heroic surgery

An aggressive procedure—e.g., radical mastectomy for cancer—in which wide resection margins are obtained, as the tumour has spread beyond a resectable size. Heroic surgery is performed to alleviate pain or improve the quality of life in terminally ill patients, but is not generally regarded as curative

heroic surgery

Surgical oncology An aggressive procedure–eg, radical mastectomy for malignancy, in which wide resection margins are obtained, as the tumor has spread beyond a resectable size; HS is performed to alleviate pain or improve the quality of life in terminally ill Pts. See All-American operation, Commando operation, Forequarter amputation. Cf Heroic therapy.

References in periodicals archive ?

Yes, they may have cancer but it's a very slow growing type and doesn't need heroic surgery. Over the past few years, studies have identified these potential harms of breast screening.

Are we too quick to treat breast cancer?

But the heroic surgery performed on Barbaro raises them very sharply.

Horse Racing: INTERNATIONAL ZONE - Rejoice for Barbaro - but rescue shouldn't always be the automatic answer; GLOBAL VILLAGE Paul Haigh looks at the ethical questions arising from Barbaro's treatment

In other words pain inflicted early, should hurt less than heroic surgery later.

City View: A whiff of panic buying may herald debts ahead

The Ethics and Economics of Heroic Surgery, Peter Ratiu and Peter Singer, Mar-Apr, 47-48

Hastings center report: volume 31, 2001. (index)

"Most kids with a unilateral malformation do great, and although surgery may improve appearance and function, there is rarely an indication for heroic surgery" she said.

Upper-Limb Deficiencies Generally Aren't a Problem

A BUDGIES are prone to tumours and are very poor candidates for heroic surgery. If it isn't troubling him, it's best left alone.

How can I prevent my two lovebirds turning to hate?; Q&A

Initially this may manifest itself only under circumstances of extreme stress and be reflected in an increased likelihood of death following major events such as severe trauma, overwhelming sepsis or heroic surgery. As adaptability fails even more with progressive ageing, minor events -- such as less severe injury, relatively trivial infections or injudicious use of drugs -- may precipitate catastrophic functional failure.

Frailty and aging

To the editor: Peter Ratiu and Peter Singer's article ("The Ethics and Economics of Heroic Surgery," HCR, March-April 2001) raises many intriguing topics.