he last 25 years have witnessed a transformation in how surgery is performed and patients heal. Infection rates have dropped. Surgeries are now less invasive thanks to smaller incisions, surgeons using natural openings in the body, and a rise in the use of robots. Safety Standards The rate of surgical site infections is now down to only five percent, according to the Joint Commission, a group that certifies health care organizations. According to the American College of Surgeons, the rate of infections has been reduced over the last few years. This is in thanks to new and higher standards in care, including the use of chlorhexidine for preoperative bathing of the surgical site, and decreasing traffic in and out of the operating room. The Joint Commission developed an official implementation guide for hospitals regarding effective practices. As a result, the infection rate and number of complications in hospitals have dropped. Smaller Incisions Laparoscopic surgery is another successful technique. This minimally invasive method is less painful, and includes a faster recovery speed and less scarring. Instead of making a large incision as surgeons would have done in the past, now a surgeon makes several small incisions and inflates the site. They then use a special camera called a laparoscope to capture images of the patient’s insides. Surgeries that used to require weeks of recovery now involve only a few days before the patient can return to their usual activities. Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery is similar to laparoscopic surgery, but it doesn’t require any incisions. Surgeons perform procedures through natural openings in the body including the mouth, rectum, and urethra. These procedures are still in experimental stages at many research hospitals, but this type of surgery represents the next major development in non-invasive surgeries. Patients recover more quickly, and have no scarring because the procedure does not involve cutting through layers of skin, muscle, and nerves. Continue reading at http://drchristianhirsch.com/significant-movements-in-modern-surgery/