What is the oldest known surgery?

The oldest known surgical procedure is trepanation (or trephination), drilling a hole in the skull, with evidence from ~6500 BCE in France showing patient survival, though a 2022 discovery pushes back major surgery to a limb amputation ~31,000 years ago in Borneo, making it the oldest evidence of a complex operation for survival, predating trepanation's widespread discovery by millennia.

What is the oldest surgery ever recorded?

The oldest known surgical amputation was carried out in Borneo about 31,000 years ago.

What was the first surgery ever performed?

The first evidence of a surgical procedure is that of trephining, or cutting a small hole in the head. This procedure was practiced as early as 3000 BC and continued through the Middle Ages and even into the Renaissance.

What is the oldest surgical procedure?

A Neolithic trepanned skull at a museum in Braunschweig, Germany. Trepanning, also called trephination, is the oldest known surgical procedure.

What surgery is called the mother of all surgeries?

The surgery nicknamed the "Mother of All Surgeries" (MOAS) is Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) combined with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC), a complex, multi-hour procedure for cancers spreading in the abdominal cavity (like appendix or colorectal cancer) that involves extensive removal of cancerous tissue and bathing the abdomen with heated chemotherapy. It's called this due to its extreme physical demands, long duration, large incisions, and the need to remove all visible disease, making it like several major surgeries in one.
 

The History of Surgery: A Bloody (And Painful) Timeline

What are the top 3 most painful surgeries?

The top three most painful surgery types, according to medical experts, generally involve orthopedic procedures (like spinal fusions), major abdominal surgeries (like open cholecystectomies or bowel resections), and sometimes neurological operations, due to significant tissue trauma, nerve involvement, and lengthy, intensive recovery processes, with pain levels varying by individual.
 

What are the top 3 riskiest surgeries?

The three riskiest surgeries often involve the most delicate organs and complex procedures, commonly including brain surgery, open-heart (cardiac) surgery, and major organ transplants, due to high precision requirements and severe potential complications like hemorrhage, permanent neurological damage, or organ rejection. Other highly risky procedures frequently cited are aortic aneurysm repair, spinal surgery, and complex cancer surgeries, depending on the specific case. 

What is the hardest surgery ever?

The hardest surgeries include heart and aorta operations, like open aortic surgery and heart transplants. Neurosurgery, such as clipping aneurysms and awake craniotomies, is also very challenging. Abdominal surgeries, like the Whipple procedure and liver transplants, are also among the most difficult.

What surgery had a 300% mortality rate?

Robert Liston's most notorious surgery yielded 300% mortality. The patient, the surgical assistant, and a family member bystander, each of whom felt the blade of Dr. Liston's slashing amputation knife, died of gangrene in the days following.

How did people survive surgery before anesthesia?

Before anesthesia, a careful selection of patients who would likely tolerate a surgical procedure, keeping a patient conscious, and the surgeon's speed were what made surgery relatively successful for that time in history.

What has been the longest surgery ever?

The Longest Surgery in History: Marathon Heart Procedures.

Which is the oldest work in surgery?

Sushruta's monumental thesis, the Sushruta Samhita, stands as the oldest known surgical text, providing a comprehensive exploration of medical practices during his time.

What was the first top surgery?

German model Benjamin Melzer (left) has called top surgery the "most important surgery for all trans men". In 1942, British physician and author Michael Dillon underwent a chest masculinizing mastectomy as part of his transition to male. This would be among the first of Dillon's 13 gender-affirming surgeries.

What surgery took 103 hours?

The 2001 separation of Ganga and Jamuna Shrestha remains a defining moment in surgical history—103 hours of precision, endurance, and innovation that pushed the limits of what medicine could achieve.

How old was the youngest surgeon?

The youngest person to perform surgery is widely recognized as Akrit Jaswal from India, who was 7 years old when he successfully operated on an 8-year-old burn victim in 2000, freeing her fused fingers, a feat that stunned the medical world and brought him international fame, including an appearance on Oprah. While he wasn't a fully qualified surgeon with a degree, he demonstrated advanced surgical skill at a remarkably young age, leading to his title as the "world's youngest surgeon".
 

What is considered the worst surgery to have?

Spinal surgery, knee replacement, and other major orthopedic procedures are often cited as the "worst" surgeries to recover from due to severe pain and lengthy rehab. Recovering from major surgeries can be very tough and painful. At Liv Hospital, we know how hard these procedures can be on patients.

What is the shortest surgery ever?

Liston's most famous case

Amputated the leg in under 2 1⁄2 minutes (the patient died afterwards in the ward from hospital gangrene; they usually did in those pre-Listerian days). He amputated in addition the fingers of his young assistant (who died afterwards in the ward from hospital gangrene).

How many surgeries does the average person get in their lifetime?

The average American has 5.97 OR and 3.20 non-OR procedures in an 85-year lifetime.

What is the most failed surgery?

Disc surgeries of the spine have a failure rate greater than 50%. 10% of patients experience a worsening of symptoms after surgical intervention.

What's the longest someone has been under anesthesia?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, James Boydston was anesthetized for nearly 48 hours (47 hours and 30 minutes) in 1979 at the age of 26 for a series of intricate surgeries to repair multiple aneurysms. An incredible feat of medical care and monitoring!

What is the riskiest surgery in the world?

1. Craniectomy. One of the riskiest, if not the riskiest medical operation an individual can experience is a craniectomy, according to URMC.

What is level 5 surgery?

Level 5 surgery involves highly complex and risky procedures. Examples include cardiothoracic surgeries and major organ transplants. Understanding surgical complexity is vital for risk assessment. Level 5 surgeries require highly skilled medical professionals.

What age is high risk for surgery?

For patients age 65 and older, the designation of an operation as high risk may present an opportunity for the patient to pause and consider the value of surgery, alternative treatments or prepare for the real potential of an unwanted outcome.