Question

A patient presents with severe erythema to his left lateral chest wall and a ruptured spleen. Upon arrival at the hospital, the surgeon performs a splenectomy. The suffix "-ectomy" means:

Answer 1

The suffix '-ectomy' means the surgical removal of a part of the body; for instance, a splenectomy involves the surgical removal of the spleen.

Step-by-step explanation:

The suffix "-ectomy" refers to the surgical removal of a part of the body. In the provided scenario, where a patient undergoes a splenectomy, this means that the patient's spleen was surgically removed. Splenectomy is a common procedure performed when the spleen is damaged or diseased, as in the case mentioned where a patient has a ruptured spleen due to severe erythema to his left lateral chest wall.