The Life Plus Hospital

Nature of the work

General surgery encompasses a broad range of surgery which includes:

• surgical conditions of the gastrointestinal tract from the oesophagus to the anus
• breast conditions
• kidney, pancreas and liver transplantation
• trauma to the abdomen and thorax
• certain skin conditions
• initial assessment of patients with peripheral vascular disease
• general surgery of childhood
• elective surgery is also an important part of the work

General surgery is one of the two largest surgical specialities in the UK (the other being trauma and orthopaedics) employing 31% of the country’s consultant surgeons. This is a wide-ranging surgical speciality with many sub-specialities.

General surgeons usually have their own subspecialty and also perform more general work.  Acute abdominal pain is the most common emergency presentation requiring surgery since the abdomen has various organs which may be causing the pain. Common conditions requiring surgery include appendicitis, hernias and gallstones.

“The atmosphere in the operating theatre is great and you get to know your colleagues really well”. Bynvant Sandhu, higher specialty trainee, General surgery.

Common procedures/interventions

Laparoscopic or minimally invasive surgery (also known as “keyhole surgery”) is now widely used within general surgery. These techniques are also popular with patients as there is less scarring, a shorter recovery time and improved outcomes. Most abdominal operations including bowel tumour removal and hernia repair can now be carried out laparoscopically.  Some general surgeons choose to specialise in laparoscopic surgery.

Sub-specialities

Sub-specialities within general surgery include:

• breast surgery – assessment of breast symptoms, breast cancer surgery and breast reconstructive surgery where a plastic surgeon is not needed
• lower gastrointestinal surgery – for the diseases of the colon, rectum and anal canal, and particularly cancer of the bowel
• endocrine surgery – for thyroid and other endocrine glands
• upper gastrointestinal – this includes the oesophagus, stomach, liver and pancreas and also incorporates weight-loss surgery
• transplant surgery – renal (kidney), hepatic (liver) and pancreatic transplantations

Specialist training is also provided for advanced trauma surgery (for military surgery and trauma centres) and for remote and rural surgery.

Where do they work

General surgeons have an important role to play in A&E departments where emergency surgery is needed. In rural and remote areas general surgeons are in demand for their wide range of skills.

General surgeons also perform trauma surgery following accidents, although this has decreased because of improved car safety. This work requires close collaboration with other specialist colleagues and a holistic approach to treatment.

A small number of general surgeons are highly specialised and they only perform complex surgery within their own subspecialty, such as organ transplant surgery.

Within the Armed Forces, military surgeons are general surgeons, where their work has an emphasis on trauma and emergency surgery.  General surgeons also carry out many simple childhood operations.

Specialist training is also provided for advanced trauma surgery (for military surgery and trauma centres) and for remote and rural surgery.