment
surgical interventionwatchful waiting
Monitoring before acting
non-intervention · observation · do nothing · monitoring · letting nature take its course
surgical interventionpalliative care
Relief-focused medicine for illness
comfort care · hospice care · supportive care · end-of-life care