General surgery, despite the name, is actually a surgical specialty. General surgeons not only perform surgeries for a wide range of common ailments, but are also responsible for patient care before, during, and after surgery. All surgeons must start their training in general surgery; many then go on to focus on another specialty.

 

What is included in General Surgery?

General surgeons are trained to operate on the:

• Alimentary tract (oesophagus and related organs)

• Abdomen and its contents

• Breast, skin, and soft tissue

• Endocrine system

In addition, general surgeons are expected to have knowledge and experience in:

• Surgical critical care

• Surgical oncology

• Trauma

Despite the term "general", surgeons that practice general surgery are highly skilled surgeons that typically operate on common abdominal complaints including appendicitis, hernias, gallbladder surgeries, stomach, and intestinal issues, colon, rectum and anus includes fissures, fistula, abscess, haemorrhoids. This focus on the abdomen is not absolute, as a general surgeon, I also specialize in a surgery, such as treating burns, ulcers that requires the surgeon to be able to perform procedures on multiple areas of the body; and enjoy the variety that makes up the day of a true general surgeon and practice a wide assortment of minimally invasive endoscopic procedures using modern equipment like laparoscopy, robotic surgery and LASER to reduce the scar size, post operative pain and duration of hospital stay whenever and wherever applicable by additional training acquired as a Fellowship in Minimal Access Surgery.

 

Certified general surgeons additionally must possess knowledge of the unique clinical needs of the following specific patient groups:

• Terminally ill patients, to include palliative care and pain management; nutritional deficiency; cachexia in patients with malignant and chronic conditions; and counseling and support for end-of-life decisions and care.

• Morbidly obese patients, to include metabolic derangements; surgical and non-surgical interventions for weight loss (bariatrics); and counseling of patient and families.

• Geriatric surgical patients, to include management of comorbid chronic diseases.

• Culturally diverse and vulnerable patient populations

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