Advanced Surgical Procedures

Baptist Health Richmond: Advanced Surgical Procedures

General surgeon KRISTIN MOORE, MD explains how minimally invasive surgeries require smaller incisions, result in less pain, and allow patients to return to their daily activities faster.

Advanced Surgical Procedures Health Talks Transcript

Kristin Moore, MD

Open surgery is what is often to referred to as the traditional method or the older way to do surgery. All that means is that the incision is larger, and the body cavity in which you’re working is generally completely open and exposed. Laparoscopic surgery focuses on using very small incisions and very small instruments, and is guided by a camera that is typically placed within the body cavity by making a small incision. There is less overall recovery time in a lot of cases. People have less pain after the operation, requiring less time in the hospital and are able to return to work, day-to-day activities and exercise in a much quicker fashion than with a large incision or more traditional open surgery. General surgery covers a lot of areas of the body. The most common things that I deal with in my practice are things like gallbladder removal, appendectomy, which is removal of the appendix, hernia surgery, intestinal surgery, which can be for both cancerous and non-cancerous conditions, as well as surgery of the breast, and other parts of the skin and soft tissue. If I could tell patients coming in for general surgery one thing about Baptist [Health] Richmond, it would be that they should rest assured that they will receive the highest quality care in our facility. Our goal is to serve the community in which we all live and work so that our patients can get excellent care in a great facility right here at home.