| Health Glossary |
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Surgical Specialties |
The CMMC Surgical Services Department is an expansive, high-tech
service hub for dozens of area surgeons.
CMMC's Surgical Services Department has seven surgical suites
that are used for general, gynecologic, neurosurgical, orthopedic, otolaryngologic, plastic, thoracic, trauma, and urologic procedures. A cysto room accommodates urologic procedures.
In 1993 CMMC's surgical services facility was dedicated as
the Andre P. Marcotte, M.D., Surgical Suites in memory of
the late Dr. Marcotte, an orthopedic surgeon who practiced
at CMMC for some 25 years.
The extraordinary advances in medicine over the past few
decades are nowhere more evident than in the operating room.
Consider, for example, the evolution of surgery at Central
Maine Medical Center. When the original Central Maine General
Hospital opened in a wood-framed house more than 110 years
ago, surgery was done in the attic. Today the CMMC Surgical
Services Department is an expansive, high-tech service hub
for dozens of area surgeons.
CMMC's Surgical Services Department presently has seven surgical
suites and a cysto room. The suites are used for general, gynecologic, neurosurgical, oral/maxillofacial, orthopedic, plastic, thoracic, trauma, and urologic procedures. The cysto room was developed for urologic procedures
and contains special x-ray equipment.
CMMC's surgical services facility was dedicated in 1993 as
the Andre P. Marcotte, M.D., Surgical Suites in memory of
the late Dr. Marcotte, an orthopedic surgeon who practiced
at CMMC for some 25 years. Dr. Marcotte established a $500,000
charitable remainder trust for the benefit of CMMC.
The CMMC surgical suites are located in a restricted area.
Each suite is located next to a substerile room where instruments
and equipment can be sterilized. Many procedures done in CMMC's
surgical suites require specialized equipment, including microscopes,
lasers, fiberoptic scopes, video equipment, cautery units,
irrigation systems, tourniquets, and specialized beds. These
items are managed by the Central
Services Department, an essential component of any surgical
facilty.
Better tools for diagnosis, advances in anesthesia and surgical techniques, and improved post-operative
care have all advanced the art and science of surgery,
minimizing physical intrusion on the patient and reducing
recovery time, discomfort, scarring, and cost.
In particular, flexible fiberoptic endoscopes – minimally-invasive
surgical technology that illuminates, magnifies, and carries
miniaturized surgical instruments into the body -- have revolutionized
surgery. Procedures that once involved an extended inpatient
stay are now often performed in Same-Day
Surgery, with the patient ready to go home just hours
later.
Most surgeons specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of
problems within certain organ systems or areas of the body,
and provide comprehensive care within their scope of practice.
Rather than operate, orthopedic surgeons, for example, may
prescribe exercise, medication, or physical therapy to treat
a joint or muscle problem. Ophthalmologists perform delicate surgery, but also prescribe glasses and treat
eye problems with medications and other non-surgical approaches.
Surgeons work with primary care physicians and other medical
specialists to improve health and well-being for the patient.
Patients who undergo surgery at CMMC are in skilled hands.
What draws these talented surgeons to the area is CMMC itself:
a Medical Center with a fine operating facility staffed by
skilled nurses and technologists,
an outstanding intensive care unit, top-rate radiology and
laboratory support, and a broad range of primary and specialty
care physicians.
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