Surgery Flashcards
(34 cards)
What were early methods of anaesthesia before medical advances?
Opium; alcohol; or being knocked out.
What anaesthetic did Liston use in 1847?
Ether.
What were the disadvantages of Ether?
Unstable gas; irritated lungs (coughing/vomiting); long unconsciousness.
Who discovered Chloroform in 1847?
James Simpson.
What were the disadvantages of Chloroform?
Religious opposition; unknown dosage; death of Hannah Greener.
Who invented the Chloroform Inhaler and when?
John Snow in 1848.
When did Queen Victoria use Chloroform
1853
She made it widely accepted
Why was this era referred to as the ‘Black Period of Surgery’?
Longer/deeper surgeries increased blood loss and infection; more deaths.
What antiseptic did Joseph Lister experiment with?
Carbolic Acid.
What was the impact of Lister’s work (1867–70)?
Death rate dropped from 45.7% to 15%.
What were the problems with antiseptics?
Slowed procedures; cracked skin (carbolic acid)
still high infection rate due to dirty theatres; germ theory not accepted.
What did Robert Koch discover in 1878?
Septicemia.
What sterilisation method did Koch create?
Steam steriliser.
When were rubber gloves and masks first used?
1894
What issue remained despite aseptic techniques?
Complex surgeries had higher blood loss risk.
What did Lister use in 1881 to reduce blood loss?
Catgut ligatures.
What discovery did Landsteiner discover in 1901?
Blood groups.
Why was Landsteiner’s discovery significant?
Enabled successful blood transfusions.
What was introduced in 1910 to help with transfusions?
Anticoagulants.
What were early transfusion limitations?
Donor had to be present; blood clotted in tubes.
Who discovered X-rays and when?
Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895.
What were X-rays used for?
Detecting shrapnel
When were X-ray machines installed in hospitals?
1896
