preoperative

adjective

pre·​op·​er·​a·​tive (ˌ)prē-ˈä-p(ə-)rə-tiv How to pronounce preoperative (audio)
-pə-ˌrā-
1
: occurring before a surgical operation
preoperative care
2
: having not yet undergone a surgical operation
preoperatively adverb

Examples of preoperative in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As part of the VAD process, healthcare providers encourage caregivers to participate in preoperative and postoperative education. Christopher Lee, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 2024 Real-Time Guidance Machine learning algorithms analyze vast amounts of preoperative and intraoperative data to assist in surgical planning and execution. Joseph Nathan, Forbes, 3 Sep. 2024 It was discovered during preoperative testing for a planned procedure. Taayoo Murray, Essence, 11 May 2024 People who had acupuncture before gallbladder surgery or hernia repair had less preoperative anxiety than those who took the anti-anxiety medication Midazolam, a type of benzodiazepine.5 In general, acupuncture has other benefits. Stephanie Booth, Health, 1 Dec. 2023 This confluence of expertise forms a cohesive network that provides unwavering support from the preoperative stage through to postoperative care. Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 20 June 2023 The 57,000-square-foot clinic at the CARTI campus in west Little Rock comes with eight private rooms, 12 recovery rooms, 14 preoperative and postoperative rooms, according to a news release, as well as six large operating rooms equipped with minimally invasive surgical robots. Jason Batacao, Arkansas Online, 9 June 2023 The researchers also showed that preoperative chemotherapy delivered directly into an artery could convert an inoperable tumor into an operable one. David J. Waters, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2015 Early efforts subjected patients to full-body preoperative blasts of X-ray radiation at borderline-lethal doses. WIRED, 5 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1886, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of preoperative was in 1886

Dictionary Entries Near preoperative

Cite this Entry

“Preoperative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preoperative. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

preoperative

adjective
pre·​op·​er·​a·​tive (ˈ)prē-ˈäp-(ə-)rət-iv, -ˈäp-ə-ˌrāt- How to pronounce preoperative (audio)
1
: occurring, performed, or administered before and usually close to a surgical operation
preoperative care
preoperative medication
2
: having not yet undergone a surgical operation
preoperative patients
preoperatively adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!