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Medicine vocabulary · Hospital Departments and Staff

Operating theatre

Meaning in medicine, with examples

nounCommon term

In medicine, operating theatre means: A specially equipped, very clean room in a hospital where surgical operations are carried out.

In Turkish: ameliyathane, ameliyat salonu

How it is used

A British term, often shortened to 'theatre': 'She's in theatre', 'take him to theatre'. Staff talk about theatre lists, theatre nurses and theatre time. The US term is operating room (OR).

Example sentences

  1. He's been in the operating theatre for four hours.

  2. The emergency operating theatre is free, so we can take her now.

Common collocations

  • in theatre
  • take to theatre
  • theatre list
  • operating room
  • return to theatre
  • surgeryTreatment in which a doctor cuts into the body to repair, remove or replace something; also the medical specialty that does this.
  • nil by mouthAn instruction that a patient must not eat or drink anything, usually before surgery or some tests, or when swallowing is unsafe.
  • informed consentA patient's agreement to a treatment or procedure, given after the doctor has explained what it involves, its benefits, its risks and the alternatives.
  • complicationA new problem that develops because of an illness or a treatment, making the situation more serious or harder to manage.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Hospital Departments and Staff

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.