AMC Surgical Services
Augusta Medical Center's Surgical Unit provides a broad scope of perioperative care spanning preadmission assessment through the post-operative discharge. The surgical services department is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure every patient receives care within the appropriate time. In addition to providing the traditional inpatient surgeries, AMC also provides outpatient, outpatient extended, and early morning admission options.
A comprehensive health team consisting of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, patient care technicians, and patient care assistants. These professionals are trained to provide specialized care to the surgical patient.
| Surgical Specialties | ||
|---|---|---|
| General Surgery | Plastic Surgery | Ear, Nose, and Throat |
| Vascular Surgery | Obstetrics and Gynecology | Urology |
| Orthopedics | Ophthamology | Pain Management |
General surgery is the surgical specialty concerned with the treatment of diseases of multiple organ systems. A general surgeon is a specialist prepared to manage a broad spectrum of surgical conditions affecting almost any area of the body. The surgeon establishes the diagnosis and provides the preoperative, operative, and postoperative care to surgical patients and is usually responsible for the comprehensive management of the trauma victim and the critically ill. During at least a five-year educational period after obtaining a medical degree, the surgeon has acquired knowledge and technical skills in congenital, infectious, metabolic and neoplastic problems relating to the head and neck, breast, abdomen, extremities, and the gastrointestinal, vascular, and endocrine systems. The surgeon uses a variety of structures, and may use specialized instruments during operative procedures. A general surgeon is expected to be familiar with the salient features of other surgical specialties in order to recognize problems in those areas and to know when to refer a patient to another specialist.
Commonly Treated Diseases
- Inflammation and stones of the gallbladder
- Appendicitis
- Tumors of the intestines/colon and breast
- Hemorrhoids
- Inguinal hernia
- Abdominal trauma
Common Procedures
- Laparotomy
- Colonoscopy
- Laparoscopic procedures
- Hernia repair
- Hemorrhoidectomy
- Breast lumpectomy
- Mastectomy
Laparoscopy is any procedure that uses a laparoscope. A laparoscope is a thin tube attached to a light source and camera. The goal of using a laparoscope is to find the cause of a problem and repair or remove it with minimal incisions. This results in a less invasive procedure leading to a shorter recovery period.
Augusta Medical Center is proud to offer a variety of plastic and cosmetic services to our patients. Although plastic surgery is a relatively new field at AMC, the specialty continues to grow on a daily basis. Listed below are a few of the most common procedures.
- Browlifts (endoscopic and conventional)
- Facelifts
- Laser resurfacing
- Blepharoplasty
- Chemical peels
- Dermabrasions
- Breast Reconstruction
- Breast augmentation and reduction
- Mastopexy
- Abdominoplasty ("Tummy Tuck")
- Liposuction
Augusta Medical Center has offered ENT services for many years. However, with the addition of several new surgeons the specialty is dramatically growing. Listed below are some of the more common and uncommon procedures.
ENT Procedures
- Myringotomy and Tubing
- Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
- Dental extraction and restorations
- Nasal septoplasty
- Rhinoplasty
- Tympanoplasty
- Tympanomastoidectomy
- TMJ arthotomy
- Facial fracture repairs
Vascular surgery encompasses the assessment, diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of all arterial and venous problems, excluding coronary or intracranial problems.
Vascular Procedures
- Dialysis catheters
- Dialysis shunts
- Dialysis arteriovenous fistulas
- Peripheral vascular bypass grafting
- Thrombolytic therapy
- Angioplasty ballooning
- Angioplasty stenting
- Carotid endarterectomy
- Vena cava filter (Greenfield)
- Embolectomy/Thrombectomy
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Pacemaker insertion
Endovascular AAA repair offers a less invasive alternative to viable candidates. This procedure will result in less pain, smaller scars, and a decreased length of hospital stay. The endovascular procedure differs from the traditional AAA repair in that two smaller groin incisions are made instead of a larger abdominal incision. This allows the vascular surgeon to place a graft with minimal incisions.
Obstetricians-Gynecologists are physicians who possess special knowledge, skills and professional capability in the medical and surgical care of the female reproductive system and associated disorders. This distinguishes them from other physicians and enables them to serve as consultants and primary physicians for women.
Common Procedures
- Hysterectomy
- Cesarian section
- Colposcopy
- Exploratory laparotomy
- Laparoscopy
- Bladder suspension
- Gynecological repair
The Urology Department at Augusta Medical Center places a strong emphasis on quality patient care. With the use of the latest technology and equipment the five-urology surgeons provide a wide variety of procedures.
- Pediatric Circumcision
- Hypospadius repair
- Cystoscopy
- Cystogram
- Hydrocelectomy
- Meatotomy
- Orchiopexy
- Reimplantation of ureter
- Adult Circumcision
- Brachytherapy
- Collagen implants
- Cystoscopy
- Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL)
- Holmium Laser Lithotripsy
- Hydrocelectomy
- Pubovaginal fascial sling
- Ureteroscopic calculi management
- Nephrectomy
- Prostatectomy
- Uretero/nephro Lithotomy
- Bladder tumors
The HCIA/Sachs Company has recently named Augusta Medical Center a Top 100 Orthopedic Hospital. This award recognizes the tremendous skill of the Orthopedic surgeons as well as their support personnel. AMC offers a comprehensive scope of services that incorporate the latest techniques and technology. Listed below are some procedures and brief descriptions.
Arthroscopic Surgery
- Repair of meniscal tears
- Repair of ACL tears
- Thermal shrinkage of ACL and Capsule of shoulder
- Cartilage repair of femoral condylar injuries
- Acrominoplasty
- Osteo-condral Autograph Transfer System (O.A.T.S.)
Joint Replacement
AMC offers joint replacement services.
Routine Procedures
- Laminectomy
- Diskectomy
- Spinal fusions
- Carpal tunnel release
- Ganglion cysts
- Trigger fingers
- Fractures of all extremities
Spinal Cages or BAK Interbody Fusion System
This is an innovative procedure being performed by two surgeons at AMC as an alternative to traditional fusion methods. Compared to other methods, the BAK procedure uses small pieces of bone taken from the hip to insert around the implant so bone is allowed to grow together through the implant. Clinical outcomes have proven to reduce complication rate, postoperative pain, length of hospital stay and amount of blood loss.
General Ophthamology
- Blepharplasty
- Cataract surgery
- Corneal laceration repair/li>
- Entropian/Ectropian repair
- Esotropia repair (muscle recession/resection)
- Gunderson flap
- Intraocular lens, Secondary lens
- Keratoplasty
- Eyelid laceration repair
- Lacrimal duct probing
- YAG laser
- Lens repositioning
- Pterygium removal w/ graft
- Trabeculectomy
- Vitrectomy
- Corneal transplants
Refractive Surgery
- PRK - Photorefractive keraectomy is a type of laser surgery used to correct vision in both nearsighted and farsighted people. An excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea in order to better focus light thus improving vision.
- LASIK - Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis is the most common refractive surgery performed due to its relative lack of pain and almost immediate vision correction. The LASIK procedure is very similar to that of PRK only with a few benefits. The primary benefit is that LASIK treats the inner tissue of the cornea as opposed to the surface in PRK. This results in a shorter recovery time and less complications. An additional benefit is that it can be used to treat higher amounts of refractive errors.
Routine Procedures
- Denervations - After back surgery some patients continue to have pain with no indication for further procedures. Denervation is used to alleviate this pain after other conservative measures have failed.
- Implantable drug infusion pumps
- Implantable neurostimulation systems - Spinal cord stimulation is efficacious in the treatment of patients indicating chronic intractable back pain. This stimulation is intended to inhibit or block the transmission of pain signals to the brain. Implantation involves a simple surgical procedure performed in the operating room. The patient can be tested for response prior to the implantation of the permanent system in order to maximize effectiveness.
- Selective nerve root blocks - Spinal nerve root blocks are similar to denervations but without the use of electrical current. Instead, steroids or local anesthetics are injected directly into the target site to control inflamed and painful tissue.