General and Acute Care Surgery

The experienced general and acute care surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center use advanced techniques and technologies to treat patients suffering from all manner of illnesses and injuries, including burns.

Experts in Surgery for a Variety of Illnesses

Acute care surgery involves the surgical treatment of both traumatic and nontraumatic surgical emergencies. It also includes critical care for all types of surgical patients.

At UT Southwestern, our surgeons are ready to provide care 24 hours a day for the sickest of surgical patients, not only performing the necessary operation but also caring for the patient in the intensive care unit in the postoperative period.

Nontraumatic emergencies include conditions such as appendicitis, gallbladder problems, and intestinal obstruction. Sometimes, these conditions can also occur in nonemergent settings. Our surgeons also perform elective surgery on many of the same organs that can cause emergency problems.

Every day and at all hours, our skilled surgeons are ready to respond to traumatic emergencies resulting from falls, motor vehicle crashes, industrial accidents, and burns. We deal with a variety of injuries to the neck, chest, abdomen, and extremities. We also work closely with specialists in orthopedics and neurosurgery to coordinate the care of fractures or brain and spinal cord injuries.

Importantly, our doctors are active in research and education aimed at improving patient care, preventing and controlling injuries, and learning more about the biological underpinnings of inflammation and injury.

General Surgery

Our general surgeons perform operations that include:

• Hernia and abdominal wall repair
  
• Wound management procedures
  
• Gallbladder and biliary tree procedures

Acute Care Surgery

Internationally recognized for its pioneering contributions to burn and trauma care, UT Southwestern’s General and Acute Care Surgery program treats more than 5,000 trauma patients each year. 

Our acute care surgeons perform operations that include:

• Amputation
  
• Appendectomy
  
• Gallbladder repair/removal
  
• Intestinal repair/resection
  
• Management of chest trauma
  
• Management of abdominal trauma
  
• Management of extremity trauma
  
• Tracheostomy
  
• Feeding tube insertion (gastrostomy)
  
• Critical care 

The program also includes a dedicated Burn Service that serves as the regional burn center for North Texas. The Burn Service admits more than 600 pediatric and adult patients annually.