Dramatic innovations in modern surgical subspecialties

Examples of recent innovations critical to the evolution of general surgical subspecialties include reduced blood loss and improved training in HPB surgery, TME resection and neoadjuvant therapies in colorectal surgery, the use of prosthetic mesh in outpatient hernia surgery, SLN theory and biopsy techniques in surgical oncology, endovascular skills in vascular and cardiovascular surgery and the acceptance of abnormal anatomy through damage-control procedures in trauma and critical care. The common denominator among all subspecialties, however, is the resultant improvement in patient care. This has most often been manifested as a decrease in morbidity and mortality.